"I thought gender surgery would make me feel better. I was misled"

[SidewaysOtter]

I've always said that one of the things that would finally do for this ideology was big lawsuits...and here we are:

https://www.thetimes.com/article/60b9377e-aeba-4e02-9244-dc49098eab5a?shareToken=879697222a082259a21ab3ead7c4d33d&ver=article

Poor guy.

I wish people who support trans ideology would ask themselves the following:

When trans activism has been so astoundingly successful and has such a huge reach, why has it never used this extraordinary influence to promote tolerance and acceptance of a type of trans identity without the surgery and hormones? (Especially for women identifying as NB or transmen).

Where is the organic / no UPF / holistic/ body positive/ self acceptance/ cruelty free version of a trans ID?

I find it such a depressing aspect of western culture that so many people buy into the impossible dream of passing (to the delight of the surgeons and pharmaceutical companies no doubt) and so many others perpetuate this cruelty by going along with the lie, all the while patting themselves on the back for being "trans allies".

This is very sad, but there is no surgery that doesn’t have some people who regret it after, so this doesn’t really mean anything.

I think removing sexual function from a vulnerable person without their informed consent is pretty significant, personally.

If you had an elective operation that left you with no sexual function and your doctor/surgeon had not told you beforehand that there was a risk that you would lose your sexual function would you just accept that it doesn't really matter because some people have regrets about surgery.

That’s assuming the claims in the article are true though. I personally think someone undergoing a surgery like that is likely to do their own research before going ahead.

I personally think that surgeons shouldn't carry out life-altering elective operations on patients with mental health issues, no matter how many google searches their patient does.

You can see just how insane this whole thing is when a man who was castrated didn't realise that it would impair his sexual function. To anyone on the outside (with experience, for example, of castrated cats, dogs, horses, cows, sheep, etc.) it's the whole point of the op.

Just so it is clear, it is completely possible that he didn't realise this. I have read enough posts by men about gender affirming surgery to know that they are not realistic in their expectations, egg each other on with ridiculous, impossible expectations and that they silence any doubters or regretters. The surgeons are also to blame. I wonder how many surgeons in the gender affirming surgery field have psychopathic or narcissistic tendencies?

The whole 'people regret other surgeries' is a dishonest minimisation. The important distinction between plastic surgery to correct/repair a physical issue and gender affirming surgery is that the latter begins with a physically healthy patient.

You think people need to undertake their own research rather than medical professionals explaining the risks? That's not how informed consent works.

I'm sceptical that

'I thought the patient would do their own research, your honour'

would work as a defence in court.

“I was like, ‘Am I going to have to never experience sexuality properly ever again because of what I’ve done to my body?’” he told The Sunday Times.

The answer is yes. He is a eunuch now. That can't be undone. There is a special place in hell for those who have taught vulnerable young people that the human body is like a lego set, and that switching sexes is as easy as changing one block for another.

I feel so sorry for him. But at the same time, he was a part of a movement who would willingly have hounded into unemployment anyone who'd said no to him or questioned his 'womanhood'.

The surgeon holds the power in this relationship. The onus ought to be on them to ensure that the patient fully understands the implications.

Especially when a patient is vulnerable.

Especially when the outcome is life changing.

Especially when that particular area of "medicine" is clouded by bias and misinformation. (Do no harm, my arse).

Most trans people considering surgery are not in the best mental health, and thus not really in the right place to be making rational, informed decisions. Moreover, they are notorious for first arriving at the conclusion - gender surgery will make me better - and then seeking out whatever "research"confirms their pre-existing belief. Plus, they have actively sought to silence voices of moderation and reason. You can't have been living on the same planet as me if you think "anti-trans" research has been readily available on the internet these last ten years, or that researchers haven't be hounded out of their jobs for coming to the non-progressive conclusion.

I think it’s very unlikely that information wasn’t provided in written form to the patient, but if it wasn’t I like to believe people do some level of research before surgery

Don't you remember the times surgeons were excoriated on social media and even sued because they wouldn't perform gender surgery?

It all goes back to, "What is gender-affirming surgery supposed to treat?" Which specific symptom of gender dysphoria?

Answer: who knows?

All that matters is that if you have depression, anxiety, autism, sex-related trauma, or if you're gay or uncomfortable with your body in any way, then gender-affirming surgery will cure you and make you happy! Don't ask how; just do it!

It's complete insanity from beginning to end, and it makes me so mad and sad for all those poor people who got misled into thinking it would help them when they had a problem that by definition couldn't be helped by it.

Realistically, what did he think would happen if he had his balls cut off?

Its not enough to say it was provided in written form the surgeon needs to have confirmed directly with the patient that he understood all the risks. Its up to medical professionals to explain all the risks and make sure the patient understands them, not just hope they read a leaflet.

My partner had radiotherapy, prior to allowing the treatment to start his oncologist made him confirm that he understood that the radiotherapy would almost certainly result in him developing cancer in around 20 years time. The oncologist didn't just hand him a leaflet and hoped that he would read or understand it.

Maybe he wasn't in a position to think realistically.

Any research done on pro-trans sites will NOT inform people about the downsides of gender-affirming surgery. So unless you're suggesting that people considering gender-affirming surgery should deliberately seek out information from people who are opposed to it, your point is completely moot.

Apparently, reading between the lines, he only considered the fact that his body would produce a lot less testosterone, so he wouldn't have to take as much female hormones anymore. I don't think he realised that testosterone was involved in some mechanisms he might want to keep working, which doesn't particularly suprise me. A lot of people are ignorant of their body's biological mechanisms unless those mechanisms stop working. I certainly include myself in that number.

The surgeons lie. They tell patients that it will help them. The medical profession has fought hard to hide any follow up evidence of so called gender affirming care. They just don't care about the harm they are doing to vulnerable young people.

That’s just not true. There are plenty of sites that explain the risks of the surgery alongside the benefits. It’s a pretty standard thing actually

Freddie McConnell who is a trans activist, so one might expect her to have some knowledge about "gender affirming care", didn't realise that having a double mastectomy would mean she couldn't breastfeed.

I

Do you, really? People who are vulnerable and have MH issues around their body image? Young adults and teenagers?
I think it’s extremely naive to think people are always going to do their own research. Serious consequences of this kind of surgery needs spelling out in simple terms