Can we get a formal definition from the moderators of what actually constitutes a transphobic comment if this is going to keep coming up here and we’re being warned that it will be moderated aggressively?
Normally I would assume it would just be an explicitly derogatory comment or a negative stereotype like anything else, but this term in particular seems to carry an astonishingly broad meaning to some folks, e.g.
Dee Snider of all people being called “transphobic” recently:
Dee Snider insisted he was still an LGBT ally after being dropped from San Francisco's Pride event for supporting Paul Stanley's transphobic tweet.
www.rollingstone.com
I mean, if children aren’t able to legally consent to contracts because they aren’t considered legally competent to make binding decisions, then it seems bizarre to characterize it as bigoted to apply the very same standard to a child’s decision to make irreversible, life-altering modifications to their body. But for all I know the comment I just made might be considered bigoted by someone’s standard and get me insta-banned, so some clarity on the subject would be helpful.
Your comment isn't inherently bigoted, but it is definitely misinformed, which is understandable given how complicated these topics are. Let's clear some stuff up.
Gender identity in humans forms around the ages of 2 to 5 and is something we feel very strongly about from the very beginning. Go to a little boy and call him a girl; see how he reacts. Queer kids exist and they often realize quite early that they are queer. It's also not a "trend" or a "fad" because we can look at the studies on transitioning and see that the vast majority of people who transition are happier afterwards. Furthermore, of the people who have expressed regret, the majority has said that they regretted because of the constant harassment and bigotry they received from friends, family, and strangers; not because of the transitioning itself.
Next, about the general process. It's not easy to transition. You don't just have a spur of the moment and change your whole life. It's a multi-year process that is guided by experts every step along the way. Now, every journey is unique, and there isn't one "correct" way to transition, but the following is in broad strokes what is recommended by experts (by the way, the medical consensus is pro-transitioning):
First step (since we're talking about minors) is social transitioning. That's stuff like letting them choose the hairstyle, clothes, pronouns and name that they prefer to use. All of this is immediately reversible since no long term changes are being done. If the youth realizes that they don't want to transition they can stop at any moment.
Next step are puberty blockers, which were developed for cis kids and have been used for them for literal decades. The studies that we have indicate that the benefits from puberty blockers far outweigh any potential negatives. Going through the "wrong" puberty is devastating and irreversible, while puberty blockers are mostly reversible. There's a reason why the suicide rate increases in trans youth who didn't have access to puberty blockers.
After that, when the person reaches adulthood, they can start Hormone Replacement Therapy and if they want they can also get surgeries. At this point the person has been transitioning for years and it is incredibly unlikely that they'd be unsure and regret their decision down the line. Don't forget that by now that person will have had countless evaluations and discussions with healthcare experts, so it's not as if a 5 year old says "I'm a girl!" and immediately gets his "dick cut off" or whatever crude generalization many transphobes are trying to hurl.
Before we finish up, let's remember that gender affirming care is something that isn't exclusive to trans people. Getting a hair transplant is gender affirming care (Dave had some work done, right?); getting any kind of cosmetic surgery is as well. In fact, it's much easier and much more common for cis youth to get gender affirming surgeries (at least in the west).
Depriving trans youth of the possibility of transitioning is downright cruel and anti-scientific. It is immoral and ignorant. It is okay to not understand the topic and to want to learn more, but to deny necessary healthcare that saves lives is monstrous.
I'm currently on vacation and have to write stuff from my phone, so I can't be as thorough with sources, but if anyone wants to learn more about stuff like that feel free to ask. We could set up a thread for good faith debate and to clear up misconceptions. I'm not a medical professional, so I'm not an authority on the subject, but it is a topic that is quite important to me and I've spent a lot of time dealing with this.
