'Growing Up Trans' on FRONTLINE Got it Wrong and We Need Your Help

[suzifrommd]

'Growing Up Trans' on FRONTLINE Got it Wrong and We Need Your Help

By Pamela Valentine, Wednesday 7/1/15 at 12:15 pm

http://www.chicagonow.com/affirmed-mom/2015/07/growing-up-trans-frontlinegot-wrong-need-help/

FRONTLINE stated that the majority of youth with gender dysphoria do not grow up to be transgender, and/or they change their minds about being transgender. This is an additional gymnastic permutation of what is already known to be junk-science data repeated on a loop by people like Paul McHugh, Kenneth Zucker and others.

[stephaniec]

yes, we need as much information we can get from all angles.

[Rejennyrated]

Well actually the jury is still out on that. The clinical data I've seen does suggest its about 50/50 - point is I would argue that if people are allowed to grow up the way they want to, and then decide to detransition of their own free will, they have suffered no ill effects from being allowed the freedom to explore.

Indeed they may go on to be better, human beings, more secure in their chosen identity, because of the insights they have gained... whereas if you prevent one of those of us who DIDNT change our minds THEN you DO ENORMOUS harm to us.

So the right argument is not to try and falsify the data to show something that I honestly dont think it does, its to point out that one way the only effect is that some people, who later go on to revert of their own free will, have additional experience in life, where the others are protected from suffering an enormous amount of harm.

So the way to defeat this is to argue that allowing freedom does no one any harm - and may do a few a lot of good, whereas denying help because you cant be sure if this is "just a phase" or not - WILL cause harm.

I'm sure back in 1965 when my parents allowed me to express my female nature they were 100% sure I would revert... and for a short time in my early adult years, I did - but it was still the right thing to let me call the shots at every turn and i'm very grateful they did.

[stephaniec]

no blame whatever to my parents because of the times , but my whole life was spent wishing I would of been allowed to be me, even though it would of been difficult because I was extremely introverted and shy to the point of being crippled by it. I kind of doubt any one would of got me to open my mouth about it.

[Asche]

The clinical data I've seen does suggest its about 50/50.

I would be interested to see that clinical data.  Especially I'd like to know how they determined whether a child counted as trans for the purposes of their study and how they determined that (s)he later on wasn't.

Has anyone actually done long-term studies on this?  Gendermom says she could not find any.  Given the tendency of people (including "experts") to pull numbers out of their, uh, nether regions when discussing topics that run into their prejudices, I usually assume claims like this are BS until proven beyond reasonable doubt.

If there were so many children who insisted they were the other gender and then later changed their minds, not under duress, wouldn't we be seeing some stories about them?  Especially since there are so many self-appointed authorities telling us that most trans children switch back.

Instead, what I keep hearing are stories of people who as children felt they weren't their assigned gender, but due to the enormous stigma for acting on it spent years or decades trying to be what they were supposed to be, only to finally give up.  Depending on how that 50/50 number was arrived at, those people might well have been counted in the "just a phase" group.