#0x20

I definitely think detrans people should be able to revert their documents without 'proving' their biological sex (especially when the proof involves regressive sex stereotypes!). That’s pretty messed up. Tangentially, I think the situation is more difficult to change atm than it might seem.

from the comments -

I hear a lot about bad gender clinics, and especially with many UK clinics now required to track their data better, making the detransition bar higher is likely an attempt at saving their butts. This could (and should) definitely be solved by not making detrans people have to prove it in the first place, so I agree with OP there.

The difficult issue would be trans ideology. The fact that one’s gender is purely defined as how one feels and/or gender dysphoria means that a trans woman is as much a woman as a bio woman if she fits those requirements (which have nothing to do with bio sex). In this respect, making it easier for detransitioners would be seen as transphobia since it would give undue preference and possibly imply that a trans person was their birth gender all along. I’d guess this is where gender recognition panels are coming from, and whatever a detransitioner feels about gender ideology doesn’t really matter (especially if the detransitioner in question is seen as “transphobic” themselves).

So, making it easier for detransitioners would mean changing the definition of gender in general.

On top of that - even if an individual may see the logic in letting a detrans person easily revert to their legal gender, this would assume that the changed legal documents even indicate that the person was trans. However, current gender changes don’t come with a disclaimer or asterisk afaik - which is concerning imo. It means we can be gaslighted when trying to track statistics and allowing people in sex segregated places, in addition to making it harder for detransitioners trying to revert their certification. Of course there’s plenty of ways people can tell (old documents for example), but couldn’t we just say F* or something instead of pretending they were F from the start (and vice versa)? It seems like an important enough fact about a person.

Imo, in most cases, gender dysphoria is a result of various factors that differ from person to person. Therefore, my first advice would be to read stories from a variety of detransitioners. You'll also find commonly repeated advice along the way. I tried to compile some useful tips and links like that here.

Realistically I don't think there's a 'proper'(aka commercial) treatment plan available at the moment. That would require a change in approach from broader society, as well as therapists who are well trained in dealing with gender dysphoria, which is not something that the medical community knows how to do right now imo.

There are certainly some detransitioners for whom gender dysphoria is an ongoing struggle, but still manage to live happily despite it. While the intensity may vary, imo, struggling with gender dysphoria doesn't mean one needs body modifications any more than someone with body dysmorphia. And even if someone decided they wanted to anyway (because that's their personal decision to make), I would strongly recommend connecting with other detransitioners, working thru other mental issues, and waiting a few years before making that decision. Often, gender dysphoria gets better over time, especially with exposure to other gnc and detrans people.

To address the last question, I'd prefer that any extreme body modification for purely cosmetic purposes require some therapy to ensure the patient is in a stable state of mind (body dysmorphia is a disease that surgery doesn't fix and the regret rate even for nose jobs can be quite high). However while I don't advise it, whether or not someone gets extreme cosmetic procedures is not my decision to make and I wouldn't want it to be illegal.

I feel the same about transition. What I would stress even more than the legal aspect is the societal attitude, which currently paints it in many cases as necessary and relatively harmless instead of a risky decision to be made by an informed and prepared adult.

1. Hyperfixations

This one’s kinda simple, but I tend to randomly get obsessed with things (minecraft, gothic cathedrals, cats.... idk) and sometimes it’s a character which everyone always interprets as a crush but is not a crush. 

2. Faces

Ngl I didn’t really used to look at facial features much. They kind of all looked the same and I’d mainly identify people by their hair. One thing that helped a lot with this was recognizing the difference between how men and women looked (partly because I was seeing more gnc people and it’s easier to tell what’s actual features and not just societal apparatus) and that both changed how I saw gender but also who I was attracted to. After I started really seeing people’s facial features first thing, suddenly men were a lot more ugly. I remember seeing a trans man and thinking “huh he’s cute but like in an anime guy way” except now when I see anime guys I see their male features and they don’t look that androgynous anymore. I really didn’t used to see secondary sex characteristics as much unless I really looked hard.

3. Female objectification + uncomfortableness w/ oneself

Ick with the female body, combined with wome sort of madonna whore complex, makes seeing the female body in a sexual way feel pretty gross and make dysphoria worse. Doesn’t affect me now but did before I desisted. Also doesn’t help when the height of ‘attractive women’ is usually portrayed as pornified looking with exaggerated proportions which is often just gross/not attractive regardless.

4. Fictional vs. real

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It seems plausible that it might have some effect. I'd just be skeptical on whether it really matters atm. Autoimmune diseases affect a very small percentage of people, and it's not like there's a new autoimmune epidemic we're seeing among trans women - instead, the author is pulling up a few scant sources on something they conjecture, but there's not much evidence showing significant enough effect for me to worry about it more than the other effects of HRT.

oof. I'm suprised that got into the NYT but admittedly their opinion section is pretty wild sometimes.

I definitely think real people is worse. With a fictional character people project onto them and interpret them in various ways anyway and I see no problem with that, so I guess my main issue is when they consistently label characters trans for being gnc or something. Real people aren't just a symbol to interpret as one wishes, they're actually a human and to try to speak for them like that seems very off to me on a whole different level.

Honestly I just assumed the use of 'atashi' was manga characters having exaggerated forms of speech (they often talk very informally and with unique speaking quirks to show personality). I ended up reading the wikipedia page for オネエ言葉 and that was quite interesting though, I'd never heard of it!