Elliot Page undergoes “lifesaving” “top surgery”

[OnWednesdaysWeWearMink]

BBC R1 news beat has just reported that Elliot page has undergone “life saving” “top surgery”.

Here is the related web article: www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57239448

This reporting perpetuates the narrative that people will commit suicide if they don’t get the right sort of treatment. I find it deeply irresponsible. Does anyone know if Samaritans are tackling this sort of coverage in their media guidelines? I’d hope work is going on behind the scenes as they are a fantastic charity. (I assume they are not captured?)

A double mastectomy is usually lifesaving when it comes to breast cancer... so I find calling an elective cosmetic procedure lifesaving pretty insulting. But that’s just me being petty and not the main point.

@Leafstamp

Body dysmorphia is a medical condition

Correct. The recommended treatment is therapy/support groups etc and possibly anti depressants. No mention of surgery or other means of altering the body.

Exactly. I don't see liposuction being prescribed for anoretics

@Erikrie

Seems we were right. I expect they've had loads of complaints.

Without a doubt.

The rest of the piece is still grim though: huge emphasis on "wins praise" (because that's what all youngsters want these days, in a 'likes' - seeking culture) with all that celebrity gushing for the "freeing experience" (big bold headline) of a double mastectomy. Can the BBC not join the dots with #MeToo?

I would recommend the creative education training on supporting young people across a range of gender identities. It would help answer lots of your questions. And it’s free.

Being trans is not a mental illness, however the attitudes displayed by many of the posters here make it clear why trans/gender diverse individuals might experience anxiety/depression/etc- all mental health conditions which DO have an increased suicide risk. And that’s without taking into account the impacts of body dysmorphia.

And arguably anything that reduces the risk of death is life saving - whether that’s medication, therapy or surgery or a life style change.

The rest of the piece is still grim though

Yes it is.

I complained to the BBC about this being said in the Oprah interview.
Their reply was that as Elliot had said it, it was okay for them to include it.
Also they added helpful links to their page - Stonewall etc. :-(

@yourhairiswinterfire

Trans people are more at risk of suicide and suicidal ideation if they don't get the treatment they need

Depression/poor mental health is the cause of feeling suicidal. People suffering depression are strongly advised against making any major decisions, such as selling their house, getting divorced, quitting their job etc, because they're not in the right frame of mind to be making calls like that and will likely regret it later.

Yet people who are suicidal or depressed because of their dysphoria are considered to be in the right state of mind to be making huge life changing decisions (having healthy body parts removed).

Why does safeguarding go out of the window as soon as 'gender' is mentioned?

So just to be clear, you are saying...

People become depressed due to gender dysphoria.

Depression/ poor mental health is the cause of feeling suicidal.

But because people with gender dysphoria are depressed, they shouldn't be allowed to make life changing decisions? What... ever?

So people with gender dysphoria just have to stay stuck in this horrible cycle forever because they can't make a decision because of their depression?

the attitudes displayed by many of the posters here make it clear why trans/gender diverse individuals might experience anxiety/depression/etc- all mental health conditions which DO have an increased suicide risk.

You are accusing posters here of displaying attitudes that risk increasing suicidality? That's an utterly appalling thing to say.

@WeavingWandering

I would recommend the creative education training on supporting young people across a range of gender identities. It would help answer lots of your questions. And it’s free.

Being trans is not a mental illness, however the attitudes displayed by many of the posters here make it clear why trans/gender diverse individuals might experience anxiety/depression/etc- all mental health conditions which DO have an increased suicide risk. And that’s without taking into account the impacts of body dysmorphia.

And arguably anything that reduces the risk of death is life saving - whether that’s medication, therapy or surgery or a life style change.

I will happily attend training if you attend the Samaritans media training.

You can sign up here: www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/media-guidelines/samaritans-media-guidelines-e-learning/

What training do you recommend?

And arguably anything that reduces the risk of death is life saving - whether that’s medication, therapy or surgery or a life style change

No, that's not what life saving means. I think you know that.

So people with gender dysphoria just have to stay stuck in this horrible cycle forever because they can't make a decision because of their depression?

You think extreme surgery is the answer to depression? No other steps first? Just affirming surgery?

Could you link to that resource @WeavingWandering or tell me what to google?

Thanks

I think I missed something because I got the impression he described it this way rather than the paper. I don't feel I have a right to tell other people how to describe how they feel.

