The Guardian does it again: trans, gender, and sexism.

[Bmidreams]

I forgot how to cry as a man. HRT gave me a range of emotions I never thought possible

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jul/20/i-forgot-how-to-cry-as-a-man-hrt-gave-me-a-range-of-emotions-i-never-thought-possible?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Are they doing it on purpose??

My dh can cry at DIY SOS when he’s tired, he’s definitely not a woman

Jesus fucking Christ. Women’s hormones make them super emotional and hysterical?? Women have lower sex drives ??

It’s like feminism never happened.

they share with me their favourite ways to be

Lawks - I am now berating myself for my failure to be aware of my "favourite ways to be" or even understand what that means ?

@ChristmasKitties

Jesus fucking Christ. Women’s hormones make them super emotional and hysterical?? Women have lower sex drives ??

It’s like feminism never happened.

I'm not sure that is really the problem. Women do seem to have lower sex drives, certainly hormones effect that, and plenty of women can attest to that. Breastfeeding, menopause, even just the normal menstrual cycle can clearly affect our sex drive. And yes it affects our emotions.

But that still doesn't mean that all women are emotionally labile, or that men injecting themselves with oestrogen are women because it affects their sex drive.

Genuine question - why is this a monthly occurrence? Are the drugs administered monthly or is this an allusion to menstruation?

The drugs are not administered monthly. Nonetheless some transwomen claim that they get monthly "periods" except for the bleeding, which is only a minor part of a period and not the important bit. On transwomen periods they get tummy pains and eat ice cream and chocolate (possibly the cause of the tummy pains, now I think about it) and behave badly towards everyone because their hormones made them do it. Transwomen periods are, according to official doctrine, induced by hormonal cycles. Even though the hormone doses they're on don't cycle.

Suggesting that transwomen periods may be pychosomatic symptoms induced by wishful thinking is transphobic. Actually even asking "what are you talking about, how can transwomen get periods?" is transphobic. Women have been exiled from online groups merely for asking for clarification because they haven't encountered this aspect of the religion before.

Doesnt the oestrogen stop them from balding?

@InionEile of course women get aroused without trying sometimes, it is just we dont have a visible display of it lol. How many times have you zoned out at work thinking about someone you were dating/fancying etc. Around ovulation date is particularly bad!

It is depressingly misogynistic to make out we are all pure, demure sexless beings that see it as a service to a man.

Toxic masculinity is the cause of this particular problem. Social conditioning and ridiculous expectations attached to 'gender' are also the problem. Invasive hormonal treatment - the effects of which are yet to be determined - are a pretty bloody drastic 'solution', and arguably not a solution at all. But there's no wonder effeminate men feel more comfortable in a woman's identity. Society simply offers such men no place at all as 'real' men. It's that assumption that needs to be challenged.

Being 'hormonal, emotional, hysterical', (add stupid, unsubstantiated, sexist rhetoric ad nauseum), is not a marker of womanhood. Had those sorts of views of women been expressed just five short years ago, they would have been laughed out of town as the antediluvian bigotry and sexist BS they are.

A friend of mine is suffering appalling menopausal symptoms, including migraines that wipe her out for three days at a time, and is unable to get access to HRT. You know. That specific therapy designed to relieve the real experience and related suffering of actual women. But women's suffering can go hang, while medical science panders to men's social hang-ups. It's staggering. And in the meantime, the left-wing (ha!) press capitulates to The Ideology and denigrates anyone who dares raise reasonable questions.

You know what? Despite the imbalance between so-called left- and right-wing press I sincerely hope the Guardian actually does go bust. They now don't even resemble any definition of 'left' I've ever recognised, and the left/right distinction is increasingly meaningless anyway.

Stop reading The Guardian and try Conservative Home.

www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/07/radical-an-open-letter-to-liz-truss-we-urge-you-to-see-through-your-commitment-to-protect-single-sex-spaces.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Tuesday%2021%20July%202020&utm_content=Tuesday%2021%20July%202020+CID_98b9888879f177f134ac622cedba0d1f&utm_source=Daily%20Email&utm_term=Radical%20An%20open%20letter%20to%20Liz%20Truss%20We%20urge%20you%20to%20see%20through%20your%20commitment%20to%20protect%20single%20sex%20spaces

Actually if you read the blog - which I did and now wish I hadn’t - the tampons up the bum thing isn’t about being womanly, it’s because lovely Cadance is trying to learn how to enjoy anal play in order to derive some pleasure from sexual contact, and progresses from fingers, to tampons, toys etc. 🤮

But you know, give the Guardian money, because this is exactly the sort of person you want to hear more from. 🤨

I'm not sure that is really the problem. Women do seem to have lower sex drives, certainly hormones effect that, and plenty of women can attest to that. Breastfeeding, menopause, even just the normal menstrual cycle can clearly affect our sex drive. And yes it affects our emotions

That's a social construct too. Male chastity and restraint is and has been practiced among many cultures and during different historical times. In our era marketing and culture constantly sells images to men to make them horny and promotes always being up for it as a mainstay of 'real' manhood.

@Wolfgirrl

Doesnt the oestrogen stop them from balding?

It depends on the individual's decided treatment. Oestrogen alone won't stop the balding as the presence of testosterone kicks off genetic predisposition for it. Oestrogen is often prescribed with androgen blockers in an attempt to smother the effects of testosterone in the body and if they've had 'bottom surgery' (no longer have testicles) then testosterone levels can be further reduced. Inevitably there's no way to completely eliminate the chance of male pattern balding in males no matter what treatment regime they're on.

In our era marketing and culture constantly sells images to men to make them horny and promotes always being up for it as a mainstay of 'real' manhood.

Indeed, and male entitlement also plays a part. Despite what men would have us believe I'm not aware that any man ever actually died from their bollocks exploding due to lack of sex.

I wonder if the whole "blue balls" thing is entirely psychosomatic?

On the topic of the social construction of sex drives: in the Medieval period women were seen as uncontrollable, voracious, sex mad beasts who would shag anything they could get their hands on. Men on the other hand, were closer to God so were more civil and controlled. Later on, it was thought that only men could feel real friendship and love whereas women were more like animals acting on instinct. This stereotype only switched as recently as the Victorian age where women were characterised as chaste angels of the house.

Indeed, and male entitlement also plays a part. Despite what men would have us believe I'm not aware that any man ever actually died from their bollocks exploding due to lack of sex

If it did I'd pay to see the movie.

@YetAnotherSpartacus

I'm not sure that is really the problem. Women do seem to have lower sex drives, certainly hormones effect that, and plenty of women can attest to that. Breastfeeding, menopause, even just the normal menstrual cycle can clearly affect our sex drive. And yes it affects our emotions

That's a social construct too. Male chastity and restraint is and has been practiced among many cultures and during different historical times. In our era marketing and culture constantly sells images to men to make them horny and promotes always being up for it as a mainstay of 'real' manhood.

I'm not sure what you are saying is a construct - the effects of female hormones on our sex drive and feelings?

I don't think so.

I think this is right up there with the idea that women are the same as men physically in things like sports, it's an well-intentioned but ill-conceived attempt to show women as "equal" to men.

I'd agree that sexual chastity and even celibacy is something people are far more capable of than our society admits, we have all kinds of bizarre ideas about the necessity for sex for both men and women. But that doesn't really tell us the effects of hormones socially constructed.

Later on, it was thought that only men could feel real friendship and love whereas women were more like animals acting on instinct. This stereotype only switched as recently as the Victorian age where women were characterised as chaste angels of the house

Aye - and of course in Ancient Greece real love was between men.

I'd agree that sexual chastity and even celibacy is something people are far more capable of than our society admits, we have all kinds of bizarre ideas about the necessity for sex for both men and women. But that doesn't really tell us the effects of hormones socially constructed

There are complex interactions between nature and the environment. Also, we are not beasts - we are whole humans and have a reason as well as bodies and hormones and so on. Desire (and what we desire) is socially constructed. It's not as simple as hormones. There is cross-cultural and historical evidence to suggest that the rampant male sex drive is a convenient myth.

@YetAnotherSpartacus

I'd agree that sexual chastity and even celibacy is something people are far more capable of than our society admits, we have all kinds of bizarre ideas about the necessity for sex for both men and women. But that doesn't really tell us the effects of hormones socially constructed

There are complex interactions between nature and the environment. Also, we are not beasts - we are whole humans and have a reason as well as bodies and hormones and so on. Desire (and what we desire) is socially constructed. It's not as simple as hormones. There is cross-cultural and historical evidence to suggest that the rampant male sex drive is a convenient myth.

Tell that to all the women who find that breastfeeding or menopause completely obliterates their sex drive. My guess is if you tell them they are just responding to social pressures, you might find there is a significant emotional response.

I'm not aware that any man ever actually died from their bollocks exploding due to lack of sex.

Whereas female ferrets will quite literally die if they go into heat and don't get laid.

@JoyFreeCake

I'm not aware that any man ever actually died from their bollocks exploding due to lack of sex.

Whereas female ferrets will quite literally die if they go into heat and don't get laid.

Really?