If young women are now deciding that they're the opposite gender because it's become more "socially acceptable" then where are the legions of older women now saying that they wish that they had had this choice? On the contrary, we're all thanking our lucky stars that this wasn't pushed on us in our tomboy years.
100% agree!!! I was called a boy, even by my 1st grade teacher the first week (she was mad I was on the girls side when she broke us into groups and I had to explain “because I’m a little girl”). I was such a tomboy people often said “hi fellows” to my brother and I. In their defense I had short hair, a raspy voice from constant outdoor play, and a gender neutral name. Today I’m a happily married (completely straight) mom of 2. I’m so glad my parents response to my insistence as a little girl in the 1980’s that “I should have been a boy” was always “you’re a kid. Go be you. If you feel this way at 25, we’ll talk. There isn’t a right or wrong way to be a girl. Go outside and play.” While some were mean yo me for being so far outside the stereotype, most celebrated my love of all things dirt and rough play and my tough dare devil nature. I was a whitewater river guide in undergrad (though no longer could I have been mistaken for a boy). My heart breaks for every little Tom boy and fabulous boy out there who is being punished by this regressive nonsense for straying from some stereotype nobody fully fits with false promises of “belonging” if only they give up their health, future fertility, any chance of intimate sexual relationships as an adult, and the ability to care for the only body they will ever actually have. It’s regressive and it’s overtly cruel.
Google Ngram is a service that allows you to see trends in publishing over time. Take the above timeline and set your search parameters accordingly. Compare, over time, the rise and fall of "sex change" with "gender affirming." "Transsexual" with "transgender." And so on. The marketing campaign for pediatric transition required a purposeful shift in the conversation by our elites, particularly our media elites, over time. You can see it in the trend lines.
As I read these narratives one thing keeps coming back to me: the tyranny of the self. That is, the desire for each of us to proclaim our uniqueness to the world. The internet gives us all a platform to display our plumage even as it shows us that we are puny and insignificant. Teenagers pulling away from their parents, trying to define what is theirs and what is not, now have a megaphone to declare their independence to the entire world, a place to differentiate themselves from the crowd. At the heart of this enterprise is a great loneliness and a desolate view of human nature that sees us all as atomized individuals. The response of the adult community is understandable but not laudable. The slippery self is placed on a pedestal and communion with others is downgraded, thus blocking a reliable source of relief.
The role of social media both in the promotion of trans and social contagion also corresponds to the significant increase in depression among girls starting in 2012.
Thank you for this essay. I fundamentally agree with you, and you've touched on a number of points that need careful consideration. In particular, as it pertains to this controversy, there is a need for a thorough examination of what "identity" means from a psychological point of view, and the complex interacting factors that shape it. I appreciate the fact that you addressed some of these issues. Clearly, people do have 'gender identities' just like they have identities pertaining to other societal roles and self-perceptions.
But, as you said, this phenomenon is being exploited by ideologues without any clear understanding of what it means to have an 'identity,' or any recognition of the fact that identities change – sometimes rapidly. Again, as you've pointed out, much of the ideology is driven by fundamental misunderstandings of biological psychology and neuroscience, as evidenced in the use of terms like "girl brain," and the erroneous assumption that there are identifiable neural (anatomical) structures or genetic profiles that give rise to being "trans." Again, thank you for this clearly written, thoughtful essay. Sincerely, Frederick
I absolutely do not have "gender" identity or a "sexed soul," as Helen Joyce puts it. Using "gender" in sexual/biological context is a recent Western corporate invention used to sell the "gender"cult and its rainbow bricabrac and unicorn farts. "Gender" is a linguistic term used in Germanic languages (like mine,Icelandic) where nouns are gendered: hann, hún, það|German: er, sie, es. Obliterating this word, except from linguistics, would go a long way toward obliterating the evil cult of "gender" ideology.
I certainly understand your point of view. I use the term only to mean that we all have a set of values, behaviors, assumptions etc. (which may be implicit), in terms of which we behave in regard to our sex. I do not mean it in the sense as used by Joyce... Think of it in the sense that every culture or group has behaviors, etc. that they associate with males and females, that's all.