It was lifesaving to him. I wouldn’t class it as lifesaving . As long as he paid for it then it doesn’t bother me.

@ittakes2

I think I missed something because I got the impression he described it this way rather than the paper. I don't feel I have a right to tell other people how to describe how they feel.

I think report online may have always been ok - my issue is with a BBC Newsbeat Radio report that talked about Elliot undergoing lifesaving top surgery. I just included the online link because I can’t link to a radio report.

“Arguably anything that reduces the risk of death is life saving”

What? Reducing the risk isn’t ending the risk? So not life saving. Cutting out aggressive cancers is arguably life saving, throwing a life preserver, doing CPR = life saving. Anyway that’s semantics. I’m happy for Elliot to have any surgery he desires but I’m not happy that cosmetic surgery to affirm a gender identity makes it on to the fucking news. What next? Someone parading their nose job? It’s madness. What are we telling our young people? Don’t like something? Cut it off. Can’t afford to? Then you’re LITERALLY risking your life. Why are we amplifying this voice/experience? The number of trans people is vanishingly small the number of confused and impressionable teenagers is not.
I’d like to hear from more gender neutral people or non binary folk. That’s interesting to me and sparks debate. Celebrating invasive and major surgery? Nah.

It was lifesaving to him. I wouldn’t class it as lifesaving . As long as he paid for it then it doesn’t bother me

But it wasn't.

I am a feminist and a woman who would like to be called a woman.

As far as Elliot Page is concerned, I am really pleased he seems so happy and hope he continues to be, and wish him all the best for the future.

"Life saving" presumably describes his emotion at a point in the Oprah interview rather than a more literal analogy to cancer treatment. I imagine that's how he feels about it.

I really don't follow how a Samaritans publication on the reporting of suicides is being linked to this article about how much better Elliot Page is feeling in himself now that he has had surgery.

That is some extremely convoluted logic.

Good for Elliot Page and I'm glad he's feeling better now, is all I can say. That's really as far as my interest in the whole thing goes, other than that he's a damn good actor and I hope we see him in some more movies soon!

Elliot himself reports it as lifesaving. The article itself isn't generally saying it's lifesaving.

Everyone commenting that it's not presumably understand how devastating the mental health impact of being a trans person is and were in Elliot's brain to know if he was suicidal or not?

I wasn't for sure. But if someone says their life way saved by making a change to their lives, I believe them, all power to them.

Go Elliot.

It’s all relative, to him it was life saving, a nose job or breast implants may be life saving to someone else.

@PaperbackRider

It was lifesaving to him. I wouldn’t class it as lifesaving . As long as he paid for it then it doesn’t bother me

But it wasn't.

He clearly felt like it was. Maybe he used the wrong words in the interview but to him it was what he wanted and needed.

@Wannabangbang

It is lifesaving for a trans person. Only on Mn do transphobic people come out for all to see. See. It frequently on these boards.

Well said.

And its not only offensive but also completely bonkers to compare transsurgery to botox and lip fillers.

I really for trans people who stumble onto MN.

@nancywhitehead

I really don't follow how a Samaritans publication on the reporting of suicides is being linked to this article about how much better Elliot Page is feeling in himself now that he has had surgery.

That is some extremely convoluted logic.

Good for Elliot Page and I'm glad he's feeling better now, is all I can say. That's really as far as my interest in the whole thing goes, other than that he's a damn good actor and I hope we see him in some more movies soon!

This thread isn’t about Elliot, I started this thread to discuss the responsible reporting of suicidal ideation.

It's lifesaving for a trans person

Exactly

Could you back that statement up with hard evidence, please, either of you?

Haven’t RTFT but some observations-

The term top surgery shouldn’t be used. This is highly euphemistic. We need to call it a double mastectomy so that we always keep in mind that people are surgically mutilating healthy bodies.

Second, people saying it’s life-saving are irresponsible. Samaritans has loads of guidance on this topic but for example “ Speculation about the ‘trigger’ or cause of a suicide can oversimplify the issue and should be avoided. Suicide is extremely complex and most of the time there is no single event or factor that leads someone to take their own life”. They’ve also said that using emotive language such as this should be avoided as it can contribute to suicide contagion particularly amongst young people.

Also- for many young people yes I think the goth analogy is a good one, was thinking that recently… however this version involves irreversible effects both for the individual and society in the way in which we are responding to it.