I don’t see any downsides to more people doing this.
The idea that there are no downsides doesn't mesh with reality.
People who seek medical help to transition have to go through serious and prolonged psychological analysis and discussion before even being considered for starting hormone replacement therapy.
Which "similar stories" exist for trans men (not "transmen" -- they are men, and trans is a descriptor), as you claim? Please back up your statements with evidence.
I presume GP is saying there aren't downsides for those who seriously desire to do this, rather than checks notes pretending to socially transition for the purposed of getting a book deal.
There are risks and a chance of regret with most major medical or societal changes, but the risks for legitimate trans people who don't transition, are significantly, significantly higher than any claim of regret.
The fact that you liken HRT to "picking your poison" is ignorant and disingenuous.
That's what I said. "Women going incognito".
>Please back up your statements with evidence.
Spend a few days in online circles reading experiences of transmen, then do yourself another solid and spend another few days wading through online circles for men specifically. It's not too hard to see a few transitioners go "well X kinda sucked as a woman but Y definitely sucks now that I am a man".
>The fact that you liken HRT to "picking your poison" is ignorant and disingenuous
What's disingenuous is your extremely uncharitable interpretation, and I would urge you to take a step back and read with a little more favor towards the writer.
Think for a moment by bringing it back to its basis. As a woman with gender dysphoria, you have to pick between undergoing HRT and potentially having disastrous effects on your psyche, or suffering harsher consequences from your dysphoria for living as a woman.
To claim there are 'no downsides' when even the people for who the procedure exists have to pick between the lesser of two evils rather than a straight up boost, is completely off the mark. Vincent's example at least suggests women without dysphoria can't just 'live as a man for a bit' without it having downsides. Transitioners experiencing the same despite a net gain due to their unique circumstances would confirm it, more than deny it.
You fail to see that the laser focus on trans people is exactly why GP's comment doesn't mesh for the average person, as 'people who seriously desire to do this' are not necessarily people who feel uncomfortable or less comfortable with their own gender.
So please, stop making this seem like an attack on trans people. It isn't. It is merely a rebuttal against the idea that men living as women and women living as men, no further qualifiers given, only out of some 'desire to try it', has no downsides.
That aside, the implant was supposed to be removed after his sentence, but wasn't, causing longer-term effects that initially sentenced/intended.
Ignoring that he would likely not feel "better" from being trapped in prison, there is a massive difference between being forced to undergo medical treatments as part of a cruel and unusual (in hindsight, but not in law at the time) punishment, and electing to take HRT as part of a transition pathway in the modern day.
Throwaway account, ignorant bigoted comment, and /s after a shitty clueless remark. Troll harder next time.
Secondly, you don't know whether GP has gametes in storage.
Thirdly, that claimed "downside" both depends very much on the desires of the individual in question, and is discussed at length during the substantial psychological analysis and investigation prior to HRT being prescribed.
Where's your what-about-ism for alcohol causing fertility issues, out of curiosity?
These drugs you are taking are no joking matter and your fortuitous lived experience doesn't make your claim less preposterous
It's a bit sci-fi, but the way you described it is so beautiful, I'd love to better under the complete richness and beauty of the human experience from both sides, even if only temporarily.
I'm sure the world would be a better place if all had the chance to experience both sides and then chose.
Anyway either way you’re right I think it’s a pretty neat experience!
It’s also helping me understand women more.
I disagree. I think you're understanding your own experience more, but then you've trying to fit that to what you see or hear about from women based on a lot of assumptions that probably aren't valid.
Since we have no direct access to the internal mental state of others (and scarcely that of ourselves sometimes!) we can never be sure that we're experiencing what others are. There's a millennia-old thought experiment about imaging how we each experience the color red. How can I know that what you experience when you see an apple or a fire engine is anything like what I experience? If we could stimulate the same neurons in the optic nerve or in the various brain structures, would we each understand the stimulus as "red"? And I think that modern observations of phenomenon like synesthesia suggest that our internal qualia really do differ a lot.
