The Sun 'is changing gender the new anorexia?'

[HandsOffMyRights]

www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/7362652/changing-gender-new-anorexia/

"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 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.

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 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.

That's a really comprehensive article.

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.

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.

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

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

Hi CF

Thanks for the link and agree with this so much. I know various young women who have self harmed and been anorexic and I feel the ROGD patients of today are really being let down by a health service that is funded by a government that doesn’t fund mental health services well enough plus the public sector being bullied by TRAs demanding that everyone practice ‘affirmation’ otherwise they are transphobes and trotting out unevidenced statistics about suicide etc. It’s very scary.

Completely agree with this article. I felt hugely uncomfortable with my body as it began developing, perhaps particularly as I developed earlier than most, and in fact have a very clear memory at around the age of 10/11 of thinking I did not want to be a girl. I later went on to have eating issues and body dysmorphia for most of my teens. I do wonder what might have happened if someone had said to me at the time that maybe I was in the wrong body. And now, of course, I love my womanhood, despite the challenges we still face!

I do believe that there are genuine trans children of course, I am just concerned that vulnerable kids going through difficult stages - and, as this says, particularly girls in a world where they are increasingly sexualised - are being pushed at a very early and confusing time towards something they may not later feel is for them. With potentially horrific consequences.

PumpkinCF and thanks for sharing your story. Its so important that your voice and experiences are heard.

Thank you fir sharing CF

I wonder how she got to have an elective mastectomy? I had breast cancer and a single mastectomy. I requested a mastectomy of my other breast to prevent cancer in that breast. This was refused as there wasn’t enough evidence that I had a family risk of breast cancer to justify the removal of healthy tissue-the surgeon quoted something along the lines of “do no harm”.

Hello Pumpkin

Sorry to jump in there Pumpkin, I read the first part of the thread but wasn’t quick enough in posting.

The massive underfunding of mental health resources for teenagers plays a part in this. The welcoming and supportive trans community fill the absence offering a quick fix magic solutions to deep rooted unhappiness.

No waiting months for counselling you can change today; your name, your look, how people treat you, start again with a whole new fresh beginning, take back power, document your transition online and see visible changes. And by focusing on the external self and you don’t have to delve too deeply into the real, underlying causes of the pain.

Thank you for adding to your story CF. I'm glad you are in a better headspace now.

CF, thanks for sharing your story, it's important. I wish you every happiness going forward.

@Wardrobehamster trans people can apparently get their respective surgeries if the gender clinic people think they are trans. At the time I was attending the gender clinic I was saying that I dont feel neither male nor female, and then in the same sitting I claimed I'm both. I was very confused but that didnt give them a red flag. I was given the green light to have a double mastectomy. Again, this is very scary because they dont do a proper mental health checkup, they ask you if you have a family history or previous diagnosis of a mental health issue but dont actually check on you so you can just withhold the info and they'll never know. It is all based on self-diagnosis. It's nuts.

The person I saw at the gender clinic the first time I went there had a 40 minute session with me and they made the decision to put me on testosterone in this session, based on the letter I was sent with my follow-up appointment date, it said that I would be getting my prescriptions on my next visit.

Thank you for your kind words everyone, I understand how important it is to speak out and how taboo this is for the "trans" community, and I will not stop speaking out! Allowing kids and youngsters to self diagnose themselves with a mental disorder and get the green light to take hormones/blockers and undergo irreversible surgeries is just crazy. I'm sure there are people whose only solution is to transition, but that's a tiny tiny minority. Most people's gender disphoria could be resolved with therapy, if only doctors would be allowed to actually explore their patients and see if there are any other underlying issues.

Most people's gender disphoria could be resolved with therapy, if only doctors would be allowed to actually explore their patients and see if there are any other underlying issues.

I think Stephanie Davies Arai said something about the Memorandum of Understanding (which requires affirmation response) being reviewed shortly.

It was at the Plymouth Let A Woman Speak event.

Thanks pumpkin for coming here and sharing story and speaking out

Thank you for speaking out about your experiences, Pumpkin. This is so important.