ROGD is completely denied by the trans pimps and the operators of the Trans Industrial Complex. It violates the meta-notion of trans, which is "born this way". If social contagion can make a person trans, then there is choice in trans, and it's just a momentary delusion.
It's the same with detrans, which violates the meta-notion in the same way.
Trans is a delusion. It's a persistent delusion for some. It's a delusion which comes on in middle age for others. But primarily, today it is a social hysteria delusion.
The only side that cares about children, that wants to stop the mutilation, is the conservative side. Why people are so reluctant to work with conservatives is amazing to me.
I agree. I'm perfectly comfortable to break bread with conservatives. I'm a formerly "lifelong" Democrat, and I have much more in common with conservatives than the lunatics who make up today's DNC. The sexual mutilation and castration of children is not about Right and Left; it's a matter of Right and Wrong. No gray area here.
Another ignorant comment. Most conservatives did not support Jan 6 insurrection.
What's amazing is that there are have been 3-4 liberal invasions of state capitals in the time since Jan 6, but these have not been covered as "insurrections".
"so vile, so ... cruel" - about what? Illegals, who are criminals invading the US and Europe? Homeless, who are drug-addled losers who are destroying cities? Drug addicts, who choose to take drugs that destroy them?
What good have liberals done since 2000? Nothing whatsoever.
The only persons who oppose the trans delusion are conservatives. It's time that people STOP saying "I hate agreeing with conservatives". Conservatives are right on trans. They are right on the control of big cities. They are right on affirmative action.
If that’s what you think ad hominem is you’re more ill informed than I thought. I really don’t want to talk to you as you can see by my lack of responses. But please don’t lecture me about what words mean. I won’t respond to you no matter what you say to this so help yourself to the last word.
You know nothing about conservatives. You are wrong about this but that's the pattern.
Read National Review to gain a little understanding. There are moral issues which are not religious about the opposition to trans.
What is also happening is that people are turning against LBG BECAUSE LBG supports TQ. There's a major pushback against rainbow shit happening. And another thing - alphabet does not own the rainbow flag. We normal non-pervert people are taking it back.
I understand where you’re coming from, but I respectfully submit that the reflexive “I hate to agree with conservatives, but…” throat-clearing only reinforces the “conservative” coding around this issue, and makes it harder to inspire real reflection among potential liberal allies. I’ve seen it several times among left-leaning friends and family members; in one-on-one conversations, I can get them to at least acknowledge the complexities of the subject…but then they go have a conversation with a true believer from their tribe and immediately snap back to “Anyone who has any reservations about any of this is just a hateful bigot.” The best way to pump the brakes on this stuff is to actively resist any implication that these are “conservative” views, IMO.
One of the interviews on the podcast "Gender: A Wider Lens" with a detransitioner who is a woman gave me the impression that in some circles the allure of "T," or testosterone, is one factor behind some women's desire to transition.
In this case, the person had had a lesbian sexual orientation but had seen that more and more of the lesbians she knew were transitioning. I got the sense that she wasn't a kid. Of greater concern was that it seemed as if transitioning was an element of a subcultural scene rather than a response to gender dysphoria, but I digress.
It was clear that the interviewee saw T as a very effective mood-enhancing drug that quelled whatever sort of emotional distress might have been happening in the background.
When seeking to account for the increase in female transitioners, the appeal of testosterone should be taken into account.
Ollie, so glad to see other gay guys who see what's going on. I came out in 1974....and know several wealthy gay men who have been/are big, big supporters of HRC, etc.
And if you discuss the trans topic, you get every talking point...."there is a medical concensus", "they are reversible" and on and on. And you counter that and of course, you are a deranged right winger because what do doctors say and movie stars and media and MSNBC.....?
Who doesn't know women who were tomboys? My wife was one. My childhood neighbor friend was one. They both outgrew it, and while the neighbor grew up to be a lesbian, that's still a minority of tomboys. The point is they outgrew it. Woe to any tomboy today -- the cult will come for you, as they will come for all of us eventually. No more women, no more gay people. We're all transhuman but just didn't realize it!
