Just a question re transgender

[drasticdonkey]

I'm part of a following online (think sci-fi) and I've noticed that this group of people is increasingly made of trans people/gender fluid/queer people etc.

Not only that, but as I've gotten to know the group more/become closer to people I've noticed the following:

• The prevalence of mental health issues in this group
• the prevalence of adhd/autism in this group
• many of them have POTS, or chronic pain conditions or ehlers Danlos.
• the clothing and hair is also very similar, almost like a uniform
• they enjoy certain sci fi shows/certain characters and really become fixated on every aspect of it
• fights often erupt as people get easily offended over very silly things and almost compete to be the "worst off or have the worst mental health" if that makes sense

I suppose my question and thoughts turned to "is any of this connected?!". Has any science/research properly investigated these links? Aibu to wonder if all these things are connected - in particular the medical aspects?

I'm not aiming to offend on this thread but really I'm just curious re the genetic aspect

Which is one reason why so many autistic people have poor mental health. Constantly masking harms people. Trans can be another form of masking, even worse than 'normal' masking because it depends on others also adopting the mask.

Seems a lot of vulnerable and impressionable young people are thinking they are trans/ non binary etc. I makes me sad as down that path runs a harder life with possible surgery and harmful medication. I miss the old days when the oddbods like myself could bond over Nirvana or films, not medical conditions or gender issues.

Yes it is linked.

Girls especially who are autistic lesbians are being transed as kids en masse.

Wow! I wasn't expecting so many people notice this too. I think it's definitely worth science/medicine investigating it further.

It goes beyond just being in a group (like we've seen in history, emo, punk etc) because you are making people follow your ideas too. And the medical side of things is so radical (and irreversible)

I'm an ex member of the alternative scene and this is one of the reasons I fell out of love with it, everyone was suddenly queer in some form and it all started getting a bit box ticky

@RaveToTheGrave1 that is such a shame..

We like sci fi in this family (doctor who, and comic books etc) and there does seem to be a growing number of people that bring it into everything. I actually just want to switch off from politics, world views, teaching me how to believe certain things... I just want to enjoy a decent story and great film.

Social contagion, its very 'in' to be 'gender neutral' whatever that really means and 'trans' amongst young people.

If you have autism, mental health issues and feel differently to whatever they think a particular sex should look/behave like then an easy club to join.

Trans can be another form of masking, even worse than 'normal' masking because it depends on others also adopting the mask.

I love this and its so true I've made note of this to use in future.

Then staying out of all online communities and fandoms about it is the only way to go. I completely ignore them because I'm tired of people calling a movie or game or book I like shit and then wanting to have a big argument about it.

Honestly I'm ND and have a chronic illness and as a teenager I think I would have identified as transgender because puberty for me was hell.

Turning into a woman is so weird like you start to get periods, boobs, your body shape changes and what not - it was really hard as a ND person (as it is for everyone)

I'm not saying everyone who's transgender is autistic but I can see how it happens.

As others have said there is strong evidence for increased incidence of anxiety and depression for autistic people. There is also growing evidence for a significant increase in girls being referred to gender services over the last decade and a large proportion of these girls have had undiagnosed autism. There is also prevalence of autism in those within eating disorders services is also beginning to be recognised.
(I don’t know the ADHD evidence so can’t comment on that but assume there’s a big overlap)
In short it is hard being autistic in a neurotypical world so it’s understandable when a less hard place is found some gravitate towards it and then can put up huge walls to defend that space. Unfortunately sometimes these defensive walls can also be unhelpful and push others away. I’m really hoping the pendulum might swing back away from the current polarisation of them-us to make room for uncertainty. But with current world dynamics I’m not hopeful.

My 16 year old autistic daughter is a classic tomboy and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a lesbian / turns out to be a lesbian which I am 100% fine with. The whole trans thing scares the living daylights out of me. She’s so impressionable, I can only imagine her taking irreversible medical steps then regressing it 5 minutes later having ruined her life. Trans awareness has no place in schools, and transing children is horrific. Keep these issues well out of the way until children are old enough to make these decisions by themselves, preferably from 25 years old onwards. If my daughter decides she’s trans when she’s old enough to fully understand the consequences, that fine by me.

