Having been an adolescent female once, all of this seems so obvious it shouldn't need to be said. But apparently it does need to be said. So kudos to those who are saying it.
The term 'iatrogenic harm' is one of those terms I'd never have thought I'd have needed to know, along with the sex life of clownfish. What a terrible mess we have landed ourselves in. The people who I'd have imagined to be the kindest and most moral - doctors, therapists and other caring medical professionals - are the ones who seem to have lost the plot more than most.
I suffered a late adolescent schizophrenic episode. Which I recovered from and have never experienced again. I believe it was partly caused by my lack of belief that I could cut it as an adult. But I eventually did. Becoming a wife and mother. I'm so glad no one tried to put a weird trans template on me and convince me this was the way forward. This ideology is so worrying because it is sold to young women when they are at their most vulnerable.
The article's arguments are based on false comparisons, misrepresentations of evidence, mischaracterization of gender dysphoria as a "body dysmorphic disorder" (a different thing altogether), and a lack of expertise in the relevant fields and disregard for professional consensus. It stigmatizes and oversimplifies trans people's experiences.
It is important to rely on scientific evidence, expert consensus, and compassion when discussing sensitive topics like gender identity and mental health. This article is essentially spreading misinformation and perpetuating stigma, which can have severe consequences.
If you cut through all the rhetoric and broad generalizations and actually read the peer-reviewed paper, you would find that although it provides a more rigorous examination of the potential overlap of gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa compared to the SEGM article, it still has limitations that should be considered when interpreting its findings. The exploratory nature of the study limits the applicability of the results.
EDIT: I corrected my error here^ - Thank you Robbie for pointing out my mistake!
It is crucial to view this paper as a starting point for further research rather than a definitive statement on the relationship between gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa. More extensive, well-controlled studies are needed to better understand the potential links between these conditions and to inform evidence-based clinical practices.
As always, it is essential to approach these complex topics with nuance, empathy, and a commitment to prioritizing the well-being and rights of all. While exploring potential overlaps or shared factors between conditions can be valuable, it should not overshadow the importance of providing affirming, evidence-based care to support the health and happiness of all youth, transgender or not.
As a wise Colonel said, "Denying gender-affirming care only serves those who would vilify it out of self-serving interest, fear, or ignorance."
I hated puberty- the rapid weight gain,the hormonal changes,the onset of menstruation, the awkward self consciousness and the general dislike of my physical appearance.
My parents did take me to a dietician, but the weight gain continued until my early 20s, and my mother’s family had a history of degrees of female corpulence
Added to this, my father molested me; a shattering event which I kept to myself,driven by feelings of shame, for 30 years.
However, this was many years ago and I never did want to change sex; I just wanted to be tall and slim.
This all makes so much sense, you have to wonder why people in the trans community and the gender affirming community don’t want to acknowledge this. I keep trying to figure out what the end game is here, every sane person in the industry with a modicum of intelligence and life experience must know that what they are doing is wrong. Is it just for the money and they don’t really care about the outcomes of the individuals they see or is it something deeper and more sinister being driven by the elites to achieve a society where everyone is unsure of who they really are and internal conflicts are never resolved, therefore they are easily led and controlled by outside influences.
I do not know if that is SEGM or Colin Wright who wrote the by-line blurb "The current trans-affirmative approach to gender dysphoria in youth is at odds with everything we know about female adolescent development." but that is a gross mischaracterization of the content of the article, which is, in and of itself, a mischaracterization of the content of the paper referenced, which as others have already noted, is not anything more than "Here's an interesting idea, and based on what I read, makes for an interesting question or two that should be studied more". This blurb and article is overly sensationalizing a giant slice of of nothing pie.
Also, consider the source of the article: SEGM - A known group that, upon a closer look, seems more interested in pushing an agenda and appealing to a certain political groups than engaging with the complexities of gender-affirming care. SEGM often cherry-picks studies and presents them in a way that undermines the current standards of care for transgender individuals. Just like this article and the paper it referenced. They raise concerns about potential risks and uncertainties, but often fail to give equal weight to the well-established benefits of gender-affirming interventions, ignoring any study to the contrary of whatever concern they are raising. They are not above misrepresenting what the data and findings mean and overstating risks and minimizing the benefits of transgender care.
SEGM's approach is more alarmist than anything. They prioritize sowing doubt and confusion rather than contributing to a nuanced understanding of best practices in transgender healthcare. This is no wonder, since none of the medical professionals that make up SEGM have extensive experience in providing or studying transgender people and health care. At least none that I could find.