Thank you, Lisa, for a thoughtful and thorough article. I especially appreciated your final paragraph: "Contagion is accidental. This has been a concerted marketed effort from almost every liberal institution in America, coupled with a powerful censorship campaign. Together, these efforts prevent kids from getting the help they need." These are facts and I am going to present one more aspect of this whole endeavor from the liberal institutions and the censorship involved, the presence of sheer evil. Whichever direction it is coming from, and some people will argue it is right or left ad nauseam, (see proceeding conversations) it just comes down to it being this basic. Either you believe in good and evil, or you do not. Why is this happening to our children? Why are there 2 million children trapped in sex trafficking today? Why are our children being taught to hate their bodies enough to want to be mutilated in the guise of changing sexes? Why are children being sexualized? Younger and younger and younger. Sex trafficking has been around forever, but when has trafficking of children and pedophilia ever been as accepted more than right now? Hence the "drag queen story hours" in schools and public libraries being touted, pushed and defended, the pushing forward on the boundaries of children being able to decide for themselves on ingesting chemicals/hormones, having surgeries, is ever expanding. People talking more openly about "minor attraction." The acceptance of fetishes being acted out in public, with "woman-face" being in our faces. If you think this is reaching, that these things are not connected, find out about the new Underground Railroad, an organization whereby children are being rescued in Ukraine and around the world, from child sex exploitation. See the movie, "Sound of Freedom." Evil is real, and it is in our midst. I, for one, pray that good people will fight for our children, however we can. Love, Indio.
Could a wide range of mental problems be increasing in part due to COVID stress and the stress of being in an increasingly crowded, toxin-filled world?
My gift subscription to R'sLS expires tomorrow. I'm disabled, on SSD. Would you please extend me a complimentary subscription?
self hating handmaidens for the data health/ defence /industrial estate owned by duoploy govt and using labels and quackery and intimidation and abuse to cloud and silence dissent - women and humanity under control to benefit power and mens control and profits
It's intentional for several reasons. I know one reason is that the stereotypes have led some wealthy people during the early 20th Century to donate money toward clinical research for transgender elective procedures. Today, wealthy trans people and wealthy pro trans people want to push for improved clinical success and more doctor training.
The second reason I also know of is that many environmentalists believe overpopulation is the single greatest threat to the environment and human long-term survival. They put their money where their mouth is by financially and politically supporting any large scale effort limit population growth, even if some of those methods are directly harmful to children in psychological and physical ways. Many scientists, when asked, have not researched the impact of drugs in the home, gender affirming care, and the peripheral policies, such as trans women (who are not physically transitioned) supervising young girls undress and use the bathroom at the YMCA, just to name one of many examples of child hostile policies.
I say that some of these policies are child hostile because self identification of gender is impossible to objectively verify. Criminals can easily, and do easily, exploit naive liberal policies that allow males in female human restrooms, locker rooms, hospital bedrooms (where normally patients of the same sex are roomed together), and domestic violence shelters.
The last reason that I agree that gender dysphoria is increasing I'm numbers and at younger ages because of marketing and not a social psychology accident, is that pedophile groups actively support any political and social campaigns that seek to sexualize youth in any way, whether via provocative clothes and make-up, creating animosity between parents and children, or promulgating gender dysphoria.
Our culture is a cesspool that needs a toxic waste clean-up, ironically, because the people who claim to have all the answers for protecting our surroundings are actively destroying us inside.
If young women are now deciding that they're the opposite gender because it's become more "socially acceptable" then where are the legions of older women now saying that they wish that they had had this choice? On the contrary, we're all thanking our lucky stars that this wasn't pushed on us in our tomboy years.
