User:Anonyb
Trans Man | Completed Medical Transition | Research Psychologist (not a therapist, please don't message)
TLDR;
- I lean towards transmedicalism.
- I see no reason to believe in 'gender' labels that are unrelated to the concepts of masculinity/femininity.
- I strongly encourage anybody intending to transition to first seek intensive therapy (not just the standard psychiatric evaluation) to help ensure you're properly facing the difficult questions and not making a decision based on unconscious ulterior motives (e.g. suppressed trauma).
- You are entirely accountable for your decision to transition.
- Transtrenders exist and claiming they don't is harmful to the trans community.
- If you transition and regret your decision, this reflects your own lack of preparation, and your experience is not reflective of all trans people.
If you'd asked me in 2015 what I thought of all the genders listed on this website, I would have said "It's great! Every gender identity is valid! These labels are important for people! Only you know what you feel, only you can label what you are!"
Having spent several years working with other transgender people, my views today lean towards transmedicalism. I believe some level of dysphoria is necessary to know that you are transgender, but I accept that not everybody is able to medically transition for a variety of reasons. I do believe in non-binary identities. I do not believe in any of these labels which are unrelated to the concepts of masculinity and femininity. The proposal of "neurogenders" in particular is disgustingly offensive and extremely harmful to all communities involved.
Though I know many won't want to hear it, I would encourage everybody intending on medically transitioning to seek therapy before undergoing treatment. I know how tough it is waiting, but sometimes we can feel incredibly strongly about something yet fail to realise a hidden, subconscious motive. We think transitioning will solve the depression, the anxiety, and so on and so forth... Get therapy. Make sure you're in as good a mental place as you can be before taking steps to medically transition. Medically transitioning is no walk in the park - being in a good headspace will make the process easier. A psychiatric evaluation is often insufficient. I don't want to scare people (there were many times reading about these cases scared me - but it's vital you know about these possibilities), but there are plenty of examples of people who have transitioned only to later realise they made a mistake, and some will subsequently lash out at clinics and the trans community, even attempting to prevent others access to treatment (example). I know how horrible it is to feel you have to prove yourself to people, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to question yourself before jumping into anything like this. Often we're only able to do this effectively with the support of a professional. I realise that sounds as though I'm discouraging people from transitioning - I suppose in a way I am, but only if that's something that you feel able to comfortably live with. This is entirely in your hands, and once you make that decision, you need to be able to hold yourself accountable in the future should you have the misfortune to be one of the few who regret their decision.
Side note, whilst the terminology may not be preferable, "transtrenders" are real; those who believe otherwise have a nasty shock coming. These individuals may not realise they're trenders, but after jumping on the 'cool trans bandwagon' and getting in too deep, many will realise their mistake and go on to become TERFs biggest weapon. Don't put the trans community in an even worse position by pretending that trenders don't exist.