The Trans Question...

[Ana the Ist]

I heard an argument from a trans activist the other day that I thought was particularly interesting. Before I get to that, I'm aware that the vast majority of those who support trans activism do so as an issue of "harm reduction" because the medical community has stated that "affirmation of gender identity" is the best practice available for harm reduction.

This can mean two things, if it seems unobvious....

1. That the trans person is suffering from a personal problem created by a condition that causes them to see themselves as a gender different from their sex. Therefore, the best option is to just play along and let them present themselves however they want. This will ultimately reduce suicide in the trans community.

Or it could mean...

2. The trans person has no problem. The problem is with society not realizing that there is no significant difference between man and woman, even biologically, and gender and gender roles are all just made up relics of the past.

Now I always though people were arguing for point #1...which is to say that it's at least possible they are suffering from a medical condition and that by lying to them and telling a man that he's a woman will help him out in the long run.

The trans activist I heard actually said that they are arguing #2....and since they aren't suffering from any medical issues, they require no diagnosis or restrictions on age to begin altering their bodies with surgery and hormones.

Please don't respond that they are suffering from a real medical condition but there's no real difference between men and women biologically. That makes no sense...without the biological difference, it's hard to imagine what the condition could be. They have to be aware of this biological difference and it causes the feelings of conflict to create the condition.

Otherwise, we're talking about a #2 scenario where they have no problem at all except for a backwards society that thinks there's a difference between men and women.

I'm really curious which of these two positions people on the left are arguing for....because I suspect it's #1....but the activists might be arguing for #2.


Feel free to comment.

 

[Sketcher]

The question isn't what most of the left wants. The questions is, what do the people who steer the left's agenda want.

 

[Ana the Ist]

The question isn't what most of the left wants. The questions is, what do the people who steer the left's agenda want.

I'm really just curious which of those two things people think they are arguing for....is it a medical condition or not?

 

[jacks]

I believe the American Psychiatry Organization does see it as a mental disorder. Under treatment they advocate in essence everyone playing along. Your option #1. However, in order to really "play along" we would need to say that it is perfectly normal and it's society that is deluded. Your option #2. I think that is were the line gets blurred and you see people advocating for number 2. Which does seem strange since they clearly say Gender Dysphoria is a mental disorder. I can't think of another mental disorder that is treated in the same way.

 

[sandman]

It’s not a medical condition …it’s deeper than that (not going into it here).

I personally don’t care what they do in their own life …that’s up to them. What tips my scale is when they expect me to accept who they say they are….. when they couldn’t accept who they were born as to begin with.

 

[Tanj]

It’s not a medical condition …it’s deeper than that (not going into it here).

I personally don’t care what they do in their own life …that’s up to them. What tips my scale is when they expect me to accept who they say they are….. when they couldn’t accept who they were born as to begin with.

Absolutely. How dare they expect civility, decency and respect!

 

[Aldebaran]

Absolutely. How dare they expect civility, decency and respect!

If they want respect, they would be true to what they were born as, be accepting of it, and want others to do so as well. If they were born a male, then they should embrace that and accept it rather than deny it (and the science behind it), and demand others do the same.
BTW, expecting others to go along with the fantasy of being a made-up gender is not very respectful either.

 

[SuperCow]

People don't like to be old, so they do botox, facelifts, dye their hair so they don't look older. They're still just as old.

People don't like to be ugly, so they put on makeup, get nose jobs, boob jobs, or whatever they think will make them more attractive. It doesn't usually last very long.

Your genitalia determines your sex, period. Anything else is a delusion. If a person doesn't like who they are then modern science gives them the opportunity to change it. If they change their genitalia, then they change their sex. At the risk of getting cancelled, from a biblical standpoint it's probably better to change your sex than pursue homosexuality. (one way to interpret Matthew 18:8)

Even if they are law-abiding decent people, others are not. When someone calls themselves something they are not, it can lead to either dangerous situations (bathroom assaults by people using transgenderism as a ruse), or unfair situations (men pursuing women's sports). They should not be considered a true transgender until they have actually transferred their gender. (Though that doesn't completely resolve the sports issue.)

And a tertiary issue is when kids see all this stuff in their society, have some emotional issues and misdiagnose it as a mis-gender issue, when they really don't understand what the consequences will truly be until later in life when it's too late.

 

[MehGuy]

I believe they are most likely born with brains that more resemble the gender they claim to be. Nature is often not black and white and there is room for lots of ambiguity. Personally, I do not view transgenderism as a disorder. Being transgender is not an ideal state, but I do not view it as a mental disorder.

Although as far as them being a "man" or a "woman"... I view it more as a philosophical problem. They are not the same thing as a cis man or woman. With a heavy heart, I do not believe in pressuring people to pretend one way or the other about the issue. I do believe a lot of trans people are locking themselves into a phony box. Being surrounded by "accepting" people who may or may not be pretending to believe they are actually a woman out of niceness or social pressure. I don't see how this environment actually makes them happy.

