Internalized Transphobia

[Cindy]

Can I say something that may appear dumb.

When I hit the crux I went away by myself, walked the beach, cooked my food and after a long time found what remained of my soul.

It wasn't pretty.

But after a week of facing me, I found me. Heaps of baggage hiding me from myself. I had to dig through it all, the worse thing was I had to be honest to the one person I had always lied to; me.

It wasn't nice. I had to accept myself, I had to understand what that meant; it was very personal, and very hard.

It is not for everyone.

[Cindy]

I think its safe to say that we have very different viewpoints, and while I understand what your saying I don't think I could hold such views. There's some common threads, but I come to opposite conclusions. Normally I like to discuss/argue things but I think I'll leave this one alone. Discretion is the better part of valor and all.

But as long as the human gene pool continues, evolution will continue, the greatest part of human evolution now is in mental/social growth. Physically humans have changed little in the last whatever eons but socially and interactively we have. Is that 'true' evolution? I'll leave it to a philosopher.

This one I'd like to discuss, especially given your work. Perhaps its better moved someone else if you're interested, but I don't now how.

I think its likely that before much longer the rate of physical evolution is going to change utterly due to technological advances. Evolution is normally a slow process but if and when people manage to engineer these changes then nothing is going to be the same. Even if people try to put limits on technology, its a big world and someone's going to do it, and if not now then 500 or a 1000 years from now. There's probably a lot of money and power to be had in such things, so if its possible I see it as inevitable, assuming something bad doesn't happen in the meantime. I doubt its possible to predict the outcome of it either, except that it will make all the changes in human history look like nothing. I can't imagine being transgender would be much of a thing at that point, maybe being "fixed" or just plain conservative.

Happy for you to start a new thread. I think we have to define evolution. I feel that technology has changed the 'biological' rules of evolution. Biological evolution remains unchanged. But technology has changed our evolution, then I keep thinking that the persons who made the first steel swords may have thought that they had tempered the world (sorry).

But now I think of Huxley, are we just creating a brave new world and making the divisions?

[AnonyMs]

i had a 25 year civil war in my mind. it wasnt much fun. im glad its over. cut that guilt and shame loose, be proud, then be glad. life may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.

Yes, bad enough fighting with other people, but so much worse to fight with yourself.

[Stella Stanhope]

Some very profound answers here! Especially concerning the nature of evolution, and what it is to be human. I do personally agree though that "equality" for a group is ultimately about advancement over others. I see it in many minorities. Now that those who are homosexual have a better place in society they seem to dislike transsexuals. Feminism now includes generally vilifying and laughing about males. It's sadly human nature for people to go to extremes, especially when there's the pack mentality among nations and groups. This is why we have hugely opposing economic systems, capitalism versus socialism, liberals versus conservatives, atheism versus fundamentalists etc etc. Power only comes from being above another group. It's natural to want power as it secures survival. Therefore equality movements always overshoot into domination over another weaker subset. If transsexual became acceptable then our movement would probably frown upon transhumanism.

[AnonyMs]

Happy for you to start a new thread.

I was about to, but I've no idea where to put it. Nothing seems even remotely appropriate. Perhaps philosophy?

[ImagineKate]

I can easily blame my environment but I will not. I was born in and grew up in the Caribbean which isn't exactly a nice place for anyone GLBT. However I decided to absorb myself into it, I dunno, because I wanted social acceptance? It didn't feel nice hating people and secretly I was jealous of other transsexuals but I had to be a ditto head to fit in otherwise I would be shunned.

However in school I would hang out with some of the effeminate guys anyway. Few girls to hang out with as I went to all boys schools.

However as I grew up, moved out on my own and to a different country (USA) and city (NYC) I began to see GLBT in real life. And to me they looked different from me but they were just normal.

The only thing I didn't like is that some people feel because you're GLBT you need to  align yourself with one political philosophy and everything that goes along with it. No way no how not happening. I am me, individual.