Trans

Thanks

When I say therapy I dont mean going once a week to see someone who tries to "cure" you of whatever ails you. I mean working with people who are able to give you practical tools that allow you to build emotional resiliance and acceptance. I dont believe that there is anything "wrong" with the minds of people who are transgender, and I believe that if surgery is the step they want to take then by all means go for it. I dont believe that they need to be fixed in any capacity. "Therapy" tools are simply a way of remaining functional and effective without the burdens of depression and anxiety, and a way of dealing with the people that they will inevitably face because of their experience, and I know for some people, that has been enough and they have opted not to have surgery because they feel that they can find a way to make peace with the way they are.

- though to be fair, I have a bias against "traditional" therapy.

I definitely think that anyone who is pursuing a medical transition should be seeing a therapist who is knowledgeable about the specific issues that trans people face and can help them learn tools to cope with stress, depression, anxiety, and any external things they might face. Honestly, I think a lot of people in the general population anyway would benefit from some type of therapy to help learn coping mechanisms. I just learned from my dentist that I clench my teeth at night. I know I catch myself doing it during the day. I got a mouth guard, but I will also be working on ways to relieve tension purposefully. Small things like that are things just about everyone can benefit from.

There are certainly people who ultimately decide not to have surgery. Some just don't experience very strong dysphoria, some have cultural or religious rules prohibiting it, others want to wait in the hopes that the available options improve in their lifetime. I just hope people keep in mind that the experiences of these few people by no means invalidate the need for surgery that the majority of the trans population is faced with.

Abhaya Budhil wrote: I definitely think that anyone who is pursuing a medical transition should be seeing a therapist who is knowledgeable about the specific issues that trans people face and can help them learn tools to cope with stress, depression, anxiety, and any external things they might face.

Why should that religion (psychology) have any say one way or another?

I'm not saying that I think it should be a requirement. I'm only saying that I think it's a good idea and that someone who has the time and money for it should give it a shot. A lot of people have trouble learning coping tools, and you don't want to be constantly dumping things on your friends and family. If you have the resources to see a therapist (or really anyone who is trained to help people learn coping mechanisms and who isn't too close personally with the person learning to cope), then it's just a good idea. Much better than developing eating disorders, self harming behaviors, addiction, agoraphobia, etc.

I don't think it should be required that you see a therapist during your transition. A lot of people don't have the money or time to see a therapist, so making i a requirement would just make it that much harder for people without access to those resources. But for people who do have access, it is definitely something that is a good thing to at least try out.

Abhaya Budhil wrote: I don't think it should be required that you see a therapist during your transition. A lot of people don't have the money or time to see a therapist, so making i a requirement would just make it that much harder for people without access to those resources. But for people who do have access, it is definitely something that is a good thing to at least try out.

I partially agree that it should not be required. One or two sessions at most just to get a person to look at the matter in a different way maybe, if that even.

I think that you should need to see a therapist with a particular knowledge of trans issues before you can begin a medical transition. There are options for people without money to see a therapist for a few months at least. That way people can work through their feelings and make sure transition is right for them. People who jump in too fast without using proper channels often have transition regret because they find that they were not trans after all. My doctor required a letter from a therapist before he would give me hormones (I saw her for a year before she gave me my letter) and the surgeon I am considering going to also requires a letter from a therapist. However, once you have seen a therapist for long enough to get started on the medical part of the transition, I see no need to have it be a requirement to continue.

Abhaya Budhil wrote: I think that you should need to see a therapist with a particular knowledge of trans issues before you can begin a medical transition. There are options for people without money to see a therapist for a few months at least. That way people can work through their feelings and make sure transition is right for them. People who jump in too fast without using proper channels often have transition regret because they find that they were not trans after all. My doctor required a letter from a therapist before he would give me hormones (I saw her for a year before she gave me my letter) and the surgeon I am considering going to also requires a letter from a therapist. However, once you have seen a therapist for long enough to get started on the medical part of the transition, I see no need to have it be a requirement to continue.

