Lucy Spraggan 'When I was a boy'

[NancyDrawed]

A post promoting Lucy Spraggan's book appeared in my Facebook feed and I found it really interesting that she chose to post the following:

There’s a chapter in my book called ‘When I Was a Little Boy’ which talks about, well, when I was a little boy.
I was born biologically female but from a young age I chose to be called Max and lived - completely authentically - as a boy.
I talk about in all the ways that my family nurtured my identity and in all the ways that freedom to be myself, freedom to be Max, helped me to grow.
It was only recently that I discovered how much Max is still a part of me and I talk about that too.
Anyway, I wanted you to meet Max. So here’s some pics of me then

I wonder whether she will go all out and say she is glad, as a happy adult lesbian, that her family let her just work it all out for herself.

One of the comments:

'I love this. However, in todays society, Lucy’s parents would have been encouraged to give her hormones and other drugs to change her body from female to male which DOES have irreparable side effects. I agree with allowing children to be who they feel comfortable being, I don’t agree with giving them drugs and medication to make a life changing decision that they just aren’t equipped to make at such a young age. I too was “all boy” when I was younger but thank god I wasn’t given the opportunity to change my gender, I love being a woman and back then I had no concept of what being a man OR woman meant in the world. I just wanted to play football, and only boys were allowed to do that. Hence why I cut my hair short and tried to pass myself off as a boy for years as a kid. I had no concept though of what I was doing. Nature took its course and thank god it did, I love being a woman and I love all my womanly parts. Children need to be supported in whatever they want to do, but making life changing decisions is something they should decide as an adult.'

That's a really interesting and helpful viewpoint. I like how she's so clearly explained that children can't know if they want to be a man or woman because they don't know what that really feels like. By the same token, a man can't know what it's like to be a woman.

I was just reading the guardian story about her awful sexual assault and she has donated her fee to mermaids

Lucy is all kinds of Good People, I think she's brilliant.

This is the Guardian article where she talks about living as a boy.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jul/15/lucy-spraggan-the-real-reason-i-dropped-out-of-the-x-factor

For the first 10 years of her life, Spraggan identified as a boy and went by the name Max. Max used the boys’ toilets, had a short back and sides haircut, and would cry for hours if referred to as Lucy. During primary school, a group of boys heard a rumour that their friend Max was actually a girl called Lucy, and demanded that he pull down his trousers to disprove their suspicions. When Max revealed a pair of blue and white striped boxer shorts, the case was considered closed.

At the approach of puberty, Max’s mum asked what he wanted to do and he, as Spraggan writes, “began to shed my Max skin and started looking for my Lucy skin”. If Spraggan were growing up today, she believes she would be given the opportunity to transition. She is sanguine at the idea, reasoning: “I think I would have loved to have been that man. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love being a woman now.” Still, she tells me, “after puberty something really changed for me and I was really challenged by myself”.

There are two extracts from her book in the Guardian, one published on Saturday, the other today. Both with her fee going to Mermaids, who would have pushed her towards being drugged and sterilised as a child.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/15/all-four-judges-had-their-eyes-on-me-big-grins-on-their-faces-lucy-spraggan-recalls-her-x-factor-audition

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jul/17/lucy-spraggan-on-reality-tv-and-redemption-x-factor

The story is horrendous, her and Ryland have stayed good friends, I think he’s good people too. Just feel so sorry for her.

It is awful what happened to her.
I was trying to find the thread but she has turned up at LWS - I think Birmingham- on the TRA side.

I'm as gender critical as they come, but this comment is unnecessary. She can do as she pleases with her money.

Why do people always preface asinine statements with 'I'm as gender critical as they come'?

Funding an organisation which is so harmful to children is not a neutral act.

I was hopeful from the facebook snippet that she was a sort of opposite role model to Ellen/Elliot Page for young lesbians.

Clearly not if she was on the TRA side in Birmingham and donates to the very organisation that would have encouraged her to not grow up in a healthy female body.

I can’t understand why, after the childhood experiences she had, she would think medicating young children is a good idea!

I also feel so sorry for her and hope telling her story helps her come to terms with the assault she suffered.

Particularly because her dysphoria was cured by puberty, as are the majority of cases.

I think I’ve only ever seen ‘I’m as gender critical as they come’ followed by a ‘but…’. It’s like ‘I’m not being funny but….’

The newer article is about Spraggan suffering a horrendous assault. I don't think it's right to comment on how she spends the money she makes from such interviews.

Lucy is young yet, and might change her opinion in the fullness of time, that's up to her. Shirley Manson from Garbage is someone else who I admire a lot, for very similar reasons I admire Lucy. They are both coming from a perspective of inclusivity and kindness, and I respect that. We don't agree on everything, of course we don't. So be it. I still think both of those women are absolute legends.

In some families she would have been affirmation and taken to the doctor for help to become a real boy, school would be told to use Max and woe betide anyone who misgendered him or used the wrong pronoun - it's literal genocide don't you know.

Seems lots of children struggle with identity and work though it and many become gay or lesbian later not pretend that a person can change sex and ignore facts.

I like how her family allowed her to work it out and didn't push for full on transition as a child. Pity more parents aren't guided to do things this way. Seems a kids only has to sniff at maybe being trans and they all fall over themselves to medicate and operate.

It sounds as if she was social transitioned at school though. Just because she accepted reality at puberty and got out unscathed doesn't mean it was a great approach.

I must have misread, I thought you were criticising a teenage rape victim for donating money to a charity of choosing

I adore Lucy. Such a great model to young people.

I'm also appalled that her assault was swept under the carpet at the time, and she "left the show". At the time it was portrayed that she just wanted to sing her own music. Good to see Simon is now supporting this, but I think that's appalling.

She doesnr owe you or anyone else anything. She is who she is and does as she chooses.

This entire thread based on a rape victim (which literally came out yesterday) is in awful, awful taste.

I never said she did! Fair play to her for being and doing as she pleases.

And please note that I started this thread on July 10th regarding Lucy's book chapter about 'when she was a little boy'. I had no idea that she had been raped during her time on the x-factor. I hope she had and has support to deal with the aftermath of such an attack.

But to imply that I started this thread on the back of an article that came out a week later in order to attack a rape victim is rather unpleasant.

No, sorry I didnt mean you. I should have been clearer.

I meant the comments, which I have reported. Not you.