The Sun 'is changing gender the new anorexia?'

Hi CF

schools are actively teaching children to question their gender

See 'Bish' training and resources for schools:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3357713-BISH-proudly-supported-by

Also Stonewall's continuing program of training for Primaryand Secondary teachers:

www.stonewall.org.uk/get-involved/get-involved-education/creating-trans-inclusive-school-primary

www.stonewall.org.uk/get-involved/get-involved-education/secondary-schools/creating-trans-inclusive-school-secondary

www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/blog/education-youth/creating-trans-inclusive-school-environment-response-transgender-trend

Opal, it doesn’t entirely help keeping them off social media, as schools are actively teaching children to question their gender.

Hi all,
It's CF from the article. I just would like to clarify a couple of things the article did not include.

I did not experience any male violence towards me or sexualised expectations / harassment, I was never told to do girlie things, both at home and at school, they always let me do things the way I wanted. The part about my peers talking about dresses is a bit misleading. What I meant is that I always felt different from my peers for being a tomboy and being interested in other things. I was a bright child and my teachers and parents supported me, I was sent to competitions and paraded around in school for my awards I won in maths competitions, which isolated me more from my peers. I had mostly no friends throughout my childhood, and then the two friends I did make were a gay guy and a girl who was really heavily into gay communities, which at the time had a huge effect on me.

The article did not include two other, very major points:
Childhood trauma that formed my early childhood and ultimately resulted in me not viewing my mother as my role model at any point and that I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder when I first approached a doctor about wanting to transition. For those who dont know, people with this disorder have an unstable sense of self and often end up with depression, eating disorders and self harm.

Looking back, it was clear I had body image and self worth issues, and that coupled with my BDP, I 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. It's never enough, and I've always felt like a fraud, that I don't belong.

All in all, I dont feel like I was a victim of my circumstances. I dont regret any of it, I've learned a lot over the years I would have not been able to learn any other way.

I was anorexic in my late teens/early twenties and now have a daughter that has Asperger's and identifies as transgender male. I can absolutely see the similarities with anorexia and identifying as trans. Such a shame about the link to Mermaids and Stonewall at the ending of an otherwise good article.

That's a really comprehensive article.

I came on to say the same as beyond - yes, EDs are markedly more common in teens with ASD. Often undetected ASD in the past of course but there’s more awareness now. I found myself thinking a while ago, are the teens who would’ve been anorexic in the past now the teens thinking they are boys.

I am an abuse survivor and recently diagnosed autistic, and was hospitalised for self harm as a teen - there definitely was no social contagion element to it for me as I was secretive and ashamed, but I also know if I was a teen now I would be a prime target for “have you ever considered you might be a boy?” I had my hair short, used the boy version of my name and wanted to change my middle names.

It’s terrifying. I still have scars from cuts but if I’d been transed I’d not be sitting here, recovered from my MH issues, currently cuddling and BFing my third child. All that would’ve been taken away because I was vulnerable and so so desperate not to be me.

We’ll blow me down, a sensitive and thoughtful article in the Sun.

Shame the images that the Sun publishes on page 3 are just those that contribute to body disphoria. I still remember the humiliation of being shown Page 3 by the pervy kitchen-hand at the restaurant I worked at when I was 13 and being asked why I “didn’t look like that”. Girls are bombarded with messages that they need to be sexy, but then told they are slutty if they are. No wonder girls want to opt out of it all.

I kind of see why teenage girls might hate their changing bodies more now. Pornography is such an insidious bastion of misogyny and it’s so ubiquitous. Even anorexia isn’t viable because these images of women are so unrealistic but a sex change? Yeah, that works.

"I wouldn't be surprised. That and autistic teenagers questioning their gender"

Not an either/or though - autistic teens commonly have disordered eating (I was one), so they could possibly be over represented in the ana stats already?

I also have that moment of sinking dread where I know any "woke" people would say, "but it's The Sun".

I tend to counter with "I assume people are intelligent enough to see past any bias and take note of the facts."

About three years ago he said to me, DD tells me nobody’s anorexic at her school any more, they’re all trans now.

That’s reminded me of a Mumsnetter who, quite some time ago now, spoke of a London girl’s private school/sixth form (can’t remember which one now) that was notorious for its cohort of anorexic girls, implying there was definitely an element of social contagion/affirmation going on there. Apparently that school was now overwhelmingly “trans”.

