Questioning the meaning of trans by comparing it to anorexia.

[Fran2023]

Really interesting and very provocative article by Lionel Shriver.

https://unherd.com/2023/04/is-trans-the-new-anorexia/

Pepe, thank you for sharing your experience. that’s really interesting, especially the way that the goal is never enough, which seems to be mirrored in many trans experiences too (eg Jackie Green saying how close she is to the finish line - when in truth, if transitioning was the answer, her finish line should be well behind her by now)

Reese, I don’t agree with you. I’ve never seen any evidence to prove you’re correct, or measure the relative effectiveness of treatment pathways which address the underlying issues rather than the symptoms - can you reference any?

I've commented a lot here that I had anorexia as a teen and now teach in a girls' school and see many parallels. I think some people worry that acknowledging something is a social contagion minimises it, but something being a social contagion doesn't make it any less real or painful. I strongly recommend Hadley Freeman's book Good Girls to anyone interested in this issue.

I agree. It’s almost incredible that physically healthy teenagers are being put on lifelong medication and having organs removed, simply because they wanted that at the time.

reesewitherspork · Yesterday 23:35*

No amount of therapy could ever help someone who is suffering from crippling gender dysphoria, and it's inhumane to suggest that person should have to live in a personal hell

True, but no amount of surgery or hormones will really do anything to change that original body, and if any former trauma, abuse, or distress, remains unresolved, the attempt at getting out of the old body may feel a disappointment, especially if there are physical effects..

A long term Swedish study of transsexuals (people who had had hormones and surgery) showed a higher suicide rate among them, suggesting peace from the dysphoria may be hard to find.

Of course gender dysphoria is real to the person, just like Koro, or shrinking penis syndrome is real to those people, who are convinced their genitals are disappearing. Gender dysphoria/trans is a culture bound syndrome. In our modern Western culture a girl who feels uncomfortable with her body latches on to the cultural idea that makes her a boy. In years gone by or in other cultures around the world, these girls just have to deal with the reality. But like with all culture bound syndromes, once enough people in a culture agree with the concept, it becomes a real disorder.

However, it does not mean that there is definitely something wrong with that person’s body, just like thousands of people experiencing Koro as part of an “outbreak” don’t actually have shrinking genitals, and it certainly doesn’t mean the solution to this experience of a “wrong body” is to actually change it.

It is also ironic that a major concern when treating young girls with anorexia is the lifelong damage that starvation does: fertility issues, osteoporosis, digestive disorders, tooth loss, as well as effects on social and emotional development. These are all mirrored in treating young people identifying as trans - except the lifelong damage is iatrogenic.