A wonderful synopsis. Very difficult to comprehend that medical treatments are anything but harmful. If a biological male for example were rushed to hospital for some unknown reason & had a blood test to determine any what was wrong. Surely the first observation would be ‘this person has abnormally high levels of oestrogen’’Let’s fix that.
Gender dsyphoria. Perhaps it should be measured. The duration of the ‘dsyphoria’ against the duration of the ‘euphoria’
Very thought provoking, thank you. You concluded with, "should we instead address the underlying concepts that create the harm in the first place?" Yes, that is where I have been going lately. Let's turn the spotlight on why a child or young adult would disassociate with their natural body and disown/remove parts of that body. And let's look at the motives for people or industries who push medicalization with drugs or surgeries.
The poor kids in schools that are being taught how to be "trans" is so sad. Bill Maher calls it 'ENTRAPMENT". Here in Seattle, school counselors hand out resources about the Gender Creative Child. What a mess! My husband and I opted our daughter out of the "SEL" class when we looked up the new her/she/they counselors bio. We tried to alert the other parents (at that school we weren't allowed to use the word 'parent'--we had to say 'caregiver') but we were treated like the ones with the problem. This was the counselors response email blast: "Addressing Gender and Identity
On Day 1, we discussed the Genderbread Person to illustrate how identity, expression, attraction, and sex are distinct yet interconnected concepts. This discussion incorporated a chalk drawing I created, not a poster. Understanding gender diversity helps students appreciate that there are many ways to be a human. This discussion also emphasized acceptance of individual differences, without delving deeply into sexuality. Messages about gender are everywhere, and children receive very clear messages about the "rules" for boys and girls, as well as the consequences for violating them. By learning about the diversity of gender, children have an opportunity to explore a greater range of interests, ideas, and activities. When we discussed gender, we talked about what people like to wear, activities they engage in, and how they feel about themselves. This is not sexuality. Sexuality involves physical intimacy and attraction (which we also talked about). Gender is about self-identity. Gender identity is a person's internal sense of where they fit on the gender spectrum. This includes all kids, "typically" gendered or not. Children have an ability to grasp the complexity of gender diversity because sexuality does not factor in to complicate their understanding. Our children encounter people with different beliefs when they join any community. Gender diversity is an easy concept for children to grasp, and the Genderbread Person drawing was a small introduction to understanding these concepts. I shared how I am learning every day about understanding concepts that are not familiar to me. I also shared that I wished I had seen this image when I was in 7th grade because it would have affirmed ways I and many others identified." HOW ARE SCHOOLS ALLOWED TO TEACH THIS? Can we please stop using the word gender!?
You are such a brilliant writer. So clear, so comprehensive and so deeply helpful. Thank you so much
That's very nice of you, thank you!
A wonderful synopsis. Very difficult to comprehend that medical treatments are anything but harmful. If a biological male for example were rushed to hospital for some unknown reason & had a blood test to determine any what was wrong. Surely the first observation would be ‘this person has abnormally high levels of oestrogen’’Let’s fix that.
Gender dsyphoria. Perhaps it should be measured. The duration of the ‘dsyphoria’ against the duration of the ‘euphoria’
Both great points. It is notable to me that male detransitioners are often very rueful about the impact of oestrogen.
Depressed & teary I am guessing. Need proof. Either that it works, or it does not. It’s the only way to validate.
Sigh.
Very thought provoking, thank you. You concluded with, "should we instead address the underlying concepts that create the harm in the first place?" Yes, that is where I have been going lately. Let's turn the spotlight on why a child or young adult would disassociate with their natural body and disown/remove parts of that body. And let's look at the motives for people or industries who push medicalization with drugs or surgeries.
Brilliant piece
Thank you!
The poor kids in schools that are being taught how to be "trans" is so sad. Bill Maher calls it 'ENTRAPMENT". Here in Seattle, school counselors hand out resources about the Gender Creative Child. What a mess! My husband and I opted our daughter out of the "SEL" class when we looked up the new her/she/they counselors bio. We tried to alert the other parents (at that school we weren't allowed to use the word 'parent'--we had to say 'caregiver') but we were treated like the ones with the problem. This was the counselors response email blast: "Addressing Gender and Identity
On Day 1, we discussed the Genderbread Person to illustrate how identity, expression, attraction, and sex are distinct yet interconnected concepts. This discussion incorporated a chalk drawing I created, not a poster. Understanding gender diversity helps students appreciate that there are many ways to be a human. This discussion also emphasized acceptance of individual differences, without delving deeply into sexuality. Messages about gender are everywhere, and children receive very clear messages about the "rules" for boys and girls, as well as the consequences for violating them. By learning about the diversity of gender, children have an opportunity to explore a greater range of interests, ideas, and activities. When we discussed gender, we talked about what people like to wear, activities they engage in, and how they feel about themselves. This is not sexuality. Sexuality involves physical intimacy and attraction (which we also talked about). Gender is about self-identity. Gender identity is a person's internal sense of where they fit on the gender spectrum. This includes all kids, "typically" gendered or not. Children have an ability to grasp the complexity of gender diversity because sexuality does not factor in to complicate their understanding. Our children encounter people with different beliefs when they join any community. Gender diversity is an easy concept for children to grasp, and the Genderbread Person drawing was a small introduction to understanding these concepts. I shared how I am learning every day about understanding concepts that are not familiar to me. I also shared that I wished I had seen this image when I was in 7th grade because it would have affirmed ways I and many others identified." HOW ARE SCHOOLS ALLOWED TO TEACH THIS? Can we please stop using the word gender!?