If young women are now deciding that they're the opposite gender because it's become more "socially acceptable" then where are the legions of older women now saying that they wish that they had had this choice? On the contrary, we're all thanking our lucky stars that this wasn't pushed on us in our tomboy years.
Google Ngram is a service that allows you to see trends in publishing over time. Take the above timeline and set your search parameters accordingly. Compare, over time, the rise and fall of "sex change" with "gender affirming." "Transsexual" with "transgender." And so on. The marketing campaign for pediatric transition required a purposeful shift in the conversation by our elites, particularly our media elites, over time. You can see it in the trend lines.
As I read these narratives one thing keeps coming back to me: the tyranny of the self. That is, the desire for each of us to proclaim our uniqueness to the world. The internet gives us all a platform to display our plumage even as it shows us that we are puny and insignificant. Teenagers pulling away from their parents, trying to define what is theirs and what is not, now have a megaphone to declare their independence to the entire world, a place to differentiate themselves from the crowd. At the heart of this enterprise is a great loneliness and a desolate view of human nature that sees us all as atomized individuals. The response of the adult community is understandable but not laudable. The slippery self is placed on a pedestal and communion with others is downgraded, thus blocking a reliable source of relief.
The role of social media both in the promotion of trans and social contagion also corresponds to the significant increase in depression among girls starting in 2012.
Thank you for this essay. I fundamentally agree with you, and you've touched on a number of points that need careful consideration. In particular, as it pertains to this controversy, there is a need for a thorough examination of what "identity" means from a psychological point of view, and the complex interacting factors that shape it. I appreciate the fact that you addressed some of these issues. Clearly, people do have 'gender identities' just like they have identities pertaining to other societal roles and self-perceptions.
But, as you said, this phenomenon is being exploited by ideologues without any clear understanding of what it means to have an 'identity,' or any recognition of the fact that identities change – sometimes rapidly. Again, as you've pointed out, much of the ideology is driven by fundamental misunderstandings of biological psychology and neuroscience, as evidenced in the use of terms like "girl brain," and the erroneous assumption that there are identifiable neural (anatomical) structures or genetic profiles that give rise to being "trans." Again, thank you for this clearly written, thoughtful essay. Sincerely, Frederick
ROGD is completely denied by the trans pimps and the operators of the Trans Industrial Complex. It violates the meta-notion of trans, which is "born this way". If social contagion can make a person trans, then there is choice in trans, and it's just a momentary delusion.
It's the same with detrans, which violates the meta-notion in the same way.
Trans is a delusion. It's a persistent delusion for some. It's a delusion which comes on in middle age for others. But primarily, today it is a social hysteria delusion.
Jun 30, 2023·edited Jun 30, 2023Liked by Colin Wright
One of the interviews on the podcast "Gender: A Wider Lens" with a detransitioner who is a woman gave me the impression that in some circles the allure of "T," or testosterone, is one factor behind some women's desire to transition.
In this case, the person had had a lesbian sexual orientation but had seen that more and more of the lesbians she knew were transitioning. I got the sense that she wasn't a kid. Of greater concern was that it seemed as if transitioning was an element of a subcultural scene rather than a response to gender dysphoria, but I digress.
It was clear that the interviewee saw T as a very effective mood-enhancing drug that quelled whatever sort of emotional distress might have been happening in the background.
When seeking to account for the increase in female transitioners, the appeal of testosterone should be taken into account.
Who doesn't know women who were tomboys? My wife was one. My childhood neighbor friend was one. They both outgrew it, and while the neighbor grew up to be a lesbian, that's still a minority of tomboys. The point is they outgrew it. Woe to any tomboy today -- the cult will come for you, as they will come for all of us eventually. No more women, no more gay people. We're all transhuman but just didn't realize it!
