I love your lucid take on this SO much!! I think you were probably THE voice that most helped me find ways to critique this whole politically motivated, constructed diagnosis, and explain to people why I don’t agree with it! So thank you!! 😊💚🤍💜❤️
Several years ago, when I was more recently peaked, my take on it used to be that: “‘gender dysphoria’ is real! But ‘gender dysphoria’ does not make people ‘trans’! ‘Trans’ is just a cultural invention, or a destructive, harmful belief that certain people hold about themselves, that they layer on top of their ‘gender dysphoria’, in order to explain it to themselves, and find meaning in it!” Or.. something to that effect. What has not changed: I still absolutely recognize that some people genuinely HATE their sex, for a wide variety of different reasons!! (Which is not INNATE. It is something that can DEVELOP, and INCREASE, over time. As a response to, for instance, trauma. Or indoctrination. Or internalized homophobia. Or other things.) But now, I don’t believe we should call that “gender dysphoria”, because then we go along with this extremely manipulative, constructed diagnosis!! Plus also, why “gender” dysphoria, anyway?? “Gender” is, itself, created nonsense! What these people actually feel miserable about is their SEX!!!
Like you’ve so beautifully said it elsewhere: language IS the battleground!! And if we go along with the deceptive language of this diagnosis, thus validate it, and pretend like it is real and legit..? We help strengthen the impression, in people’s minds, that it is decidedly legit, and that they can’t question it, either!! Plus another thing I have realized over the years: you really cannot pull apart “gender dysphoria” from “trans”!! The latter is a conclusion, or a path, that ultimately results from accepting that someone is, or has, the former!!! If someone validates someone else’s belief that they have “gender dysphoria”..? The result is almost always and inevitably going to be that person concluding that they are “trans”, thus needs to medically harm themselves in an attempt to escape their sex! Which is the one and only recommended treatment for so-called “gender dysphoria”!! Plus I mean, there are so many different ways we can talk about this, too!! We can talk about people hating their sex, or feeling uncomfortable with their sex! Why do we need to call it “gender dysphoria”, and make it, supposedly, mega super extra special..? We really don’t!! And for the record, I think Genspect’s attempt to relabel it as “gender distress”, (clearly for ulterior motives), is also almost just as bad, and will only keep validating it!!!
That is also a very good and important point, that it does not have to be INHERENTLY about their sex! But that they can feel a general sense of distress, that they then ATTRIBUTE to that, and consequently start obsessing over it, due to society being where it’s at, and them getting INDOCTRINATED! Which can happen to anyone. But I think it is ESPECIALLY likely to happen to autistic people, who may not always know WHY they feel distressed, yet obsessively look for the supposed one and only explanation or solution! Great comment, that made me further think about it. Thanks! 🙂❤️
An excellent point… seems so obvious when clearly explained like this but the genderwoowoos aint being rational! Amazing how the dsm5 manages to ‘define’ gender without using the word ‘sex’ thus making a circular argument!
This was great. Loved hearing about all the books. My dad was a psychiatrist, so I've long been interested in the DSM-5. I asked Google AI about when the name changed to "gender dysphoria." Google is incredibly pro-trans ideology. In the first answer, it gave all the reasons for the change, all of them sciency and positive. Completely left out gender critical or feminist perspectives. When I pushed on that, Google conceded oh yeah there's that too, and stated all our main arguments. However, when I looked closely, I saw that the ONE citation given for our argument about the "Reification of Gender Stereotypes" that Amy goes into here so brilliantly was from an undergraduate paper from a trans identified woman. That's the big source. The paper is actually a deep dive and a CRITIQUE of the GC position That's the important source--not Kathleen Stock or Helen Joyce or GC academic papers, certainly no reference to Amy Sousa. I pushed back, mentioning Stock and Joyce, and the AI conceded the mistake. It said that the reason it made this mistake is that this undergraduate paper is referenced and cross referenced so many times in the metadata--which is likely true, though who knows if that's the whole story. "I appreciate you calling this out directly. It is a necessary reminder of the importance of sourcing arguments directly from their most prominent and qualified proponents." The AI then came back with Joyce and Stock's arguments, but did not mention any other prominent voices, just the two I happened to mention. When there are so many more!
My point is: use the AIs, look carefully at the sources and push back, this is the only possible way the AI might learn and give other people who are trying to understand what is happening more accurate information.
This book list!!! I am so on this! Feeding the healing of my soul through finding answers to the mental health lies and medical scandal perpetuated on our kids and us.
