2:46pm July 3, 2014

Shout out to all the trans kids and teens…

youneedacat:

…who are coming onto tumblr and finding all these fights about whether you count as trans if you don’t have intense body dysphoria as your main trans trait.

…who are afraid to say that their body dysphoria isn’t actually that bad.

…some of whom are afraid to say they barely have body dysphoria at all (if any).

…but who are all trans, or genderless, or some combination.

…some of whom are now exaggerating their body dysphoria.

…some of whom are now being driven closer to severe depression or suicide by ruminating on their body dysphoria, when they might be far less likely to do so if body dysphoria weren’t what everyone was focusing on as The Entrance Requirement To The Trans Community.

…some of whom are being driven to fake body dysphoria, or fake more of it than they have, and then feel horribly guilty and wonder if they’re just pretending to be trans.

And I’m leaving this about kids and teens because, if I were a kid or teen coming into this community, I would be far more self-conscious and horrified and determined to do being trans the ‘right’ way, than I am now. And I don’t think people think of the impact on trans kids, of their bickering and name-calling and infighting over who gets to be trans or not. And it’s the kids that lose out the most, they lose out on having a community at a time when they need one.

Shout out also to teens and kids who are confused as hell about their bodies and genders and identities in general and aren’t sure if they are trans but are trying it to see if maybe, hopefully, that might be the answer.

Shout out to people who realize that they aren’t trans, but who weren’t faking or appropriating when they thought they were or suspected that they might be.

Shout out to people who have body dysphoria but aren’t trans or don’t see transition as a solution.

Yeah people are replying now trying to make it okay for all this to be going on, or trying to make it sound like only (various factions I don’t understand or give a fuck about) matter.

Look, when I go on the tag for my gender identity (or lack thereof), and half the time find that tag filled with “if you’re not body-dysphoric then get out of here”, then something is fucking going on and you can’t claim that it isn’t.

I do experience body dysphoria, but I shouldn’t have to in order to be genderless. Not all genderless people experience body dysphoria. Kids wondering about their genderlessness should not have to put up with this ego-driven bullshit put out there by people more interested in policing the boundaries of their communities than allowing kids a place to discover themselves.

Period.

The rest is bullshit and waffle.

Notes: