An alternative view on the transgender dilemma

 

On Monday I published an article in my intermittent "Doofus Of The Day" series, highlighting a trans woman (i.e. a man "transitioning" to "become" a woman) who complained of period pains, despite having none of the plumbing, body parts or nerves necessary to experience them.  I also made it clear that in general, I don't regard "trans" as a genuine phenomenon.

That said, I've mentioned before in these pages that I know several people who've "transitioned" from one sex to another who appear to be very genuine in their desire to switch, and who've demonstrated for many years that their decision was positive for them.  I don't think the vast majority of those following the current trans fad can say that, but nevertheless, the phenomenon is real for some, and always has been.  Among my friends and acquaintances right now, I number several such people, and I think they're as genuine as it's possible to get.  I appreciate them as such.  I don't feel contempt for them, or reject them;  rather, I'm saddened to think about the very difficult lives they've had to lead and how it led to their decisions, and the burdens that those decisions have imposed upon them.

Another person in that position took the time and trouble to write to me at length about that "Doofus Of The Day" article.  I'm grateful for their feedback.  Here's the e-mail in full, so you can read it for yourself and think about it.

This commentary is on the Doofus Of The Day #1,090 post that I already made a short comment on.

BobNC suggested it was to get attention and affirmation ‘anyone who is mentally ill enough to undergo the surgery’.  I underwent surgery 29 years ago.  I have had a long and successful life post surgically.  My partner and I have raised an outstanding, successful young woman.  (My partner passed away 11 yrs ago).  Let me deal with Bob’s comment first.

Maybe the person did need attention – attention that was not happening at home, or in their life from family, friends, or community while dealing with a significant psychological issue.  Maybe they needed affirmation to deal with the abuse commonly meted out by parents, family members or community members that drives many in the trans community to commit suicide.  It isn’t their ‘trans-ness’ that is usually the cause, but the significant abuse by others, the loss of family, jobs, friends, and community that drives them into isolation.  I recommend this post I did on Trans Suicide:

http://moderatemainstream.blogspot.com/2021/03/trans-suicide-not-whole-story-this-is.html

Bullying is endemic amongst trans kids.  Often even before they understand what ‘trans’ means.  I was first beat up at 6 years old.  And spent most of 7th and 8th grade getting beat up weekly.  My home life was a refuge from the abuse, which other parents and teachers suggested would ‘make a man of me’ or give me a thicker skin.  When it started again in my sophomore year of high school, I ended up going to summer school for two years for ‘fighting back’.  My tormentors got no punishment.  Most of us dealt with bullying in school, but it often followed us into adulthood.  I am sure you know of many ‘good ole boys’ that worked over weaker kids… make a man out of them.  Or worse.  “Can’t have those f….ts around here” or “need to protect the women from those perverts".  Yea, we do this for fun.  Not.

“It would be interesting to see some data on how many of these poor loonies regret their surgery. Funny how we don’t hear anything about that in the media; though given the level of their trustworthiness, I wouldn’t believe any “data” they had anyway.”

I participated in a study, part of a dissertation I believe, that followed up with patients five years after surgery that was done by the University of Chicago Medical Center Gender Clinic back in the late 1990s.  I didn’t receive the results so do don’t know the conclusions.  Six of us were on an in-person panel held before graduate students of the Psychiatry Department, the Department with overall responsibility of the Clinic.  I knew one other participant.  I am sure there were difficulties getting participants.  The vast majority of us, once we have completed our transition, prefer to blend back into “normal” society and get on with our lives.  What is called, passing, or stealth.  Most of us accomplish that.  Do others fail to do so?  Yes.  I knew two.

In the last 30 years I have met, in person, more than 50 others that have transitioned and have talked online or via phone with more than 100 others.  Most of us know someone that failed, or detransitioned.  The failures almost without exception fall into one category: they did not follow the Standards of Care (SoC) that existed in the Medical Community for decades.

If you wanted surgery, “sex reassignment” or what is now titled “Gender Confirmation Surgery”, you needed to follow the SoC.  You needed to spend at least one year living in your target gender.  That means appearing as a woman (male-to-female) or as a man (female-to-male) basically 24/7.  Working, going to school, involved in social circles, successfully for a year.  During which time you need to be meeting with a psychologist or psychiatrist with specific skills in gender issues.  Back in the 70s and into the 80s, this needed to be done before you were given hormones.  So, you had to ‘pass’, and survive without any medical (surgical or hormonal) assistance for that year.  In the late 80s, hormones were given to help during the ‘real life test’. My surgery didn’t happen until 5 YEARS after I started transition because of the cost.  That was common, for those that could work and support themselves. For those that couldn’t find work, well, the street was the end for most of them.  There was no insurance, no programs to pay for anything.  Hormones, therapy, and surgery were all out of pocket expenses.  Any wonder there were fewer of ‘us’ back then?  And why there are many people in their 40s, 50s and even 60s transitioning now?

