Are they though?
Justin Weinberg at Daily Nous on Alex Byrne’s response to his criticism:
Alex Byrne (MIT) has written an op-ed in The Washington Post in which he admits to being one of the co-authors of the US government’s “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria” Report, discussed previously.
Sly, that “admits to” – as if it were a crime.
…in response to a question from a reader, I elaborated on the reasons for my criticism; here’s part of what I said:
Trump seems quite happy to pulverize the trans community—for political gain, for the pleasure he takes in domination, and maybe even because he occasionally thinks it is a way to be righteous. It’s horrible. Whatever your views are about the metaphysics of sex and gender, or about trans persons in sports or prisons, or about what kinds of medical care trans youth should have—topics which are difficult and about which it’s not unreasonable to have various views—the Trump administration’s cruelty towards, and indifference to the suffering of, trans persons should be quite clear. (And not just trans persons, of course, and their loved ones, too, but various other populations.) The carelessness with which the administration treats the lives of those it considers others is astounding.
The part that interests me here is the “suffering of trans persons” bit.
How much are they suffering, really? Do we know it’s a huge amount? Do we know they’re all in psychic agony all the time?
It seems pretty much the other way around most of the time – more as if they’re at a big party and having fun. Does India Willoughby appear to be suffering? Angry maybe, but suffering? All those lectures delivered from his car – all those snaps of him dressed up like a fantasy hot mama? Does Lily Tino seem to be suffering? He seems to love all that recording a hapless worker accidentally not calling him Miss Lily Ma’am and so on. Does “Sophie Molly” seem unhappy as he shouts all those threats at protests? Do the people who post adoring clips of themselves bragging about how they’re coaching the children in their classrooms to be Trans Allies seem crushed with misery?
Are we really sure about the suffering?
The Daily Nous article does (now) contain a correct link to Byrne’s opinion piece in the Washington Post. Byrne’s article is impressive. Very reasonable and clear.
MIT forevvaaaa
I quite agree, and find the part that gets me is how much disputed stuff just slides by as obvious, assumed knowledge and common perspective, things that “everyone” supposedly thinks.
For instance, that Trump likes this (perhaps), that these changes are “pulverising the trans community” (significant evidence to the contrary), that Trump’s doing it to be righteous (perhaps, he’s not usually driven by that value though), that it’s an issue of “metaphysics” (Christ on a bike!), that it’s about “trans in sports or prisons” (when it’s about males in female sports and prisons), that these medical, hormonal, surgical and societal interventions constitute “care” (evidence mostly to the contrary), that this is difficult (is it? Males are not females, easy), that the administration is doing this out of cruelty (there’s lots of good, non cruel reasons to protect sex based rights and not sterilise children), that the administration is indifferent to suffering (leaving out that multiple previous administrations have been indifferent to the suffering of the female sex, LGB, disabled and even trans people alike in their efforts to affirm), and that stopping this disaster is “careless” (when it was embarking upon the disaster that was the actual careless part.
Ugh. How’s an uninformed person actually to understand this, when this is the dreck they publish?
And all the stuff we’re supposed to let slide, in the interests of Not Being Seen to be Siding With Fascists on Anything:
But nobody is supposed to voice these views, or question the genderist staus quo, so as not to be giving aid and comfort to the enemy, or agreeing with them that the sky is indeed blue. But if none of these questions were askable under non-Trump conditions because of the “vulnerable, marginalized” plight of the
LGBT “community”, then silence and compliance is the only permitted response, however “not unreasonable” it is to have “various views.” Consequently, we’re still stuck in “NO DEBATE!”Given The Never-ending Story of medicalized Gender Journeys, I wouldn’t doubt that there is suffering, but much of it is likely self-inflicted by surrendering oneself to the Gender-Industrial Complex. The continual need for the next procedure, the failure to reach an impossible destination, the disappointment in discovering that “gender-affirming care” does not solve all of the problems and co-morbidities that it had no hope of addressing, any failure to pass despite extreme body modification, distress at predictable pushback against trans demands, and yes, likely some amount of actual prejudice and bigotry. So suffering galore is quite plausible. Anti-trans pogroms and trans genocide? No.
Look at the degree to which the trans ‘community” marginalizes, or rather isolates, itself. The promotion of suicidal ideation and paranoia amongst its own members. Gender ghouls promoting going “no contact” with families, or being enticed to join an online “rainbow family”. The demonization of talk therapy that might lead to desistance. The denial of desistance. The fast-tracking of youth into the gender abattoir. The lack of follow-up or after-care (though how can you have any after-care if there is no “after”‘ just a lifetime of procedures and “treatments”?). The threat of abandonment and vilification if one chooses detransition. These aren’t the machinations of a cisheternormative society; this is all the work of the “community” that supposedly loves you.
And outside of the “celebrity trans” bubble there’s probably a lot less support and sympathy for trans identified people who are suffering from mental illnesses that transitioning will never solve. (Even some of those inside the bubble aren’t doing so shit-hot. I don’t think Ellen Page is a happy person. Trans “euphoria” isn’t sustainable. She’s less likely to ever be happy again if she regrets what she’s put herself through.) These people are going to be even less prepared for the disappointment arising from the expectations and promises that transitioning fails to deliver. I’ve seen a number of trans identified males who look like they have other issues, who would never pass in a million years. I don’t imagine their lives are easy or happy, but that would still be the case if they hadn’t fallen into the trans rabbit hole. So suffering abounds, but the responsibility for the vast majority of it cannot be laid at society’s feet. Transgenderism itself is a disappointment pump, and we’re not the ones priming it.
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And always the asymmetrical language. Note how not giving in to every male demand, or rolling back any male intrusion is “pulverizing” the trans community, while they themselves pulverized women without compunction when they took these things for themselves in the first place. They keep saying “trans”, but we know it’s “male”, and using clear language makes their cause sound a lot less noble and a lot more rapey. Under this ruse, the unreasonable and dangerous male violation of female boundaries is normalized, while redressing the injury and harm to women is an “attack.” If we’re going to use martial language, then women’s response is clearly self defence.
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