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Eirise's topic suddenly got me to thinking about this, and it occured to me that I've somehow never really given an opinion on this topic, so... Here we go, I guess.
The common debates around transitioning and the transgender folk are actually rather complicated. Although gender dysphoria has obviously existed since the dawn of time, I don't think there's even been a time where it was so out in the open or so (comparatively) easy to transition. Of course, some countries generally still have a very harsh view on it, but on average, the world has definitely become much more accepting of it.
One of the first controversial topics we run into is just how old someone should be before they can get HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and surgery. And let's just be honest with each other here. Kids are dumb. They're going through a lot and there's a lot they may not even understand. Furthermore, they're at an age where they are most vulnerable to peer pressure. Some may feel (and they may not even realize this) that they need to transition just to get some amount of attention and acceptance. And then, once they become an adult and all that peer pressure suddenly slips away, they may find the changes they once asked for to be undesirable, and at that point, the changes may be permanent. All that said though, I certainly don't see anything wrong with them presenting and acting as they desire. It is true that in the case of MtF (Male to Female) transition, the sooner you start, the better, but the advantages of starting at, say, 14 instead of 18 are really not very significant at all, or at least, significant enough to justify making a gamble that young that could permanently mess things up for them.
With that, let's move on to our second controversy. That MtF trans peoples are stronger than ciswomen (women who were born as a woman at birth). After doing some reading about this, it seems to be that muscles depend on two major things. How much one works out, and how much testosterone they have. Former gender doesn't seem to play a part in it.
For our third controversy, it's that HRT is dangerous and untested. While long term effects are somewhat foggy, HRT is as safe as most FDA-approved medication out there. There is a heightened risk factor for some form of cardiovascular disease in MtF trans peoples taking estradiol (for estrogen) due to a more increased risk of blood clots, but the risk seems pretty manageable. Just have to start exercising more it seems. I've also heard that transdermal estradiol seems to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
For the fourth controversy, it's said by some transgender opponents that HRT and surgery had high rates of people regretting their decision to do so. Perhaps among people who initiated their transition below the age of 18, but beyond that, I think this is probably the biggest myth of them all. For people with actual gender dysphoria, ridiculously high levels of satisfaction are very usually reported. I have some anecdotal stories from friends about this as well who say that even though they experienced hell for their decision to transition, and before the transition, were suicidal, they never once regretted the decision, and it brought them a lot of happiness and satisfaction.
And finally, our fifth controversy. Transgender people in popular media and news. So, I've been generally pretty on the side of the trans community in this post so far, but for this controversy, I'm going to start turning the tables somewhat. But before I do that, I'll need to set up some context. Now, in 2024, it's easy to forget that the average attitudes about trans peoples used to not be nearly as kind. In popular media, they were very often used as the butt of unoriginal jokes which pretty much boiled down to, "HAHA, UGLY MAN PRETENDING TO BE GIRL." And of course, any attempt at trying to pass as the other sex without a heavy amount of secrecy and stealth was swiftly crushed. And for the longest time, that was just how things were until relatively very recently. And then, after decadess of dumbass jokes, prejudice, and rampant misinformation, and after decades of hard work to turn this narrative around, the trans community suddenly, for the first time in, perhaps ever, found that they finally had the upper hand and also were beginning to be aceepted in a big way. I'd say this really kicked off just a bit after 2010. So... What did some of the trans community decide to do with this upper hand... ? Well, uh... Let's just say they didn't exactly roll out the welcome wagon here. Look. I get it. You all have been stomped on for countless years. Of course you want some revenge. Or, hell, maybe not even that. Perhaps you're now scared of losing the ground that you've gained. And with some politicians seeming to actively work against you all, it's not entirely a skewed viewpoint. But listen to me. You can't just go barging into everything like terrorists at a tea party. You're not going to get a lot of friends that way. And the more friends you have, the more people will be inclined to accept your message and be on your side. And to get more friends, you need to start being more understanding. More calm. More patient. And I know for some of you, that's probably the absolute last thing you want to hear, but it needs to be said. You have to be better than what your fighting or else you're just going to start alienating people.