100% agree!!! I was called a boy, even by my 1st grade teacher the first week (she was mad I was on the girls side when she broke us into groups and I had to explain “because I’m a little girl”). I was such a tomboy people often said “hi fellows” to my brother and I. In their defense I had short hair, a raspy voice from constant outdoor play, and a gender neutral name. Today I’m a happily married (completely straight) mom of 2. I’m so glad my parents response to my insistence as a little girl in the 1980’s that “I should have been a boy” was always “you’re a kid. Go be you. If you feel this way at 25, we’ll talk. There isn’t a right or wrong way to be a girl. Go outside and play.” While some were mean yo me for being so far outside the stereotype, most celebrated my love of all things dirt and rough play and my tough dare devil nature. I was a whitewater river guide in undergrad (though no longer could I have been mistaken for a boy). My heart breaks for every little Tom boy and fabulous boy out there who is being punished by this regressive nonsense for straying from some stereotype nobody fully fits with false promises of “belonging” if only they give up their health, future fertility, any chance of intimate sexual relationships as an adult, and the ability to care for the only body they will ever actually have. It’s regressive and it’s overtly cruel.
Google Ngram is a service that allows you to see trends in publishing over time. Take the above timeline and set your search parameters accordingly. Compare, over time, the rise and fall of "sex change" with "gender affirming." "Transsexual" with "transgender." And so on. The marketing campaign for pediatric transition required a purposeful shift in the conversation by our elites, particularly our media elites, over time. You can see it in the trend lines.
Excellent observation. This sea change required more than one incoming source.
As I read these narratives one thing keeps coming back to me: the tyranny of the self. That is, the desire for each of us to proclaim our uniqueness to the world. The internet gives us all a platform to display our plumage even as it shows us that we are puny and insignificant. Teenagers pulling away from their parents, trying to define what is theirs and what is not, now have a megaphone to declare their independence to the entire world, a place to differentiate themselves from the crowd. At the heart of this enterprise is a great loneliness and a desolate view of human nature that sees us all as atomized individuals. The response of the adult community is understandable but not laudable. The slippery self is placed on a pedestal and communion with others is downgraded, thus blocking a reliable source of relief.
The role of social media both in the promotion of trans and social contagion also corresponds to the significant increase in depression among girls starting in 2012.
Thank you for this essay. I fundamentally agree with you, and you've touched on a number of points that need careful consideration. In particular, as it pertains to this controversy, there is a need for a thorough examination of what "identity" means from a psychological point of view, and the complex interacting factors that shape it. I appreciate the fact that you addressed some of these issues. Clearly, people do have 'gender identities' just like they have identities pertaining to other societal roles and self-perceptions.
https://everythingisbiology.substack.com/p/there-is-biological-evidence-for
But, as you said, this phenomenon is being exploited by ideologues without any clear understanding of what it means to have an 'identity,' or any recognition of the fact that identities change – sometimes rapidly. Again, as you've pointed out, much of the ideology is driven by fundamental misunderstandings of biological psychology and neuroscience, as evidenced in the use of terms like "girl brain," and the erroneous assumption that there are identifiable neural (anatomical) structures or genetic profiles that give rise to being "trans." Again, thank you for this clearly written, thoughtful essay. Sincerely, Frederick
I absolutely do not have "gender" identity or a "sexed soul," as Helen Joyce puts it. Using "gender" in sexual/biological context is a recent Western corporate invention used to sell the "gender"cult and its rainbow bricabrac and unicorn farts. "Gender" is a linguistic term used in Germanic languages (like mine,Icelandic) where nouns are gendered: hann, hún, það|German: er, sie, es. Obliterating this word, except from linguistics, would go a long way toward obliterating the evil cult of "gender" ideology.
I certainly understand your point of view. I use the term only to mean that we all have a set of values, behaviors, assumptions etc. (which may be implicit), in terms of which we behave in regard to our sex. I do not mean it in the sense as used by Joyce... Think of it in the sense that every culture or group has behaviors, etc. that they associate with males and females, that's all.
ROGD is completely denied by the trans pimps and the operators of the Trans Industrial Complex. It violates the meta-notion of trans, which is "born this way". If social contagion can make a person trans, then there is choice in trans, and it's just a momentary delusion.
It's the same with detrans, which violates the meta-notion in the same way.
Trans is a delusion. It's a persistent delusion for some. It's a delusion which comes on in middle age for others. But primarily, today it is a social hysteria delusion.
A delusion both socially and personally destructive.
Social contagion does seem to be a major factor. I sure hate hearing one more time about the awfulness of identifying with conservatives.