SEGM's narrow focus on potential risks and uncertainties, often to the exclusion of the bigger picture of transgender well-being, demonstrates a lack of balance and context in their approach. Their messaging seems more aligned with the goals of political parties, transgender skeptics and opponents than with the needs and experiences of the transgender community itself. This makes sense, as when you look at the people who make up SEGM, it is no wonder they have prioritized agenda and politics over science, data, and facts.
Sigh...While I do get this is good stuff, when reading about adolescence and development from professionals these days, one gets the impression that it's all so difficult and horrible and a mess. Uh, 'No' maybe?
I have 5 sisters and a daughter, and I'm a human being on the earth. Teen girls seem to get massive attention and support and protection these days. They also seem to be overly therapeutic about their own psychology. The merest hint of anxiety or sadness will result in a school intervention if the parent doesn't jump on it first. Despite all the evidence we have that psychology is not terribly effective, it's the FIRST reaction. Kids aren't encouraged to be resilient and tough. Adults seem to have forgotten that they need to challenge kids at this age, that they need to take risks and fail and have arguments and screw up friendships as teen agers. We are learning to be social and how to interact with the opposite sex and many other aspects. None of this is going to be nice or feel good all the time. So what?
I think we have given girls in particular the idea that adolescence is sooo hard, so we shouldn't be surprised when the act as if it is. Sure, for some SMALL pct of girls with actual disorders that are severe, therapeutic interventions make sense. But the entire subject seems to be treated and discussed therapeutically now. Kids have been growing up and going through adolescence mostly harmlessly since the dawn of humanity. It hasn't changed that much - but our politics have.
The real issue for girls that's never discussed is the massive power that girls inherit as they sexually mature. The attention from boys, while we only hear how awful it is, is actually quite an asset for women. They start to realize that 'men choose and women compete for that choice' (the base reality of human mating, if you don't know this, don't argue, just go read a scientific text on human mate selection). For young girls this is real power and can be quite heady. They are also cheerleaded from the moment they arrive at school as girls and are told constantly they can do anything and be anything (boys are not taught this) and how awesome they are for just being girls.
As a result, teen girls compete for this power and hierarchy in the 'sexual marketplace', and tear each other to shreds, mostly via reputation damaging and social ostracism etc. None of this is ever explained to most adults, forget kids, so we talk about all of this in truly bizarre ways.
Girls have it much better than boys these days in our society. I have run out of sympathy for the girls, sorry...I know this is OT, but there it is.
Having been an adolescent female once, all of this seems so obvious it shouldn't need to be said. But apparently it does need to be said. So kudos to those who are saying it.
The term 'iatrogenic harm' is one of those terms I'd never have thought I'd have needed to know, along with the sex life of clownfish. What a terrible mess we have landed ourselves in. The people who I'd have imagined to be the kindest and most moral - doctors, therapists and other caring medical professionals - are the ones who seem to have lost the plot more than most.
I suffered a late adolescent schizophrenic episode. Which I recovered from and have never experienced again. I believe it was partly caused by my lack of belief that I could cut it as an adult. But I eventually did. Becoming a wife and mother. I'm so glad no one tried to put a weird trans template on me and convince me this was the way forward. This ideology is so worrying because it is sold to young women when they are at their most vulnerable.
The article's arguments are based on false comparisons, misrepresentations of evidence, mischaracterization of gender dysphoria as a "body dysmorphic disorder" (a different thing altogether), and a lack of expertise in the relevant fields and disregard for professional consensus. It stigmatizes and oversimplifies trans people's experiences.
It is important to rely on scientific evidence, expert consensus, and compassion when discussing sensitive topics like gender identity and mental health. This article is essentially spreading misinformation and perpetuating stigma, which can have severe consequences.
If you cut through all the rhetoric and broad generalizations and actually read the peer-reviewed paper, you would find that although it provides a more rigorous examination of the potential overlap of gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa compared to the SEGM article, it still has limitations that should be considered when interpreting its findings. The exploratory nature of the study limits the applicability of the results.
EDIT: I corrected my error here^ - Thank you Robbie for pointing out my mistake!
It is crucial to view this paper as a starting point for further research rather than a definitive statement on the relationship between gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa. More extensive, well-controlled studies are needed to better understand the potential links between these conditions and to inform evidence-based clinical practices.
As always, it is essential to approach these complex topics with nuance, empathy, and a commitment to prioritizing the well-being and rights of all. While exploring potential overlaps or shared factors between conditions can be valuable, it should not overshadow the importance of providing affirming, evidence-based care to support the health and happiness of all youth, transgender or not.
As a wise Colonel said, "Denying gender-affirming care only serves those who would vilify it out of self-serving interest, fear, or ignorance."
It's nice that men over the last year or two are tuning in to gender ideology and consequent issues.
