Regretters

[Natasha]

Regretters

http://gendertrender.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/regretters/
1/18/11
Posted by GallusMag

detransitioners are seen by trans communities is pretty much proof they are a cult. If they weren't, they'd welcome them and spread their stories to all the masses of unsure transitioners instead of the usual "TRANZPHOBIIIIAAA!" parade.

[CaitJ]

The story of 'Regretters' needs to be told; however, I question the motives of the director, who appears to have made this film for cis people for entertainment/sensationalism value, rather than as a warning to would-be transitioners who are about to make the wrong choice.
Basically it's cashing in on the Jerry Springer meme in order to generate a buck. It's a shame that it's filmed entirely through the cis lense and there's no actual input from trans people - only two cis men who made a stupid mistake.
I'm sick of cis people using the shock value of trans people to be 'edgy' and 'fresh'. It shows a complete lack of respect for trans people - and it's thoroughly dehumanising.

[some ftm guy]

i wish people would stop with this group. it's not helping actual trans people, only helping the ignorant treat us badly. hey Vexing, what is that color changing, dinosaur horse creature under your comments? and what is it continuously running to? 

[CaitJ]

hey Vexing, what is that color changing, dinosaur horse creature under your comments? and what is it continuously running to? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Bronzie/Bunchies

[Domitia]

Quick side note: Thanks Vexing, I've always been curious what that is (I've seen it on many forums).
----

I don't really like de-transition stories, and I agree with Vexing about questioning the director's motives.

I also agree with Noah; it doesn't really help the trans community, and if anything just allows the ignorant to treat us poorly.

I already need to jump through enough hoops to get anything done; even my expected wait time for hormones make me cringe. If I need to deal with even more because of other people's mistakes I'll go nutty. I would also rather not be lambasted nonstop about how other people have made the wrong choice, and so am I! The more people have that encourages them to think we're all confused and mistaken people, the slower change for acceptance will occur.

[Cassie]

I think it's good to see these stories.

There are a lot of people out there who will say "you're a man just get on with it"; the fact that these people went through transition and discovered that they'd made a mistake and couldn't live as their new gender reinforces the fact that it's very unpleasant having to present as a gender that you're not. It actually helps to validate our own position that gender is defined by something much greater than social conditioning.

It's also important to spread this around for people who want to transition for dubious reasons; escape from the past; try something different etc. It lets them know that GD exists and if you don't have it you don't want it.

I'm fine with this sort of thing; it adds to the knowledge base. It's those characters who got themselves into this position and then prance around the TV studios telling all and sundry that they had a bad experience so gender reassignment should be banned who really get up my ***.

[spacial]

1st man
0:47 But the bandage fell off, and I saw that everything was gone.

And I cried. I did...I regretted it immediately. Not that I said anything, though.

2ed man

1:23 I felt the same way, I expected everything to be fantastic. My problem would go away. -You'd be happy.

Director
2:13 Both of them say that if there would have been a 3rd option available, they would have gone for that.


Comment on the site
Bluetraveler Says:

January 18, 2011 at 11:50 am
The Documentary is TRANSPHOBIIIIIIIIIC!!!!

Nice find. How detransitioners are seen by trans communities is pretty much proof they are a cult. If they weren't, they'd welcome them and spread their stories to all the masses of unsure transitioners instead of the usual "TRANZPHOBIIIIAAA!" parade.

I really wish I could feel more positive about this sort of thing and comments such as those above.

If transgender were a cult, it would be actively recruting people to join.

The antipathy many transgender people will, I suspect, feel toward this and other, similar stories are that they are trite and flippant.

In every single example of people expressing these sort of regrets, there is an obvious feeling that there is somethign more going on.

How can any sane person beleive that, post op, when the bandages are removed, there might be something there?

How can any sane person believe that, by altering their physical gender, their problems will disappear?

It would be interesting and informative of the issus of people who do express regrets could be properly examined. But sadly, this is not proper examination at all.