Maybe that is just me projecting. As someone in the BDSM lifestyle I have a lot of insecurities about it, and in the past, I've pressured people to "accept" me, but the whole thing ended up feeling empty. Many transgender people I follow who have a circle of friends who accept them are still often unhappy and insecure. Personally, I'd rather live in an environment where people can speak their mind, and those who do accept me I'll consequently have an easier time viewing as genuine. Some people are different, but I doubt too many transgender people are actually that vapid.

 

[bekkilyn]

People don't like to be old, so they do botox, facelifts, dye their hair so they don't look older. Their still just as old.

People don't like to be ugly, so they put on makeup, get nose jobs, boob jobs, or whatever they think will make them more attractive. It doesn't usually last very long.

Your genitalia determines your sex, period. Anything else is a delusion. If a person doesn't like who they are then modern science gives them the opportunity to change it. If they change their genitalia, then they change their sex. At the risk of getting cancelled, from a biblical standpoint it's probably better to change your sex than pursue homosexuality. (one way to interpret Matthew 18:8)

Even if they are law-abiding decent people, others are not. When someone calls themselves something they are not, it can lead to either dangerous situations (bathroom assaults by people using transgenderism as a ruse), or unfair situations (men pursuing women's sports). They should not be considered a true transgender until they have actually transferred their gender. (Though that doesn't completely resolve the sports issue.)

And a tertiary issue is when kids see all this stuff in their society, have some emotional issues and misdiagnose it as a mis-gender issue, when they really don't understand what the consequences will truly be until later in life when it's too late.

The thing is, even if they chop off body parts and such, they still haven't truly changed their sex. They are still exactly the sex they were born as and there is nothing whatsoever they can do to change that fact.

We've gotten to the point where if someone thinks chopping off their hand or leg would make them feel better, we believe they have a problem and try to help them while discouraging the mutilation, but if someone thinks that chopping off their genitals and permanently sterilizing themselves would make them feel better, then they are simply practicing healthy self esteem and we should encourage them in every way.

As far as the questions in the OP, I would be curious to hear the answers as well as it seems to me that they change from day to day depending on what response seems to best move along the agenda at any given time.

 

[DaisyDay]

Your genitalia determines your sex, period.

I dunno about that - I've heard that DNA, hormones, and the like have more of an effect on your genitalia than vice versa.

I believe that sex and gender are on a spectrum, that it is not as starkly binary as so many people presume.

 

[Ceallaigh]

Your genitalia determines your sex, period.

There's considerably more that separates male from female than genitalia.

 

[Ceallaigh]

Adding to the confusion of this is trans women impregnating biological women, and trans men becoming pregnant.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

I always err on the side of the truth. Truth is not always convenient and it's not always popular, but the thing with the truth is it's safe and its sound. At some point society needs to take a stand on the issue or it will continue to spiral out of control.

 

[Aldebaran]

Adding to the confusion of this is trans women impregnating biological women, and trans men becoming pregnant.

People have actually died in hospitals because they identified themselves as the opposite sex to physicians, and then received the wrong treatment when their life depended on it.

 

[sandman]

Absolutely. How dare they expect civility, decency and respect!

That’s sad ….I don’t know why you would disparage them like that….but I am sure you have your reasons

 

[rturner76]

There is a difference between gender and sex. Trans people identify their gender the opposite way but most acknowledge what their sex is if they are rational.

 

[Aldebaran]

There is a difference between gender and sex. Trans people identify their gender the opposite way but most acknowledge what their sex is if they are rational.

Many aren't. That's what causes so many of their issues. It's even worse when they won't even allow other people to recognize their sex, and then cast blame onto other people when other people are the ones who see the reality. Even worse than that is when lawmakers want to mandate that others agree with whatever the trans person demands.

 

[Saucy]

I think the left will argue whatever position they can. It changes when it suits them. They are trying to gather as many 'marginalized' groups as they can and go along with whatever delusion is popular at the moment in order to win votes. We see this happen around election cycles. Just look at Joe Biden and many Democrats for example. The left likes to say, "wow, they really evolved over the years." Most were anti-LGBT, pro-life, and so on.

Just check out this article from Pink News that reported on Biden's history on the LGBT community. He even once said that homosexuals are a 'security threat.' In the 90s, he voted for legislation that prohibited gay couples to live together, getting married, and extending rights to them. In '96 he supported legislation that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. It wasn't until 2012 when he suddenly supported it while standing next to Obama. Now the article cheers how far Biden has come as the most "pro-equality president in history"

Biden was also quite racist, but Democrats don't care about that, either, apparently.

Whatever the trans community says the position should be, Democrats will take it in order to win votes. Then because the left controls the schools, suddenly the textbooks are rewritten, academia falls in line, and anyone who opposes it is a bigot and homophone and transphobic and whatever.

 

[Occams Barber]

That’s sad ….I don’t know why you would disparage them like that….but I am sure you have your reasons

@Tanj wasn't being disparaging.

He was using a little light sarcasm to make the point that transpeople have the right to expect civility, decency and respect - just like the rest of us.

OB