I hated puberty- the rapid weight gain,the hormonal changes,the onset of menstruation, the awkward self consciousness and the general dislike of my physical appearance.
My parents did take me to a dietician, but the weight gain continued until my early 20s, and my mother’s family had a history of degrees of female corpulence
Added to this, my father molested me; a shattering event which I kept to myself,driven by feelings of shame, for 30 years.
However, this was many years ago and I never did want to change sex; I just wanted to be tall and slim.
This all makes so much sense, you have to wonder why people in the trans community and the gender affirming community don’t want to acknowledge this. I keep trying to figure out what the end game is here, every sane person in the industry with a modicum of intelligence and life experience must know that what they are doing is wrong. Is it just for the money and they don’t really care about the outcomes of the individuals they see or is it something deeper and more sinister being driven by the elites to achieve a society where everyone is unsure of who they really are and internal conflicts are never resolved, therefore they are easily led and controlled by outside influences.
I do not know if that is SEGM or Colin Wright who wrote the by-line blurb "The current trans-affirmative approach to gender dysphoria in youth is at odds with everything we know about female adolescent development." but that is a gross mischaracterization of the content of the article, which is, in and of itself, a mischaracterization of the content of the paper referenced, which as others have already noted, is not anything more than "Here's an interesting idea, and based on what I read, makes for an interesting question or two that should be studied more". This blurb and article is overly sensationalizing a giant slice of of nothing pie.
Also, consider the source of the article: SEGM - A known group that, upon a closer look, seems more interested in pushing an agenda and appealing to a certain political groups than engaging with the complexities of gender-affirming care. SEGM often cherry-picks studies and presents them in a way that undermines the current standards of care for transgender individuals. Just like this article and the paper it referenced. They raise concerns about potential risks and uncertainties, but often fail to give equal weight to the well-established benefits of gender-affirming interventions, ignoring any study to the contrary of whatever concern they are raising. They are not above misrepresenting what the data and findings mean and overstating risks and minimizing the benefits of transgender care.
SEGM's approach is more alarmist than anything. They prioritize sowing doubt and confusion rather than contributing to a nuanced understanding of best practices in transgender healthcare. This is no wonder, since none of the medical professionals that make up SEGM have extensive experience in providing or studying transgender people and health care. At least none that I could find.
SEGM's narrow focus on potential risks and uncertainties, often to the exclusion of the bigger picture of transgender well-being, demonstrates a lack of balance and context in their approach. Their messaging seems more aligned with the goals of political parties, transgender skeptics and opponents than with the needs and experiences of the transgender community itself. This makes sense, as when you look at the people who make up SEGM, it is no wonder they have prioritized agenda and politics over science, data, and facts.
Sigh...While I do get this is good stuff, when reading about adolescence and development from professionals these days, one gets the impression that it's all so difficult and horrible and a mess. Uh, 'No' maybe?
I have 5 sisters and a daughter, and I'm a human being on the earth. Teen girls seem to get massive attention and support and protection these days. They also seem to be overly therapeutic about their own psychology. The merest hint of anxiety or sadness will result in a school intervention if the parent doesn't jump on it first. Despite all the evidence we have that psychology is not terribly effective, it's the FIRST reaction. Kids aren't encouraged to be resilient and tough. Adults seem to have forgotten that they need to challenge kids at this age, that they need to take risks and fail and have arguments and screw up friendships as teen agers. We are learning to be social and how to interact with the opposite sex and many other aspects. None of this is going to be nice or feel good all the time. So what?
I think we have given girls in particular the idea that adolescence is sooo hard, so we shouldn't be surprised when the act as if it is. Sure, for some SMALL pct of girls with actual disorders that are severe, therapeutic interventions make sense. But the entire subject seems to be treated and discussed therapeutically now. Kids have been growing up and going through adolescence mostly harmlessly since the dawn of humanity. It hasn't changed that much - but our politics have.
The real issue for girls that's never discussed is the massive power that girls inherit as they sexually mature. The attention from boys, while we only hear how awful it is, is actually quite an asset for women. They start to realize that 'men choose and women compete for that choice' (the base reality of human mating, if you don't know this, don't argue, just go read a scientific text on human mate selection). For young girls this is real power and can be quite heady. They are also cheerleaded from the moment they arrive at school as girls and are told constantly they can do anything and be anything (boys are not taught this) and how awesome they are for just being girls.
As a result, teen girls compete for this power and hierarchy in the 'sexual marketplace', and tear each other to shreds, mostly via reputation damaging and social ostracism etc. None of this is ever explained to most adults, forget kids, so we talk about all of this in truly bizarre ways.
Girls have it much better than boys these days in our society. I have run out of sympathy for the girls, sorry...I know this is OT, but there it is.