Here is how you ‘prove’ medically that transsexualism is a real thing:  take 50 million women in pregnancy and take blood tests of her and her fetus at 12, 24, 34 weeks and post-partum, and bloodwork of the child at 5, 10 and the beginning of puberty.  Of course, such blood tests on the fetus are VERY risky, but you need the number of pregnancies to get a sample of sufficient size to get good results.  After all, we are only 1 of between 10,000 and 35,000 depending on the ‘best guess’.  Yea, such a study isn’t going to happen.  The risk to such a large population to find such a small population will not be allowed.  So, we are left with smaller studies and here is a short 6 minutes of a longer 90 minute lecture given by a Stanford neurobiologist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QScpDGqwsQ

Back to the two I knew that ‘failed’, and most of the others the rest knew of: they didn’t follow the SoC and despite being told by therapists they were NOT good candidates for transition and surgery, they went overseas and got the surgery.  And came back with gender dysphoria because NOW they were really trapped in the ‘wrong body’.  Both committed suicide within six months.  SoC kept many from failing, but it did happen.  The ‘trans suicide’ situation makes the effort to transition difficult.  I call the first year of transition Hell Year because of the stress and difficulties.  For people already dealing with physical abuse, addiction caused by abuse or other mental issues, and financial difficulties, Hell Year is just too much. The turning out onto the streets, by ‘good Christian fathers’ that don’t want perverts or f*gs in their house…even when their child is 16 or 17 (I have three I know personally right now), is disgusting.

The attitude of people on the Right plays into the needs of the activist Left (people cast adrift by their families, friends and communities because of their “perversions” are accepted by different kinds of abusers). 

What has changed in the last decade?  Historically, 70-80% of those transitioning were male-to-female.  In the last decade that has flipped to female-to-male.  Abigail Shearer was right to point out the problem, but her conclusions were/are the usual tropes found amongst the Right but limited by the sample set of teen female-to-males.  SoC has been replaced by ‘informed consent’ and the risk to people transitioning has grown exponentially.  Detransitioners, largely female-to-males, are almost always the recipients of the “benefits” of just getting what they want, as long as they, or their parents, are INFORMED of the risks. The medical community has abdicated its responsibilities.  The recent ‘authority’ promulgated by the Texas Attorney General blows right past the ‘informed consent’ problem and demands intrusion into the medical choices of patients and their parents and their doctors. Killing the child while tossing out the bathwater.

I am of the Right.  I believe in individual rights, AND responsibilities.  But this issue seems to be used by the Left to destroy our dimorphic society and the Right to destroy trans people. 

Anyway, if you got to here, thanks for reading.  Feel free to publish this or not, with my real name if you do.  I am not ‘out’ in my day-to-day life, but most people that know me, know my history.  My partner and my daughter included.  Yes, we adopted from China.  A little girl thrown away by her ‘mother’ (and father?).   Imagine that.

Respectfully,

Tracy Coyle

PS:  Many of us 'long-timers' do not consider ourselves, or any transsexuals, part of the transgender community.  Our gender is immutable, we were born with it, it just wasn't congruent with our physical sex.  So, we transitioned from one sex to another, always retaining the gender we were born with.  Transgender now encompasses such a broad category of gender non-conforming that it threatens transsexuals (called transphobic because we believe you need gender dysphoria to be trans and because you need medical transitioning to deal with the issue) and natal women.  Don't even get us started on 'neopronouns'.  Why are we not more outspoken?  Because the Left cancels us as fast as we can voice an opinion.

Food for thought, and well presented.  It hasn't changed my fundamental opinions any, and I still regard the vast majority of "trans" people as mentally rather than physically ill or challenged or . . . whatever.  However, let me say once again that there are some people who appear to be anything but.  I guess they're the exceptions that prove the rule.  As for the implications of religious faith and/or teachings for the subject . . . all I can say is, I'm not God, and I'm very glad I'm not, and you should be even more grateful that I'm not!  I guess we'll find out the eternal truth of the matter when we stand before the Creator and give account for our own lives, with all their sins, faults and failings.  I have more than enough of the latter to worry about, and I'm going to need God's mercy at least as much (if not more than) anyone else;  so I'm certainly not going to condemn others out of hand.  May God have mercy on all of us, whatever our shortcomings.

Thanks, Tracy, particularly for your courage in being willing to expose yourself to possible (probable?) criticism by standing up for your beliefs and lifestyle.  You have my respect for that.

Peter