Exactly!!!
Surely if they are women then I shouldn't need to specify lol.
One person had the balls (literally) to say it should be 'women and cis women'.

So trans 'women' are just women and actual women have to be cis women.

Mumsnet is one of the only places I have left where I dont feel like everyone has lost their minds.

It's really sad though, that a lot of online communities are going that way.

Woe betide the scientist who tries to study this group and be honest with their findings.

Hmm. But it’s well known that certain conditions-including POTs and ME/CFS/post viral illness like long covid, disproportionately impact women…so I’m not sure why this would be a surprise?

I’m happy to be corrected, but it sounds like there is some judgment here?

Unfortunately, many GPs are quite dismissive of the above-mentioned conditions, and it’s known that there’s a gender gap into research/treatment etc of conditions that mainly affect women.

If there is a higher incidence of mental health conditions amongst autistic people is that surprising? I’m not autistic but I can only imagine being ND can be a real struggle especially if you don’t know you are ND. Chronic health issues (and probably many many other heath issues) also become more likely if someone is living in a stressful environment/situation long-term.

This is true, but it's also true that a lot of people fake these illnesses (and things like tourettes, DID and even cancer) online. Tons of them have been exposed over the years.

I listened to a podcast recently from a therapist who had previously worked with many young people who were trans.

She eventually realised it was doing more harm than good, as she said the gender issue was one area that could not be challenged or questioned, so it was like the elephant in the room.
She also stated that she didn't see these young people making progress or getting better over time, and often they seem to obsess about their perceived gender over and above other things.
Plus, as you say, it is very dependent on other people's opinion/ perception of you, which is something we cannot control. Which is quite an unhealthy thing.

I mean, the major issue really is that the so called 'solution' to a young person questioning their gender identity is often to put them on hormones or give them surgery. Which is complete madness.

But if you say that in certain circles you are a horrible bigot/ nazi etc. etc.

Fake them? Based on what evidence? I’m sure some people do fake illnesses of all kinds, same way that some people don’t pay their taxes or abuse children, but we don’t tar everyone with the same brush

Well exactly, there have been studies that have been shut down or not approved as it is deemed unethical/ transphobic to even research this issue.

It's generally considered to be an autism/ADHD presentation, like anorexia and self harm (I work in schools). I think parents and teachers are fairly wise to this now. If you think about it, black and white thinking feeds into the whole 'I don't like being a girl so I must be a boy' narrative.

I didn't say absolutely everyone was faking them though, did I? Obviously that isn't the case. A lot of people have been exposed doing just that over the years though. They usually have a whole host of other issues at the same time, so it's obviously a mental health thing, a bit like Munchausen.

Here's an article about it: www.vice.com/en/article/tiktok-sickness-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-munchausens/

Fair enough, I don’t disagree that some people fake illnesses. I remember there being a woman who faked cancer as part of a financial scam a few years ago. However, on the absence of credible evidence, I think we should assume this is the exception rather than the rule. I’m not sure how faking these illnesses links to the OP? And I really hope that if you come across someone IRL with an illness that you don’t assume they are faking it

No, I wouldn't assume someone in real life is faking an illness, of course not.

The thing is, these so-called "sickfluencers are usually very easy to spot online once you know what you are looking for, and they usually have a long list of things "wrong' with them that fit a specific pattern.

Linked it to OP's post because they are often exactly the type she describes and they will often adopt other identities such as trans, nerdy, even faking autism.

There have been proper studies on this kind of thing. It seems to be getting more common because of social media, and the ease with which you can just claim these things and get away with it (and get lots of attention) whereas it would be much harder to fool people for very long IRL.

There's a girl on tiktok with tubes up her nose who is constantly faking seizures online. She's buys all her medication and equipment on Facebook etc. She had anorexia and says she's autistic. I'm sure they'll make a Netflix movie about her one day