Well if it is to be a year requirement for someone to do something to their own body then it should be a year requirement for someone to abort a baby too. Sounds only fair to me.

ren wrote:

Alexandre Orion wrote: ren, your metaphor choice could only be described as insulting.

So, stop it.

The shaft consists of two airbags surrounded by flesh taken from elsewhere, and the testes are air pumps. Also, I think I'm going to continue. Thanks anyway for putting your demands in bold.

1. It enables them to have sex organs, which can serve many life purposes. Anything from having a normal hetero relationship with sex to becoming a playboy model to whatever goes along with the organ.

These "sex organs" comprise of a previous sex organ's nerves and flesh, as well as some other stuff like flesh taken from elsewhere and implants. Someone who has their penis transformed into a clitoris and vagina really still has a penis, as far as the nervous connection is concerned. I feel someone with a camera or microphone implant (which involves direct electrical wiring to the brain) has a more valid claim to sight or hearing than someone who's only been cosmetically altered. (such as trans)

2. It enables them to be accepted in society. They can go to the beach in a bikini without people pointing and going "that's a dude!" or they can use the bathroom, gym locker-room, etc.

a. Not only is there no reason for gender segregation but
b. I don't understand why the choice of locker rooms or bathrooms is so important (last time I checked both genders use the bathroom for the same purpose, and we tend not to stare when people are doing their business) and
c. people will always think and say things about other people. Whether it is having a penis, or a massive wart on your face, your only problem is to give a damn, and that's your fault, not the penis or the wart's fault.
d. they were accepted to begin with.

3. There's a well-known medical phenomenon where people's brains and bodies mismatch. You can look up amputees and see it a lot. It's like they can sense their arm should be there and when they look it's gone. It's the same thing when a person with a female brain reaches to grab her breast but finds a hairy manly muscle there instead. You can imagine the horror when they grab other places.

And this "horror" disappears thanks to a chop and some silicone?

Well Abhaya already responded to most of this. I think that you're failing to recognize the difference between sex and gender. When a male dressed as a woman enters a women's restroom or locker-room, cops get called. When a woman dressed as a male enters a men's locker-room she gets hit on, possibly harassed or even raped. Now reverse those and imagine a male dressed as a woman going into a men's locker-room... he'd probably get beat up.

Anyway, yeah the surgery does a lot for trans people. So do the hormones. So does therapy. It doesn't change the fact that trans people still have to reconcile the fact that their sex and gender don't match. Sure, some surgery won't change an X chromosome to Y but the public can't see your chromosomes... they CAN see your adams apple, facial hair, jawbone, etc. So on the one hand it's cosmetic but on the other it's not cosmetic. There are plenty of people who get cosmetic surgery so they can get higher wages, have a better life, find more attractive mates, etc. Some people do it because they have some psychological problem with their nose or whatever it's called. Some people have cleft palate and get cosmetic surgery.

Whyte Horse wrote: I believe birth control really took off in the 70's so now you're seeing massive spikes in trans population in people under the age of 43 or so. There are also massive spikes in gay, bi, lesbian, queer, etc(from 145,000 in 1990, to just under 600,000 in 2000).

Please tell me you're not implying homosexuality is caused by birth control?

It's not the case that there is a high spike in it, it is just more socially acceptable are you going to also say that the increase in new age religion numbers is also caused by birth control? Or is it because society is more accepting of things that they do not understand?

Metsu Desal wrote:

Whyte Horse wrote: I believe birth control really took off in the 70's so now you're seeing massive spikes in trans population in people under the age of 43 or so. There are also massive spikes in gay, bi, lesbian, queer, etc(from 145,000 in 1990, to just under 600,000 in 2000).

Please tell me you're not implying homosexuality is caused by birth control?

It's not the case that there is a high spike in it, it is just more socially acceptable are you going to also say that the increase in new age religion numbers is also caused by birth control? Or is it because society is more accepting of things that they do not understand?

I'm sure there are more people coming out because society is more accepting and that probably accounts for some of the increase. But this will really bend your mind: Is society becoming more accepting of homosexuals because there are more homosexuals or are there more homosexuals because society is more accepting towards them?