Another Guardian article.....

Do you feel any sort of shared bond with other women?

Given that the only real difference between a man and a woman is that men are born and brought up in male bodies and women are born and brought up in female ones can you see why I think that your claims are horseshit - and dangerous, misogynistic horseshit at that?

But I've never even heard of another example, so I do think it's not that common.

I think the psychology of it is totally different than it is for men.

The most interesting thing about this article is the fact the G though they should dig it up after all this time. As someone else said, they are trying to cover up the inconvinient 'hate facts' that keep leaking out (not in the G, obvs)

“But then again, I would have missed out on Loraine, the family, the grandchildren. It’s a difficult call.”

And what would Loraine have done differently I wonder, if she’d known this was in her future? Perhaps we’ll never know, because as usual, the wife’s feelings and opinions are ignored.

"“If the internet had been there when I was in my late teens, early 20s, would I have done it? The chances are yes, I probably would. But then again, I would have missed out on Loraine, the family, the grandchildren. It’s a difficult call.”

Its incredibly subtle but I think that marks a change in tone from other guardian articles. I mean, its tiny, but they are at least saying that there is an advantage to "wait and see".

I don't read it like that at all. Petra says that it's a 'difficult call' whether it would have been better (for Petra) if Petra's children and grandchildren didn't exist. I find that quite chilling.

I will believe in a change of tone when someone like Petra says that of course having their family was more important than indulging their fantasy of being a woman, and that children should be given a chance to make that same choice as adults, not have their options removed before they really understand what it means.

[quote EmmaGrundyForPM]@apalledandshocked. I agree she seems very nice, I haven't got an issue with her, more with The Guardian churning out yet another fluffy piece about how lovely it is to transition. But yes, interesting point about Petra musing that if she'd transitioned as a teen, she'd have missed out on her marriage and children.[/quote]
Also the bit about not expecting the children in the family to suddenly turn around and call her grandma. A quite healthy dose of reality running through the piece and in Petra's attitude, the way this is written. Only one side of the story though, I know.

Compare this with the screenshot on another thread from the trans parents sending their five year old to therapy for not respecting their pronouns.

It was the implication that transitioning magically cured Petra's colitis that made this article stand out for me. Pretty low, even for the Graun (which used to be my paper of choice, long ago).

It's a pretty common pattern in transvestism that the dressing escalates until the person wants to start doing it out of the home.

Fulltime "transition" seems to just be the ultimate culmination of this in these elderly men. The ultimate expression of the paraphilia.

But no, the women need bullshitting lest they think for themselves and become evil terfs.

I read this slightly differently...

"“If the internet had been there when I was in my late teens, early 20s, would I have done it? The chances are yes, I probably would. But then again, I would have missed out on Loraine, the family, the grandchildren. It’s a difficult call.”

Its incredibly subtle but I think that marks a change in tone from other guardian articles. I mean, its tiny, but they are at least saying that there is an advantage to "wait and see". It actually isn't harmful to have an interview with someone who transitioned when older, who doesn't expect their children/grandchildren to change what they call them...
While I am sure there are things I would disagree with her on - she actually comes across as a perfectly nice, decent person. Who may well get dragged by her "own community" even for admitting this.

Oh yes you're right Crone, I'd forgotten about that one. Yes in that case it does seem odd they'd feature two stories of that nature.

It's like people have forgotten what transvestite and cross dressing even means.

Transitioning cures colitis? I’ve heard it all now 🙄.

“If the internet had been there when I was in my late teens, early 20s, would I have done it? The chances are yes, I probably would. But then again, I would have missed out on Loraine, the family, the grandchildren. It’s a difficult call.”

Maybe Petra can do some TED Talks to kids to tell them how wonderful all this stuff is that they won’t get if they start puberty blockers, wrong sex hormones and surgery. There is certainly a dearth of older trans people willing to advise young people about what else life can offer.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/24/a-new-start-after-60-i-became-a-priest-at-63-after-44-years-as-a-soldier-and-a-teacher

What I find interesting is that while you often hear stories of men transitioning post-60, I don't think I've ever heard of a post-60 FtM transition. Which is not to say they don't happen, although I would be surprised.
My feeling is that come 60-odd, the man (assuming he's been an employee/employer, husband, father, maybe breadwinner) feels liberated from what he feels is expected of him and decides he can finally do what he wants. Whereas for post-60 women there's maybe not that same sense of liberation from expected gender roles - maybe there are elderly relatives to care for, maybe they are still doing all the wifework, maybe they're less financially secure in the event of transition leading to divorce... I know these are sweeping generalisations but the older, latterly-transitioned transwoman seems so prominent, it's striking that there are no female (transman) equivalents. If there were, would their stories not be equally meritous of coverage?

Think it's part of an ongoing series about people making big life changes after 60 so it fits the bill really.

I, too, have deep concerns about the conflation of biology and gender, and my opinion is that women are women and trans women (or men for that matter) are trans women/men. It’s not the same experience of female identity by a long way. That said, I couldn’t get deeply offended by this article. Petra seemed a decent and self aware human and the issues of cross dressing and gender identity seemed to have been present in her marriage for many years. Who knows from such a brief, deliberately positive, piece what went on over the years? Lots of anguish on both sides, I’d guess. The theme of these articles is people who have made big life changes after 60 and they are intended to be inspirational rather than incisive.

Excellent points, @WorkingItOutAsIGo. It's so blatantly a "Look, everyone! A tame transwoman who is just like you wimmins are! Move along. Nothing to see here."

It’s clear that this article - which isn’t news - has been posted today in response to all the articles seen as negative to the trans activist case over the last few weeks. Quick, let’s cover it with a fluffy non-article.

The content of the newspaper is always a political choice, even if it’s a so-called lifestyle article.

Oh and sigh, a cyber security person - it’s always IT isn’t it?