Having been teenage girls ourselves, it makes perfect sense doesn’t it? I can imagine several of my eating disordered/self harming friends in the late 90s being seduced by trans ideology.

The pressures on teenage girls are so terrifying now, so much more so than 20 years ago. I didn’t have to worry about Instagrammers or Youtubers, I didn’t have to obsess over my eyebrows or learning make up skills a drag queen would be proud of. I didn’t have porn culture teaching me that girls needed to be hairless and totally OK with anal sex or being ejaculated over. If I’d been facing those pressures I would have gladly hopped on the trans train.

I have a teenaged DD - we were talking this week about trans issues and she said "why on earth would anyone want to be a woman" From where she is, she'd rather not have to worry about her personal safety, or have crappy periods, or any of the other crap she's started to go through.

I’ve got a colleague with a teenage daughter who goes to a girls’ private school.

About three years ago he said to me, DD tells me nobody’s anorexic at her school any more, they’re all trans now.

I always thought she was a particularly intelligent and perceptive girl.

There was a really interesting discussion and explanation about this at the Bristol, 'We Need To Talk About Sex' meeting from the Jam Jar.

Nicole's speech starts 52:30

Its really worth watching:

Bump.
They should see their GP, not Mermaids.

Excellent article. Pubescent girl ashamed of the male attention that her body brings. Again, where does the problem lie? The whole trans-issue is a mass of stocking plasters
trying to stem the haemorrhage of male violence.

ChrysanthemumsAreMums Your comment about the BBC & the guardian are bang on. I sneer at the radio daily. I used to love radio 4 but it & 5LIVE are nothing but propaganda machines.

Since the Daiky Mail started publishing the truth I’ve tried to buy a copy everyday in support. I’m off for my Sunday Times (same reason) shortly but can see I’ll be throwing a copy of the Sun in my trolley too (and leaving a FPFW leaflet in the trolley when I’ve finished.

So pleased to see a mainstream publication picking up on this. Anyone who's ever been a teenage girl knows how infectious ideas and trends can be - I remember eating disorders spreading at school. I was a relatively stable teenager and I look back at some of the crazy shit I thought then and thank goodness none of it had a permanent impact on my body.

But of course, most TRAs never were teenage girls.

I wasn’t anorexic as a teen. But I was extremely uncomfortable with my changing body. I hated my periods and it took a long time for me to manage them effectively and get the right sanpro and painkillers (codeine and pracetamol!) right.
Body hair, sweat, weight gain etc....non of it felt feminine to me. I think that teaching girls that this is all perfectly normal part of becoming a woman should be taught in schools!

I have two girls, not teenagers yet. Can anyone who had teenagers tell me if it is realistic to try and keep them off social media until they are older, more solid in themselves?

I've got teen boys. Luckily my only DD is much older and the internet/phones were very much still in infancy when she was younger.

It's a really difficult quandary because to be one of the only kids that doesn't have a phone etc... immediately marks them out from their peers and it really is how they all communicate now.

I've found the best way (for me) is to allow devices, have parental settings (imperfect but better than nothing) and most importantly be able to talk to them about the issues that arise from social media and the internet.

The latter is probably the only really effective weapon because as I discovered with my very tech savvy teen boys they quickly learned to bypass settings and blocked sites with VPNs. One of them is studying IT and the other isn't far behind, my mediocre skills are not up to the job of total prevention.

Opal I have a 13yr old daughter - I can't keep her off social media but I have challenged her to always question what she sees - who's saying it, why and what's their evidence. They're going to live out their lives online whatever we do - robust critical thinking is the best skill we can teach. (She's naturally argumentative so that helps!) She's pretty gender critical now and not afraid to challenge the views of others.

I have thought along these lines for some time.

I have two girls, not teenagers yet. Can anyone who had teenagers tell me if it is realistic to try and keep them off social media until they are older, more solid in themselves?

This needs to be reported everywhere.

Not just The Times and The Guardian, but everywhere.

We can't quibble when Rod Liddle, the Daily Mail and The Sun publish reports, when this is what the issue needs.

Ordinary members of the public, not just those who have an axe to grind, need to be made aware of this issue.

To be aware means the start of education about something which could affect/be affecting their children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

When transgenderism appears in the red tops, it means the TRAs can't work in secret and push through policies and legislation in relative secrecy.

Having now read the article I agree it is excellent.

Just one complaint, it quotes Susie Green on the process and official guidelines with Green's emphasis that we are worrying about nothing because of these strict guidelines.

No mention on how Green followed a completely different process with her child.