On Sunday, CBS News’ 60 Minutes aired an important news segment on the phenomenon of detransitioning — when a person who identified as transgender and undertook various interventions to confirm a cross-sex identity later rejects a transgender identity and embraces his or her biological sex. Many transgender activists have objected to news outlets covering these important stories....Garrett told 60 Minutes that he went from taking hormones to getting his testicles removed in just three months, far short of the WPATH guidelines, which suggest a year’s worth of continuous use before such drastic “bottom surgery.” He later got a breast augmentation.“But, instead of feeling more himself, he says he felt worse,” 60 Minutes reported.“So, more depressed after you transitioned than before?” Stahl asked.“I had never really been suicidal before until I had my breast augmentation,” Garrett replied. “And about a week afterwards I wanted to, like, actually kill myself. Like, I had a plan and I was gonna do it but I just kept thinking about, like, my family, to stop myself.”“It kind of felt like, how am I ever going to feel normal again, like other guys now?” he remarked.
An aside: surprising that it wasn't after his castration that he had this experience, but after the cosmetic surgery to add fake breasts. I would have thought that the castration would be the traumatic event after which you could 'never feel normal' -- at least, not like a normal guy. The change in hormone balances already being effected by drugs would have become greater with the removal of one's natural source of testosterone. Yet apparently it was the visual difference of appearing to have breasts that was the real psychological shock.
Good to see some breakthrough discussion of this, though. These really are permanent, life-altering changes. No one should go through with this without a complete understanding of what it is going to entail, including the understanding that some people who do go through with it really regret it afterwards. Instead, it sounds like even the limited protections in the guidelines are being ignored by everyone involved.
3 comments:
It will be buried. The narcissists have the upper hand and know how to punish those who disagree.
There will eventually have to be therapists who specialise in dealing with these tormented souls. Whenever this issue comes up politically, remember these young people, who are being used by others and left unable to resolve their confusion.
I seldom have violent fantasies, but preventing trans advocates from communicating in any way is something that occurs to me, because I have seen some of these sweet and lost children.
I, too, am glad this issue is getting a mainstream airing. It's interesting that one of the young women the article talks about reports that her mastectomy was traumatic. Perhaps it's the obvious-even-when-dressed visual evidence that brings home the extent of the changes?
I think Daisy's story about feeling elated at each milestone but feeling still "incomplete" once everything had been done points out the importance of "living as" for an extended period before doing anything irreversible. It's very seductive to think something drastic will fix all ones problem but whatever changes we make on the outside, we're still the same people inside. The younger someone is, the less he or she understands that.
If an adult wants to go down this road - and in this arena I define adult as at least 25 - that's his or her choice. But leave the kids alone.
A transperson who is a good friend of an associate said that transitioning made it easier to live with the one mental health problem that therapy and medication could not deal with (severe gender dysphoria). In that person's case, it makes excellent sense and has proven very beneficial. But that was/is an adult who has had a lot of psychiatric and other medical assistance prior to transitioning, and who knew what was involved. Not a 5, 6, 10, 15 year old child.
LittleRed1
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