Socio-political Consciousness
“The Trans Issue”
Some people are trans. That’s it. That’s the entire blog. People simply are who they are, and (especially when it has no effect on others) those around them should respect that, right? Well, it’s simple in concept but surprisingly hard for some people in practice.
Let’s start with the “reason” or rather lack thereof that people are transgender. There’s a long and troubling history of trying to to find an explanation of why people are queer, and while this often masquerades as well intentioned science the implication that there’s something “wrong” to find deep in the brains of queer folks leads to outcomes like conversion therapy (which has been proven to be both useless in changing one’s sexual identity[1] and actively harmful to those subjected to it[2]) and eugenics. While there is credence to the neurological differences of transness, notably that binary trans folks often have similar brain chemistry to their cisgender counterparts[3], these studies were conducted with trans individuals taking pubertal suppression therapy, and thus is not generalizable to the entire trans experience. Often people are unable to afford hormone therapy or surgery, do not want them, or can’t come out to their family out of fear. These people aren’t any less “trans” than any other, and a transmedicalist (the belief that only trans people who’ve undergone medical procedures are really trans) viewpoint completely ignores and invalidates the existence of non-binary genders. This excerpt from Nat Mulkey’s article, The Search for a ‘Cause’ of Transness is Misguided perfectly sums this up.
“There is a privileged transgender narrative in society: one that fits the medical, historical and academic expectations of what transitioning entails. This acceptable transgender narrative includes a linear transition (from social to hormonal and finally to surgical) and a binary transition (from male to female or female to male). This narrative fails to capture the reality of transgender or nonbinary (TGNB) experiences, however. The paths people take to their authentic gender identity are as numerous as any other component of an individual's story.”[4]
Now, let’s go back to the start of this blog, and focus on the “no effect on others” bit. I know most of those turned off by this line have most likely stopped reading by now, but I just know there’s going to be someone who attempts to argue that “the transes are going for our kids!!!!” even after getting this far, so let’s unpack that. First of all, this idea is deeply rooted in the fact that being trans is inherently bad. Even if trans people were somehow making your children trans their genders, why would that be a necessarily bad thing? Discussion of gender can only lead to a greater understanding of identity in the long run, which is a huge aspect of the almighty purpose we all seek in life. I hear you, “but what if they’re being transed without the children knowing!” and I agree, most children don’t have the understanding of the world necessary to think critically about decisions they’re making, but transitioning isn’t a quick or easy thing. Societal acceptance of trans folks is very low if the individual doesn’t “pass,” and even if they do, people simply knowing you’re trans can attract the wrong kind of attention. Transitioning comes with social, psychological, and physical consequences, and while children might not understand the long term effects of the psychological and physical aspects, prejudice in school and elsewhere strike directly at the heart. Nobody would go through this struggle if they were not in fact trans; it’s not “trendy” or “cool” to be trans, it comes with near constant struggles from both internal and external forces. And again, keep in mind that this line of reasoning spawned from assuming we’re out to make your children trans, which is an extremely illogical argument. So, I implore you to rethink your own gender and relationship to traditional gender roles, and what that means to you.
Works cited
[1] “The Lies and Dangers of ‘Conversion Therapy.’” HRC, https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy#:~:text=In%202007%2C%20a,attractions%20through%20SOCE.%22
[2] “The Lies and Dangers of ‘Conversion Therapy.’” HRC, https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy#:~:text=Minors%20are%20especially%20vulnerable%2C%20and%20conversion%20therapy%20can%20lead%20to%20depression%2C%20anxiety%2C%20drug%20use%2C%20homelessness%2C%20and%20suicide.
[3] Mulkey, Nat. “The Search for a 'Cause' of Transness Is Misguided.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 23 Mar. 2021, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-search-for-a-lsquo-cause-rsquo-of-transness-is-misguided/#:~:text=These%20differences%20seem,to%20cisgender%20girls
[4] Mulkey, Nat. “The Search for a 'Cause' of Transness Is Misguided.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 23 Mar. 2021, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-search-for-a-lsquo-cause-rsquo-of-transness-is-misguided/#:~:text=There%20is%20a%20privileged,of%20an%20individual%27s%20story
Additional resources
Wynn, Natalie. Gender Critical | ContraPoints. YouTube, 30 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pTPuoGjQsII. Accessed 7 Dec. 2021.
Wynn, Natalie. “Transtrenders” | ContraPoints. YouTube, 1 Jul. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdvM_pRfuFM. Accessed 7 Dec. 2021.
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