Anyway though. Questions and comments welcome as always.
The common debates around transitioning and the transgender folk are actually rather complicated. Although gender dysphoria has obviously existed since the dawn of time, I don't think there's even been a time where it was so out in the open or so (comparatively) easy to transition. Of course, some countries generally still have a very harsh view on it, but on average, the world has definitely become much more accepting of it.
One of the first controversial topics we run into is just how old someone should be before they can get HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and surgery. And let's just be honest with each other here. Kids are dumb. They're going through a lot and there's a lot they may not even understand. Furthermore, they're at an age where they are most vulnerable to peer pressure. Some may feel (and they may not even realize this) that they need to transition just to get some amount of attention and acceptance. And then, once they become an adult and all that peer pressure suddenly slips away, they may find the changes they once asked for to be undesirable, and at that point, the changes may be permanent. All that said though, I certainly don't see anything wrong with them presenting and acting as they desire. It is true that in the case of MtF (Male to Female) transition, the sooner you start, the better, but the advantages of starting at, say, 14 instead of 18 are really not very significant at all, or at least, significant enough to justify making a gamble that young that could permanently mess things up for them.
With that, let's move on to our second controversy. That MtF trans peoples are stronger than ciswomen (women who were born as a woman at birth). After doing some reading about this, it seems to be that muscles depend on two major things. How much one works out, and how much testosterone they have. Former gender doesn't seem to play a part in it.
For our third controversy, it's that HRT is dangerous and untested. While long term effects are somewhat foggy, HRT is as safe as most FDA-approved medication out there. There is a heightened risk factor for some form of cardiovascular disease in MtF trans peoples taking estradiol (for estrogen) due to a more increased risk of blood clots, but the risk seems pretty manageable. Just have to start exercising more it seems. I've also heard that transdermal estradiol seems to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
For the fourth controversy, it's said by some transgender opponents that HRT and surgery had high rates of people regretting their decision to do so. Perhaps among people who initiated their transition below the age of 18, but beyond that, I think this is probably the biggest myth of them all. For people with actual gender dysphoria, ridiculously high levels of satisfaction are very usually reported. I have some anecdotal stories from friends about this as well who say that even though they experienced hell for their decision to transition, and before the transition, were suicidal, they never once regretted the decision, and it brought them a lot of happiness and satisfaction.
And finally, our fifth controversy. Transgender people in popular media and news. So, I've been generally pretty on the side of the trans community in this post so far, but for this controversy, I'm going to start turning the tables somewhat. But before I do that, I'll need to set up some context. Now, in 2024, it's easy to forget that the average attitudes about trans peoples used to not be nearly as kind. In popular media, they were very often used as the butt of unoriginal jokes which pretty much boiled down to, "HAHA, UGLY MAN PRETENDING TO BE GIRL." And of course, any attempt at trying to pass as the other sex without a heavy amount of secrecy and stealth was swiftly crushed. And for the longest time, that was just how things were until relatively very recently. And then, after decadess of dumbass jokes, prejudice, and rampant misinformation, and after decades of hard work to turn this narrative around, the trans community suddenly, for the first time in, perhaps ever, found that they finally had the upper hand and also were beginning to be aceepted in a big way. I'd say this really kicked off just a bit after 2010. So... What did some of the trans community decide to do with this upper hand... ? Well, uh... Let's just say they didn't exactly roll out the welcome wagon here. Look. I get it. You all have been stomped on for countless years. Of course you want some revenge. Or, hell, maybe not even that. Perhaps you're now scared of losing the ground that you've gained. And with some politicians seeming to actively work against you all, it's not entirely a skewed viewpoint. But listen to me. You can't just go barging into everything like terrorists at a tea party. You're not going to get a lot of friends that way. And the more friends you have, the more people will be inclined to accept your message and be on your side. And to get more friends, you need to start being more understanding. More calm. More patient. And I know for some of you, that's probably the absolute last thing you want to hear, but it needs to be said. You have to be better than what your fighting or else you're just going to start alienating people.
Anyway though. Questions and comments welcome as always.
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