The only side that cares about children, that wants to stop the mutilation, is the conservative side. Why people are so reluctant to work with conservatives is amazing to me.
I agree. I'm perfectly comfortable to break bread with conservatives. I'm a formerly "lifelong" Democrat, and I have much more in common with conservatives than the lunatics who make up today's DNC. The sexual mutilation and castration of children is not about Right and Left; it's a matter of Right and Wrong. No gray area here.
Another ignorant comment. Most conservatives did not support Jan 6 insurrection.
What's amazing is that there are have been 3-4 liberal invasions of state capitals in the time since Jan 6, but these have not been covered as "insurrections".
"so vile, so ... cruel" - about what? Illegals, who are criminals invading the US and Europe? Homeless, who are drug-addled losers who are destroying cities? Drug addicts, who choose to take drugs that destroy them?
What good have liberals done since 2000? Nothing whatsoever.
Just wow.
The only persons who oppose the trans delusion are conservatives. It's time that people STOP saying "I hate agreeing with conservatives". Conservatives are right on trans. They are right on the control of big cities. They are right on affirmative action.
Liberals are mostly mushy-brained morons.
Hate the trashing of anyone non-liberal or non-leftist without data and/or examples. Just continual ad hominem.
If that’s what you think ad hominem is you’re more ill informed than I thought. I really don’t want to talk to you as you can see by my lack of responses. But please don’t lecture me about what words mean. I won’t respond to you no matter what you say to this so help yourself to the last word.
You’ve got a great point!
Wow, you're quite a nasty piece of work. I oppose gender ideology and have been a liberal Democrat my entire adult life.
What's your point?
You know nothing about conservatives. You are wrong about this but that's the pattern.
Read National Review to gain a little understanding. There are moral issues which are not religious about the opposition to trans.
What is also happening is that people are turning against LBG BECAUSE LBG supports TQ. There's a major pushback against rainbow shit happening. And another thing - alphabet does not own the rainbow flag. We normal non-pervert people are taking it back.
I understand where you’re coming from, but I respectfully submit that the reflexive “I hate to agree with conservatives, but…” throat-clearing only reinforces the “conservative” coding around this issue, and makes it harder to inspire real reflection among potential liberal allies. I’ve seen it several times among left-leaning friends and family members; in one-on-one conversations, I can get them to at least acknowledge the complexities of the subject…but then they go have a conversation with a true believer from their tribe and immediately snap back to “Anyone who has any reservations about any of this is just a hateful bigot.” The best way to pump the brakes on this stuff is to actively resist any implication that these are “conservative” views, IMO.
I agree that for some people trans is a delusion, but more comprehensively it's an idea (not ideology) that Twiss Butler and I define as follows:
Trans refers to an instrumental idea about compelling all society legally and
socially to treat on demand persons who claim the right to identify as the opposite
sex (or no sex at all), and thus the right to be treated by law and society exactly as
though they were the opposite sex. By assigning the adjective trans to this “right
to a legal sex change,” we can denominate all such demanders as “trans persons.”
From dysphoric children to adult men trapped in a fetish or the “wrong” prison,
every trans person is led to expect that compelling society to acquiesce to this idea
of an invented but uncontestable right to an opposite sex identity which all society
is legally compelled to validate will somehow improve their lives.
One of the interviews on the podcast "Gender: A Wider Lens" with a detransitioner who is a woman gave me the impression that in some circles the allure of "T," or testosterone, is one factor behind some women's desire to transition.
In this case, the person had had a lesbian sexual orientation but had seen that more and more of the lesbians she knew were transitioning. I got the sense that she wasn't a kid. Of greater concern was that it seemed as if transitioning was an element of a subcultural scene rather than a response to gender dysphoria, but I digress.
It was clear that the interviewee saw T as a very effective mood-enhancing drug that quelled whatever sort of emotional distress might have been happening in the background.
When seeking to account for the increase in female transitioners, the appeal of testosterone should be taken into account.
Alas, I do not remember the episode number.
"[T]here isn’t even a positive term for girlish boys." Gay man and former sissy here. Allow me to suggest one: "Campy."
