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06-08-2024, 03:22 PM
Incoming wall of text. Apologies in advance.
I appreciate your patience and willingness to engage in a discussion rather than an argument and I hear and respect your points of view even if I find many of them contrary to my own.
Let me make it clear I am not a trans apologist, an activist or an ideologue and I find most of the modern transgender narrative and demanding activism to be unproductive and in many cases, completely ludicrous and detrimental to their cause but I have enough knowledge and experience in these matters along with enough of a rebellious streak to disregard much of the dogma because a fair portion of it is bullshit.
Part of my understanding in all of this is because I realize the umbrella term of trans/transgender is so broad, ill-defined and all-encompassing as to be mostly worthless and without examining and understanding things on an individual and unique basis, having a discussion with those that don’t have the same level of experience, intimate knowledge and study in these areas is often quite frustrating to me because most fail to recognize not all levels of transness and not all people lumped into the “transgender” bucket are the same or represent some kind of monolithic entity.
These thoughts alone go against trans dogma as it is an anathema to suggest not all trans folk are the same or that some are more trans than others and please don’t get me started on non-binary “identities” but I digress.
Trans youth is a subject I am passionate and very well informed about and I apologize if I become offensive but my previous online experiences in trying to bring some information and a different perspective to the discourse as well as the spate of ignorant politicized anti-trans legislation sweeping the country pushed by theocratic fascists wannabes (whew! LOL) has me mostly on the defensive. It shouldn’t have to be this way and I understand what a hot button topic trans youth has become and how contentions these discussions can be so I do make an effort to not be an ass but I am not always as successful in that as I would like to be.
I applaud your efforts at acknowledging that genuine gender dysphoria is a legitimate and rare serious condition that demands addressing diagnostically but identifying these kids and separating the wheat from the chaff as it were is not as easy or well defined as in the past with so much variability in gender expression that include 200 made up genders, 96 stupid neo-pronouns and so on because most modern kids reject stereotypes and don’t give two hoots about the gender binary or non heterosexual orientations.
I think you’re overcomplicating the situation and attributing “purpose and decorum” as being part of normal teenage behaviors and skill sets. In a 20 second exchange – teacher calls a kid Paul whose friends and family know them as Paula and a simple common request for decency and respect is met with obstinate politically motivated denial and refusal to accommodate the student’s appeal. The question becomes who is doing the platforming here, the student or the teacher? If someone insists on calling you Matilda or Maxine instead of Max wouldn’t you be inclined to correct them and when that fails to garner the proper response, to appeal to a higher authority? I don’t blame this kid at all and as this substitute teacher has a history of treating kids in ways they might find rude and offensive, repercussions seem appropriate.
With the fear of presenting a partisan response, my gut reaction is to call out that this is happening as you describe as a right-wing wet dream of misinformation but that wouldn’t be very nice of me. This notion that kids are being pushed into transition or a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is not borne out by the facts. Sure, conservative media capitalizes on this in the rare cases this does happen because it fans the flames of controversy and clicks but by far, this is the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of kids seeking gender affirming care, which may be little more than a place to explore their thoughts and feelings, are unable to obtain it and in 25 U.S. states, such care has now been criminalized which should be a private matter between families and medical professionals.
I appreciate your patience and willingness to engage in a discussion rather than an argument and I hear and respect your points of view even if I find many of them contrary to my own.
Let me make it clear I am not a trans apologist, an activist or an ideologue and I find most of the modern transgender narrative and demanding activism to be unproductive and in many cases, completely ludicrous and detrimental to their cause but I have enough knowledge and experience in these matters along with enough of a rebellious streak to disregard much of the dogma because a fair portion of it is bullshit.
Part of my understanding in all of this is because I realize the umbrella term of trans/transgender is so broad, ill-defined and all-encompassing as to be mostly worthless and without examining and understanding things on an individual and unique basis, having a discussion with those that don’t have the same level of experience, intimate knowledge and study in these areas is often quite frustrating to me because most fail to recognize not all levels of transness and not all people lumped into the “transgender” bucket are the same or represent some kind of monolithic entity.
These thoughts alone go against trans dogma as it is an anathema to suggest not all trans folk are the same or that some are more trans than others and please don’t get me started on non-binary “identities” but I digress.
Trans youth is a subject I am passionate and very well informed about and I apologize if I become offensive but my previous online experiences in trying to bring some information and a different perspective to the discourse as well as the spate of ignorant politicized anti-trans legislation sweeping the country pushed by theocratic fascists wannabes (whew! LOL) has me mostly on the defensive. It shouldn’t have to be this way and I understand what a hot button topic trans youth has become and how contentions these discussions can be so I do make an effort to not be an ass but I am not always as successful in that as I would like to be.
Quote: I understand and can accept that a 'condition' exists called gender dysphoria... it is a deeply personal and somewhat uncommon situation. I understand that people, in a social setting (such as a school) should be willing to accept that reality. I also understand that it is not a dime-a-dozen occurrence happening in 5 out of every 20 students. It is a matter of some importance that doctors should identify and diagnose this condition - strictly because of its extraordinary impact and rarity.
I applaud your efforts at acknowledging that genuine gender dysphoria is a legitimate and rare serious condition that demands addressing diagnostically but identifying these kids and separating the wheat from the chaff as it were is not as easy or well defined as in the past with so much variability in gender expression that include 200 made up genders, 96 stupid neo-pronouns and so on because most modern kids reject stereotypes and don’t give two hoots about the gender binary or non heterosexual orientations.
Quote: The student could have asked to be referred to by a different name, but is the time allotted for teaching to become the platform for that moment? Is class time the moment for an individuals 'social experiments?' And when the request is rejected, does the student elevate the engagement to the authorities at school? Did the student care at all about the concept of 'purpose' and 'decorum?' Or does heightened sensitivity to sexual orientation and imagery supersede the idea that he or she should just do what they are there to do?
I think you’re overcomplicating the situation and attributing “purpose and decorum” as being part of normal teenage behaviors and skill sets. In a 20 second exchange – teacher calls a kid Paul whose friends and family know them as Paula and a simple common request for decency and respect is met with obstinate politically motivated denial and refusal to accommodate the student’s appeal. The question becomes who is doing the platforming here, the student or the teacher? If someone insists on calling you Matilda or Maxine instead of Max wouldn’t you be inclined to correct them and when that fails to garner the proper response, to appeal to a higher authority? I don’t blame this kid at all and as this substitute teacher has a history of treating kids in ways they might find rude and offensive, repercussions seem appropriate.
Quote: I have lost a lot of patience with the dismissal (not by you) of the reality that the 'gender affirming fad' in the medical industry is immensely profitable and has virtually no liabilities... so much so that it is often done in secret... especially when nearly every teen might be convinced to "try this out" by telling them that they have a condition rather than a phase, which statistically is much more likely to be the case.
With the fear of presenting a partisan response, my gut reaction is to call out that this is happening as you describe as a right-wing wet dream of misinformation but that wouldn’t be very nice of me. This notion that kids are being pushed into transition or a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is not borne out by the facts. Sure, conservative media capitalizes on this in the rare cases this does happen because it fans the flames of controversy and clicks but by far, this is the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of kids seeking gender affirming care, which may be little more than a place to explore their thoughts and feelings, are unable to obtain it and in 25 U.S. states, such care has now been criminalized which should be a private matter between families and medical professionals.
