I have more stupid questions

[Albadross]

What do trans activists generally say when asked how anyone can transition between two identities that are not universally defined or felt the same way even between people whose sex matches that identity?

How can you be born with the wrong one of something that is constructed differently for everyone?

And with the brain scan thing, how do we know that since the brain is plastic, how we see ourselves in terms of our gender may affect the physical structure of the developing brain?

Prawn unfortunately I agree - what do you think has precipitated this move towards trans becoming as seemingly powerful as it has? Is it really as simple as men getting whatever they want?

I feel terrified thinking about it because my job would probably be at risk if I was seen to be in any way transphobic, yet I'm compelled to become more active in feminism - i just don't know what I can do about it though. It seems pretty hopeless.

I think the trans lobby has made the inroads it has for a number of reasons. A lot of TRAs are in well paid jobs, often in IT. Some are extremely wealthy. So there's no shortage of campaign money.

Then there's their timing. With the achievement of gay marriage, the big LGB organizations needed a new focus. People working at the top of such organizations didn't want to lose their high profile, well paid jobs. Trans rights neatly filled that gap. The trans lobby picked up on key tools of the gay rights movement, particularly the "born this way" mantra.

Transgender children are vital to the trans agenda. They can be used to suggest that being trans is innate and to distract from the far less savoury truth that many men transition as a result of sexual fetish.

I hope that what we see happening with so-called transgender children will finally explode the bullshit that is trans activism. What is happening to teenagers is grossly irresponsible. It's medically dangerous and it's also a form of gay reparative therapy. Online it's easy to find trans discussion groups where underage kids are being encouraged to transition and directed to sources of illegal cross sex hormones.

Then there's Tumblr and other social media, where kids are egging each other on to be the very specialist snowflake. A recent post described a school year group in the UK in which there were five FtMs. These kids aren't trans, they're part of a vogue, but it's a fashion that puts them far more risk than being an emo or a goth ever did. I hope that like the common pose of bisexuality in my teens it's something that fades like Scotch mist in adult life.

Is there anything we can do about it?