I love your lucid take on this SO much!! I think you were probably THE voice that most helped me find ways to critique this whole politically motivated, constructed diagnosis, and explain to people why I don’t agree with it! So thank you!! 😊💚🤍💜❤️
Several years ago, when I was more recently peaked, my take on it used to be that: “‘gender dysphoria’ is real! But ‘gender dysphoria’ does not make people ‘trans’! ‘Trans’ is just a cultural invention, or a destructive, harmful belief that certain people hold about themselves, that they layer on top of their ‘gender dysphoria’, in order to explain it to themselves, and find meaning in it!” Or.. something to that effect. What has not changed: I still absolutely recognize that some people genuinely HATE their sex, for a wide variety of different reasons!! (Which is not INNATE. It is something that can DEVELOP, and INCREASE, over time. As a response to, for instance, trauma. Or indoctrination. Or internalized homophobia. Or other things.) But now, I don’t believe we should call that “gender dysphoria”, because then we go along with this extremely manipulative, constructed diagnosis!! Plus also, why “gender” dysphoria, anyway?? “Gender” is, itself, created nonsense! What these people actually feel miserable about is their SEX!!!
Like you’ve so beautifully said it elsewhere: language IS the battleground!! And if we go along with the deceptive language of this diagnosis, thus validate it, and pretend like it is real and legit..? We help strengthen the impression, in people’s minds, that it is decidedly legit, and that they can’t question it, either!! Plus another thing I have realized over the years: you really cannot pull apart “gender dysphoria” from “trans”!! The latter is a conclusion, or a path, that ultimately results from accepting that someone is, or has, the former!!! If someone validates someone else’s belief that they have “gender dysphoria”..? The result is almost always and inevitably going to be that person concluding that they are “trans”, thus needs to medically harm themselves in an attempt to escape their sex! Which is the one and only recommended treatment for so-called “gender dysphoria”!! Plus I mean, there are so many different ways we can talk about this, too!! We can talk about people hating their sex, or feeling uncomfortable with their sex! Why do we need to call it “gender dysphoria”, and make it, supposedly, mega super extra special..? We really don’t!! And for the record, I think Genspect’s attempt to relabel it as “gender distress”, (clearly for ulterior motives), is also almost just as bad, and will only keep validating it!!!
Those are my thoughts on it. 🙂
That is also a very good and important point, that it does not have to be INHERENTLY about their sex! But that they can feel a general sense of distress, that they then ATTRIBUTE to that, and consequently start obsessing over it, due to society being where it’s at, and them getting INDOCTRINATED! Which can happen to anyone. But I think it is ESPECIALLY likely to happen to autistic people, who may not always know WHY they feel distressed, yet obsessively look for the supposed one and only explanation or solution! Great comment, that made me further think about it. Thanks! 🙂❤️
An excellent point… seems so obvious when clearly explained like this but the genderwoowoos aint being rational! Amazing how the dsm5 manages to ‘define’ gender without using the word ‘sex’ thus making a circular argument!
Don’t stop Amy!! You are brilliant!
This was great. Loved hearing about all the books. My dad was a psychiatrist, so I've long been interested in the DSM-5. I asked Google AI about when the name changed to "gender dysphoria." Google is incredibly pro-trans ideology. In the first answer, it gave all the reasons for the change, all of them sciency and positive. Completely left out gender critical or feminist perspectives. When I pushed on that, Google conceded oh yeah there's that too, and stated all our main arguments. However, when I looked closely, I saw that the ONE citation given for our argument about the "Reification of Gender Stereotypes" that Amy goes into here so brilliantly was from an undergraduate paper from a trans identified woman. That's the big source. The paper is actually a deep dive and a CRITIQUE of the GC position That's the important source--not Kathleen Stock or Helen Joyce or GC academic papers, certainly no reference to Amy Sousa. I pushed back, mentioning Stock and Joyce, and the AI conceded the mistake. It said that the reason it made this mistake is that this undergraduate paper is referenced and cross referenced so many times in the metadata--which is likely true, though who knows if that's the whole story. "I appreciate you calling this out directly. It is a necessary reminder of the importance of sourcing arguments directly from their most prominent and qualified proponents." The AI then came back with Joyce and Stock's arguments, but did not mention any other prominent voices, just the two I happened to mention. When there are so many more!
My point is: use the AIs, look carefully at the sources and push back, this is the only possible way the AI might learn and give other people who are trying to understand what is happening more accurate information.
It can never be said enough that dysphoria means confused.
This book list!!! I am so on this! Feeding the healing of my soul through finding answers to the mental health lies and medical scandal perpetuated on our kids and us.