The Sun 'is changing gender the new anorexia?'

@MipMipMip Lot of young people end up like that, seen it firsthand in a lot of trans communities with a lot of youngsters in them. It was a real eye opener and helped me to reflect on why I chose to transition, too.

@NopeNi No, because technically they did not do anything "wrong". I was fully aware of my choices, the consequences and the risks and I stand by all the decisions I've made. I do not think of myself as a victim or having been let down.

@Starkstaring No, but I've asked for a referral from my GP to see them again. Once they're "done with you", you're discharged and you have to be re-referred as a patient for any follow-up you may need. I've been waiting since, but it is possible that they'll conveniently lose my referral because I told the GP I detransitioned and he might have mentioned it in the letter. Haven't heard of them for a year now.

@AnchorMum Really sorry your child is going through that. It must be very difficult for both of you. I hope both of you will be ok.

For those interested, I'll be somewhat active on Twitter and posting some future articles, documentaries and other stuff that may have something to do with my story or detransitioning in general:
twitter.com/model_rk960

Hello pumpkin
Thank you for sharing. I have no doubt I would have transitioned if I had been growing up now.

It has taken many years to learn to be comfortable in my body, well TBH I still have difficulty with body acceptance, but it’s much better these days.

I know I can’t sort out the inside, by trying to change the outside.

And thank you for speaking out. 🌻

Pumpkin
Thank you so much for posting and helping us to understand more.

My young adult child is mtf trans and got a diagnosis of gender dysphoria within about 10 months of first going to the GP. Her dysphoria came on very suddenly after several very difficult years of personal struggle.

We're in the dark as she no longer speaks to us so you've really helped me to understand how this works.

I see what you mean about your experiences enabling you to learn and helping to give you a better understand of who you are.

It's brave of you to speak out and your voice really needs to be heard as widely as possible.

This blog makes those lines distinct. (That blurring is deliberately done and is appropriative):

janeclarejones.com/2018/09/09/gay-rights-and-trans-rights-a-compare-and-contrast/

Pumpkin - thank you for sharing your story. Did you ever give any feedback to the gender clinic? Or did they ever follow up on you?

Yes that is the problem. People are afraid of being on the wrong side of history. Conversion therapy was given as a ‘cure’ for being gay and the lines between being gay and being trans are very blurred.

Because ppl are too afraid
It w
Might be called conversion therapy I read from ppl who work in health here

The massive underfunding of mental health resources for teenagers plays a part in this. The welcoming and supportive trans community fill the absence offering a quick fix magic solutions to deep rooted unhappiness.

I’ve seen this to be true. A young member of my family is trans. They have suffered from mental health issues and their sibling is anorexic. The sibling is getting all sorts of mental health help where as the trans person is getting little of the sort. They have been welcomed with open arms by the trans community. Who would turn that down? Who, when suffering from low self esteem, would turn away from people who say ‘you are like us, join us, we’ll be your friends’
Also, once you have done this and you family respect your new self it will be extremely hard to say that you were wrong all along.

We would never say to an anorexic, that they are indeed fat, so why say to someone that they are the opposite gender? Why is sone considered a mental health issue and the other not?

Have you thought about legal action against the people who let you down so badly CF?

Hi C.F. Thank you for sharing. I very much hope things are working out for you now.

made up a new personality for myself that happened to be male. I wanted to become someone else, to be stronger and to run away, but no amount of hormones or surgeries will do that.

This is such an important point. I would imagine this appeals to a lot of people. It does me but I'm old enough to know it doesn't work like that. How many young people caught up in this are doing the same?

Thank you for speaking out about your experiences, Pumpkin. This is so important.

Thanks pumpkin for coming here and sharing story and speaking out

Most people's gender disphoria could be resolved with therapy, if only doctors would be allowed to actually explore their patients and see if there are any other underlying issues.

I think Stephanie Davies Arai said something about the Memorandum of Understanding (which requires affirmation response) being reviewed shortly.

It was at the Plymouth Let A Woman Speak event.

Thank you for your kind words everyone, I understand how important it is to speak out and how taboo this is for the "trans" community, and I will not stop speaking out! Allowing kids and youngsters to self diagnose themselves with a mental disorder and get the green light to take hormones/blockers and undergo irreversible surgeries is just crazy. I'm sure there are people whose only solution is to transition, but that's a tiny tiny minority. Most people's gender disphoria could be resolved with therapy, if only doctors would be allowed to actually explore their patients and see if there are any other underlying issues.

@Wardrobehamster trans people can apparently get their respective surgeries if the gender clinic people think they are trans. At the time I was attending the gender clinic I was saying that I dont feel neither male nor female, and then in the same sitting I claimed I'm both. I was very confused but that didnt give them a red flag. I was given the green light to have a double mastectomy. Again, this is very scary because they dont do a proper mental health checkup, they ask you if you have a family history or previous diagnosis of a mental health issue but dont actually check on you so you can just withhold the info and they'll never know. It is all based on self-diagnosis. It's nuts.

The person I saw at the gender clinic the first time I went there had a 40 minute session with me and they made the decision to put me on testosterone in this session, based on the letter I was sent with my follow-up appointment date, it said that I would be getting my prescriptions on my next visit.

CF, thanks for sharing your story, it's important. I wish you every happiness going forward.

Thank you for adding to your story CF. I'm glad you are in a better headspace now.

The massive underfunding of mental health resources for teenagers plays a part in this. The welcoming and supportive trans community fill the absence offering a quick fix magic solutions to deep rooted unhappiness.

No waiting months for counselling you can change today; your name, your look, how people treat you, start again with a whole new fresh beginning, take back power, document your transition online and see visible changes. And by focusing on the external self and you don’t have to delve too deeply into the real, underlying causes of the pain.

Sorry to jump in there Pumpkin, I read the first part of the thread but wasn’t quick enough in posting.

Hello Pumpkin

I wonder how she got to have an elective mastectomy? I had breast cancer and a single mastectomy. I requested a mastectomy of my other breast to prevent cancer in that breast. This was refused as there wasn’t enough evidence that I had a family risk of breast cancer to justify the removal of healthy tissue-the surgeon quoted something along the lines of “do no harm”.

Thank you fir sharing CF

PumpkinCF and thanks for sharing your story. Its so important that your voice and experiences are heard.

Completely agree with this article. I felt hugely uncomfortable with my body as it began developing, perhaps particularly as I developed earlier than most, and in fact have a very clear memory at around the age of 10/11 of thinking I did not want to be a girl. I later went on to have eating issues and body dysmorphia for most of my teens. I do wonder what might have happened if someone had said to me at the time that maybe I was in the wrong body. And now, of course, I love my womanhood, despite the challenges we still face!

I do believe that there are genuine trans children of course, I am just concerned that vulnerable kids going through difficult stages - and, as this says, particularly girls in a world where they are increasingly sexualised - are being pushed at a very early and confusing time towards something they may not later feel is for them. With potentially horrific consequences.

Thanks for the link and agree with this so much. I know various young women who have self harmed and been anorexic and I feel the ROGD patients of today are really being let down by a health service that is funded by a government that doesn’t fund mental health services well enough plus the public sector being bullied by TRAs demanding that everyone practice ‘affirmation’ otherwise they are transphobes and trotting out unevidenced statistics about suicide etc. It’s very scary.