AIBU to think Snapchat and pink news should not be promoting "top surgery" to vulnerable teenage girls?

[2fallsfromSSA]

I am really shocked by this. Pink News and Snapchat are trying to paint "top surgery" for "trans youth" (ie, the removal of young women's breasts) as an aspirational and beautiful thing.

Girls who have dysphoria are often girls who have experienced trauma, are ASD or have internalised homophobia.

The targeting of vulnerable children is sinister and dangerous - where is the safeguarding, accountability, responsibility? Children would not be targeted with any other kind of cosmetic surgery or medical procedures, why is this any different? Why is nobody scrutinising this? Snapchat is probably the most important social networking platform for teens.

twitter.com/SafeSchools_UK/status/1500205487421337601?s=20&t=4kwU_wUd8QUBkGaxcOOF3Q

What do you expect from Pink News? The idea of a publication dedicated to gay issues and gay rights is commendable, but this is the site that slated Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith as being transphobic and hateful, fuelling further death and rape threats to JKR and didn't even read it first.

I don't expect a lot from Pink News, I can't imagine many young people read it. The partnership with Snapchat though is so worrying. It's cyclical targeting of young vulnerable girls.

*cynical

Good old PenisNews.

It's awful that radical and non-reversable surgery is being pushed on teens that have mental health issues and is branded as "progressive". It's abusive. What is the level of deteansitioners? Isn't it in the high 80/90%?

@2fallsfromSSA

I don't expect a lot from Pink News, I can't imagine many young people read it. The partnership with Snapchat though is so worrying. It's cyclical targeting of young vulnerable girls.

The level it's on, I can't imagine any of the target readership even have breasts yet. They'll be reading the Beano (and getting more profound social commentary from it).

I'm being glib, of course. Yes, it's a concern. This is the kind of decision that only adults under proper medical guidance should be considering. But I think the pushback has begun.

Pink news is a so called LGBT news site but there really only a TQ+ site that is very biased and rather homophobic as they insist that lesbians can have penises and that any actual lesbians who disagree are transphobic and genital fetishists

@DrSbaitso

What do you expect from Pink News? The idea of a publication dedicated to gay issues and gay rights is commendable, but this is the site that slated Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith as being transphobic and hateful, fuelling further death and rape threats to JKR and didn't even read it first.

Actually, the Telegraph of things was responsible for that review. Everyone else based their opinions on the Telegraph review.

YANBU OP, it's horrifying.

I actually am all for trans rights and surgery when it will help and when someone is competent to decide, but I do have a bit of a problem with teenagers seeing this - I'm not convinced they're 'aiming it at teenagers' per se, but obviously it's likely they'll see it.

Top surgery can be the right decision for a small number adults who have had time to reflect and made an informed decision. But I do think anyone who can't legally be living on their own can't be in a position to make that decision.

My oldest is identifying as non binary and I do worry a little about all these 'Yay, Top Surgery was the answer to all my problems and I am happy now stories' and have explained to them that they will see lots of affirming stories about interventions but to bear in mind that's not the whole picture or necessarily the answer to one's own problems. That said fortunately my teen seems happy with their body, not dysphoric or wanting to bind breasts etc. But I can see that kids with more problems in their life, or who are experiencing dysmorphia (or think they 'should' have dysmorphia) finding this idea very appealing.

Disgraceful grooming and the phrase “top surgery” should be banned. Its a mastectomy.

Top surgery is a mastectomy- so sick of the twee euphemism “top surgery”

Agree. Grooming young teens and pre-teens to mutilate themselves as a solution for trauma or mental health issues is vile. Thank heavens Sweden and France are now offering therapy instead. It's about time the UK showed these poor vulnerable youngsters some compassion

@Echobelly given the demographic of snapchat its is a very cynical move to groom children. Nobody over 18 uses snapchat with any seriousness doe they? In our area it does seem to be the app for 13-18 year olds.

Some of my students (undergrads) used it for group chats in lockdown in preference to WhatsApp but it does seem to be a very young user age range.

Imagine if that image had to contain a warning of the main negative side effects on the bottom. let’s also include that breastfeeding will be out too - remember Freddy has stated they were not warned that they would not be able to breastfeed and is now using donated breast milk to feed baby no. 2. And wasn’t Freddy already finished a bachelors degree by the time they went for surgery?

Imagine if the warning also stated the percentage of successful nipple repositioning too.

Would that deter media from posting this propaganda?

@Helleofabore

Imagine if that image had to contain a warning of the main negative side effects on the bottom. let’s also include that breastfeeding will be out too - remember Freddy has stated they were not warned that they would not be able to breastfeed and is now using donated breast milk to feed baby no. 2. And wasn’t Freddy already finished a bachelors degree by the time they went for surgery?

Imagine if the warning also stated the percentage of successful nipple repositioning too.

Would that deter media from posting this propaganda?

I have wondered before what exactly Freddie thought Freddie was going to be able to feed Freddie's baby with after getting Freddie's breasts cut off.

I mean, what? If I had my feet cut off I would assume a premiership career was not really an option for me any more.

How on earth did Freddy not realise that??

@Theeyeballsinthesky

Top surgery is a mastectomy- so sick of the twee euphemism “top surgery”

Yes me too. Top Surgery makes it sound so innocent, when it is everything but.

Yes. How did a university graduate not do their own research into a brutal operation of getting both breasts removed for cosmetic purposes?

But then how did that same university graduate calm the dissonance of getting a GRC saying they would live as the opposite sex, male, for life and then quickly seek medical assistance to get pregnant?

Living the queered science dream of trying to force open the prove and established science of sex categories because you changed the ‘labels’. Not the material reality, just the labels but trying to force society to adhere to the relabeling for your own personal and political reasons.

To be fair, Freddy doesn’t make a good spokesperson for the movement (if any of these high profile cases ever do) because Freddy really comes across as having significant ‘issues’.

Including having any no empathy at all for mothers who have lost their babies. As proven when Freddy bullied (although FM claimed hypocritically that the women were the bullies) women who were telling Sands they needed the word ‘mother’ to not be removed from their group’s communications and description and of course, the wider world.

I won’t say anything more because I don’t want this thread deleted. or my posts.

Here is a current thread on their antics.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4493300-YogabirthUK-cancel-event-after-Freddy-McConnell-flounce

And this about when Sands dropped the word ‘mother’ from their tweet and FM’s reaction to the women simply saying ‘no, please don’t dehumanise us’.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4059473-sands-sorry-if-upsetting

There are other threads around this individual.

It’s a radical mastectomy not top surgery. All surgery carries a risk, let’s call it what it is.

I’m also interested why non binary people get mastectomies. Why is the default male?

Isn’t the default to have no sexual characteristics at all?

No breast tissue. No genitals at all. The ‘smooth’ genital op where everything is removed just a urination hole left. (Of course, a prostate is most likely left so males can still have some sexual activity, whereas females… meh, someone will come and remind us they are the exception and ‘they’ enjoy anal sex.)

Or there is the option of both a penis AND a vagina where one of those is artificially fashioned and added.

Either way, these are significant life changing cosmetic surgeries and I am not convinced that those having them are properly informed or assessed for mental health.

The number of female detransitioners reporting that they were told to not discuss any negative outcomes or face ostracizing from groups is growing. I’d like someone to explain the benefits of keeping future patients in the dark about the realities of living with these operations.

They are disgusting, misogynist groomers.

This is very alarming. Apparently Benjamin Cohen’s husband, a GP, is an ex-Mermaids Trustees.

mobile.twitter.com/simonjedge/status/1500216493614804999