Luna Macrosystems✡️🤖🏳️⚧️starting A Problem in the Pride ERG meeting when a cis gay asks how we talk about anti-trans legislation without sounding political
(to this guy's credit, he didn't disagree with me, but instead was pointing out the very frustrating but natural situation of being a pride ERG that has to be aligned with our company's corporate messaging)
And therein lies something on my mind a lot: to us, this is cut and dry genocide.
But even in California Democrat circles, whether or not kids should transition, or the bar for what you need to do before you can transition, is something they still feel is up for debate.
Perhaps one of the bigger problems, besides an inability to just listen to trans people on issues that impact trans people, is this notion that being trans is something to avoid, a last resort, something that should be an option but only if you really need it.
I remember the same argument about gay marriage, the idea that well maybe it should be allowed because it's not a choice for some people -- not the liberating idea that hey, actually, it's completely fine to be gay even if it were a choice. It's not wrong to be gay. Likewise it's not wrong to be trans. Who cares whether you needed to transition by some bizarre standard of last resort, or whether you just.. wanted to. Or any mix of the above. The ultimate problem underpinning all of these arguments is the idea that being trans is somehow something to avoid if you can.
That's the political part that concerns me. I know for sure I have coworkers who aren't aligned on that, even if they generally want to think of themselves as LGBTQ allies. Even within overwhelmingly left/liberal tech companies, my existence is political.
But even in California Democrat circles, whether or not kids should transition, or the bar for what you need to do before you can transition, is something they still feel is up for debate.
Perhaps one of the bigger problems, besides an inability to just listen to trans people on issues that impact trans people, is this notion that being trans is something to avoid, a last resort, something that should be an option but only if you really need it.
I remember the same argument about gay marriage, the idea that well maybe it should be allowed because it's not a choice for some people -- not the liberating idea that hey, actually, it's completely fine to be gay even if it were a choice. It's not wrong to be gay. Likewise it's not wrong to be trans. Who cares whether you needed to transition by some bizarre standard of last resort, or whether you just.. wanted to. Or any mix of the above. The ultimate problem underpinning all of these arguments is the idea that being trans is somehow something to avoid if you can.
That's the political part that concerns me. I know for sure I have coworkers who aren't aligned on that, even if they generally want to think of themselves as LGBTQ allies. Even within overwhelmingly left/liberal tech companies, my existence is political.
This is getting a lot more attention than I expected for something I threw out there following an awkward call 😅 guess I'm not alone in this
The thing I fear is politics around minors getting affirming care. Every time I post a link to an article in our Pride channel, that feels devasting to me as someone who was forced through natal puberty, I pause and consider how many coworkers probably don't see that as a problem.
To many liberals, teens on blockers/HRT is a debate. An idea that concerns them because they see transitioning as something irreversible one could regret.
But this is a false choice. A choice that betrays their inner feeling, that being trans is less ideal than being cis, if being cis were an option. That it would be better to default -- a choice itself -- to forcing kids through natal puberty, if there's a chance they might be ok being cis. That forcing kids to watch their body develop in irreversible ways, even after they express dysphoria over it, is ok if it could just be a phase.
It's a debate to them, something they view as tricky, because they can't give up the idea that being trans is a last resort.
Being trans has been the most beautiful thing I've embraced in my life. I love the person I've become. The hard part is how hard the world wants to make it. My only regret is everything I didn't get to experience as my true self.
The thing I fear is politics around minors getting affirming care. Every time I post a link to an article in our Pride channel, that feels devasting to me as someone who was forced through natal puberty, I pause and consider how many coworkers probably don't see that as a problem.
To many liberals, teens on blockers/HRT is a debate. An idea that concerns them because they see transitioning as something irreversible one could regret.
But this is a false choice. A choice that betrays their inner feeling, that being trans is less ideal than being cis, if being cis were an option. That it would be better to default -- a choice itself -- to forcing kids through natal puberty, if there's a chance they might be ok being cis. That forcing kids to watch their body develop in irreversible ways, even after they express dysphoria over it, is ok if it could just be a phase.
It's a debate to them, something they view as tricky, because they can't give up the idea that being trans is a last resort.
Being trans has been the most beautiful thing I've embraced in my life. I love the person I've become. The hard part is how hard the world wants to make it. My only regret is everything I didn't get to experience as my true self.
Maier Amsden@LunaRogue As a healthcare guy, I wouldn't say hormone therapy should be the "last resort." I *would say that it's not without risk, which needs to be studied/ understood and carefully weighed. Same with surgery. Everything is risk/ benefit, and cis folks don't see the benefits the same as trans folks. But it's ultimately up to the *patient to decide. That's why there's the issue with minors - they can't legally give "informed consent" - taking on serious risks is a notably "adult" endeavor.
@MaierAmsden Considering the hormones I take are essentially birth control, what's the take on minors having access to birth control then?
@LunaRogue I can't speak to the current understanding of the risks of various agents/ doses given to various populations. I can say that hormonal contraceptives mimic those of pregnancy given to post-pubescent genetic females, which makes it a bit different from trans hormone therapy. But whenever I see a woman who had a stroke in her 20's, she's usually a smoker and taking hormonal contraceptives, so the risk there is not nothing.
@LunaRogue There's an idea that pregnancy is by its very nature an adult situation, which is why there's a sort of carve out for sexually active post-pubescent females. The old story goes, if a 14 year old shows up in the ER in active labor - congrats on prematurely being an adult! You get to consent to medical treatment all on your own!
@MaierAmsden But this is sort of the point -- that before illegalization of trans care for minors happened, doctors, parents, and trans children would be having these risk conversations and deciding what was most appropriate. The state has taken these conversations away from people capable of making those decisions and has decided to ban it outright, regardless of what doctors decide.
It's all risk assessments. For me, the risk of being in HRT would've been significantly lower than the risks I've faced as an adult trying to undo the changes that natal puberty forced.
It's all risk assessments. For me, the risk of being in HRT would've been significantly lower than the risks I've faced as an adult trying to undo the changes that natal puberty forced.
@LunaRogue If a minor and their parents, in consultation with a doctor, agree that the benefits outweigh the risks, governments should f->k right off. The tricky part is when parents decide they know better than their children and gender-affirming providers.