Ollie, so glad to see other gay guys who see what's going on. I came out in 1974....and know several wealthy gay men who have been/are big, big supporters of HRC, etc.
And if you discuss the trans topic, you get every talking point...."there is a medical concensus", "they are reversible" and on and on. And you counter that and of course, you are a deranged right winger because what do doctors say and movie stars and media and MSNBC.....?
Who doesn't know women who were tomboys? My wife was one. My childhood neighbor friend was one. They both outgrew it, and while the neighbor grew up to be a lesbian, that's still a minority of tomboys. The point is they outgrew it. Woe to any tomboy today -- the cult will come for you, as they will come for all of us eventually. No more women, no more gay people. We're all transhuman but just didn't realize it!
Thank you, Lisa, for a thoughtful and thorough article. I especially appreciated your final paragraph: "Contagion is accidental. This has been a concerted marketed effort from almost every liberal institution in America, coupled with a powerful censorship campaign. Together, these efforts prevent kids from getting the help they need." These are facts and I am going to present one more aspect of this whole endeavor from the liberal institutions and the censorship involved, the presence of sheer evil. Whichever direction it is coming from, and some people will argue it is right or left ad nauseam, (see proceeding conversations) it just comes down to it being this basic. Either you believe in good and evil, or you do not. Why is this happening to our children? Why are there 2 million children trapped in sex trafficking today? Why are our children being taught to hate their bodies enough to want to be mutilated in the guise of changing sexes? Why are children being sexualized? Younger and younger and younger. Sex trafficking has been around forever, but when has trafficking of children and pedophilia ever been as accepted more than right now? Hence the "drag queen story hours" in schools and public libraries being touted, pushed and defended, the pushing forward on the boundaries of children being able to decide for themselves on ingesting chemicals/hormones, having surgeries, is ever expanding. People talking more openly about "minor attraction." The acceptance of fetishes being acted out in public, with "woman-face" being in our faces. If you think this is reaching, that these things are not connected, find out about the new Underground Railroad, an organization whereby children are being rescued in Ukraine and around the world, from child sex exploitation. See the movie, "Sound of Freedom." Evil is real, and it is in our midst. I, for one, pray that good people will fight for our children, however we can. Love, Indio.
Could a wide range of mental problems be increasing in part due to COVID stress and the stress of being in an increasingly crowded, toxin-filled world?
My gift subscription to R'sLS expires tomorrow. I'm disabled, on SSD. Would you please extend me a complimentary subscription?
self hating handmaidens for the data health/ defence /industrial estate owned by duoploy govt and using labels and quackery and intimidation and abuse to cloud and silence dissent - women and humanity under control to benefit power and mens control and profits
It's intentional for several reasons. I know one reason is that the stereotypes have led some wealthy people during the early 20th Century to donate money toward clinical research for transgender elective procedures. Today, wealthy trans people and wealthy pro trans people want to push for improved clinical success and more doctor training.
The second reason I also know of is that many environmentalists believe overpopulation is the single greatest threat to the environment and human long-term survival. They put their money where their mouth is by financially and politically supporting any large scale effort limit population growth, even if some of those methods are directly harmful to children in psychological and physical ways. Many scientists, when asked, have not researched the impact of drugs in the home, gender affirming care, and the peripheral policies, such as trans women (who are not physically transitioned) supervising young girls undress and use the bathroom at the YMCA, just to name one of many examples of child hostile policies.
I say that some of these policies are child hostile because self identification of gender is impossible to objectively verify. Criminals can easily, and do easily, exploit naive liberal policies that allow males in female human restrooms, locker rooms, hospital bedrooms (where normally patients of the same sex are roomed together), and domestic violence shelters.
The last reason that I agree that gender dysphoria is increasing I'm numbers and at younger ages because of marketing and not a social psychology accident, is that pedophile groups actively support any political and social campaigns that seek to sexualize youth in any way, whether via provocative clothes and make-up, creating animosity between parents and children, or promulgating gender dysphoria.
Our culture is a cesspool that needs a toxic waste clean-up, ironically, because the people who claim to have all the answers for protecting our surroundings are actively destroying us inside.