That leads me to believe that it's wrong to think that hormones have changed you to experiencing things "the way a woman would", and more strongly, I'm skeptical that there's any set of qualia that can be placed in a bucket as how a woman experiences the world - I think it's absolutely individual.
(this also, by the way, makes me question how anyone can believe that their internal experience more closely matches "being a man" or "being a woman")
"Pornography is what it feels like when you think you have an object, but really the object has you. It is therefore a quintessential expression of femaleness." -- Andrea Long Chu
"Getting fucked makes you female because fucked is what a female is." -- Andrea Long Chu
"There is something about being treated like shit by men that feels like affirmation itself, like a cry of delight from the deepest cavern of my breast ... to be a victim of honest, undisguised sexism possesses an exhilarating vitality." -- Grace Lavery
"While I never really believed the cliché about women being good for one thing, I found that that sentiment kept creeping into my fantasies. I would imagine myself being sold into sex slavery and having strange men take advantage of me. It's called forced feminization, and it's not really about sex. It is about turning the humiliation you feel into pleasure, transforming the loss of male privilege into the best fuck ever." -- Julia Serano
To me they just sound like horny men parading their misogyny.
You certain that this is a good faith comment? Not trying to push a false narrative?
Do you agree with what was said in these quotations, and do you think that these three famous transwomen who said these things are actually women - or just pornsick, sexist men?
In trans circles, these guys are celebrated.
You've selected a short list composed by someone else of inflammatory quotations to use in a casual display of the spotlight fallacy, it's not at all compelling.
Hope you're not a white man, because boy do I have some inflammatory/trolly/silly/whatever remarks said by THOSE guys for ya! :)
The biggest thing that helped me understand women was when I changed my hormone dose and added progesterone two months ago. The subsequent few weeks were a roller coaster for me. I had a short temper, was irritable, and couldn’t control my emotional responses. My therapist said “you sound like a pregnant woman”. (I’m not saying it’s the same, just pointing out that this is something my therapist said.)
I have a partner who is non-binary but AFAB, has had two kids, and is going through perimenopause. They have strong monthly cycles, which have increased in intensity in the last two years due to perimenopause. We met this year so it’s all I’ve known.
Once a month they get really irritable, have a short fuse, and a harder time controlling their emotions. (I’m not putting this on them, they’ve been telling me about it as we have to plan our dates properly during this time.) Their emotional response to their period is more pronounced than anyone I’ve dated, probably because they’re in perimenopause.
I never fully understood the extent to which emotional regulation became difficult until I suddenly added progesterone to my body. Then I experienced a similar moodiness due to a change in hormones.
What I came to understand was how strong these changes can be in women. I now realize that for some women their period can be really intense, and they really can have a genuinely hard time with certain things. Exactly like I would if I was going through that.
So one thing I understand better is how hormonal fluctuations can change your body and your mind. When I first met my partner I didn’t understand the extent to which things would get difficult for them during their cycle. Then I started taking progesterone and I experienced strong emotional swings. It “clicked” for me how bad it can get for my partner.
The other thing is that women just make more sense to me, just in conversation. It’s hard to describe but things click more than they used to. You can never fully understand another person, but the point of conversation is to communicate complex ideas and mental states to others. I find that easier now than it was. Sorry that’s subjective but it’s funny actually it seems like women are more likely to believe someone’s subjective experience without interrogating it and demanding it get resolved to some factual kernel hah.
I have a partner who is non-binary but AFAB, has had two kids, and is going through perimenopause. They have strong monthly cycles
At first I thought you were saying that all three of them - mom and kids - have strong cycles. That makes sense, since it's known that women living in close company can synchronize their cycles, but your later discussion makes that sound really weird.
After a few re-reads, I realize that it's a pronoun problem. Your use of the plural pronoun made your comments rather more difficult for me to read.
Do you see any possible downsides at the individual or societal level?