Thank you, Lisa, for a thoughtful and thorough article. I especially appreciated your final paragraph: "Contagion is accidental. This has been a concerted marketed effort from almost every liberal institution in America, coupled with a powerful censorship campaign. Together, these efforts prevent kids from getting the help they need." These are facts and I am going to present one more aspect of this whole endeavor from the liberal institutions and the censorship involved, the presence of sheer evil. Whichever direction it is coming from, and some people will argue it is right or left ad nauseam, (see proceeding conversations) it just comes down to it being this basic. Either you believe in good and evil, or you do not. Why is this happening to our children? Why are there 2 million children trapped in sex trafficking today? Why are our children being taught to hate their bodies enough to want to be mutilated in the guise of changing sexes? Why are children being sexualized? Younger and younger and younger. Sex trafficking has been around forever, but when has trafficking of children and pedophilia ever been as accepted more than right now? Hence the "drag queen story hours" in schools and public libraries being touted, pushed and defended, the pushing forward on the boundaries of children being able to decide for themselves on ingesting chemicals/hormones, having surgeries, is ever expanding. People talking more openly about "minor attraction." The acceptance of fetishes being acted out in public, with "woman-face" being in our faces. If you think this is reaching, that these things are not connected, find out about the new Underground Railroad, an organization whereby children are being rescued in Ukraine and around the world, from child sex exploitation. See the movie, "Sound of Freedom." Evil is real, and it is in our midst. I, for one, pray that good people will fight for our children, however we can. Love, Indio.
It's intentional for several reasons. I know one reason is that the stereotypes have led some wealthy people during the early 20th Century to donate money toward clinical research for transgender elective procedures. Today, wealthy trans people and wealthy pro trans people want to push for improved clinical success and more doctor training.
The second reason I also know of is that many environmentalists believe overpopulation is the single greatest threat to the environment and human long-term survival. They put their money where their mouth is by financially and politically supporting any large scale effort limit population growth, even if some of those methods are directly harmful to children in psychological and physical ways. Many scientists, when asked, have not researched the impact of drugs in the home, gender affirming care, and the peripheral policies, such as trans women (who are not physically transitioned) supervising young girls undress and use the bathroom at the YMCA, just to name one of many examples of child hostile policies.
I say that some of these policies are child hostile because self identification of gender is impossible to objectively verify. Criminals can easily, and do easily, exploit naive liberal policies that allow males in female human restrooms, locker rooms, hospital bedrooms (where normally patients of the same sex are roomed together), and domestic violence shelters.
The last reason that I agree that gender dysphoria is increasing I'm numbers and at younger ages because of marketing and not a social psychology accident, is that pedophile groups actively support any political and social campaigns that seek to sexualize youth in any way, whether via provocative clothes and make-up, creating animosity between parents and children, or promulgating gender dysphoria.
Our culture is a cesspool that needs a toxic waste clean-up, ironically, because the people who claim to have all the answers for protecting our surroundings are actively destroying us inside.
If young women are now deciding that they're the opposite gender because it's become more "socially acceptable" then where are the legions of older women now saying that they wish that they had had this choice? On the contrary, we're all thanking our lucky stars that this wasn't pushed on us in our tomboy years.
Google Ngram is a service that allows you to see trends in publishing over time. Take the above timeline and set your search parameters accordingly. Compare, over time, the rise and fall of "sex change" with "gender affirming." "Transsexual" with "transgender." And so on. The marketing campaign for pediatric transition required a purposeful shift in the conversation by our elites, particularly our media elites, over time. You can see it in the trend lines.
As I read these narratives one thing keeps coming back to me: the tyranny of the self. That is, the desire for each of us to proclaim our uniqueness to the world. The internet gives us all a platform to display our plumage even as it shows us that we are puny and insignificant. Teenagers pulling away from their parents, trying to define what is theirs and what is not, now have a megaphone to declare their independence to the entire world, a place to differentiate themselves from the crowd. At the heart of this enterprise is a great loneliness and a desolate view of human nature that sees us all as atomized individuals. The response of the adult community is understandable but not laudable. The slippery self is placed on a pedestal and communion with others is downgraded, thus blocking a reliable source of relief.
The role of social media both in the promotion of trans and social contagion also corresponds to the significant increase in depression among girls starting in 2012.
Thank you for this essay. I fundamentally agree with you, and you've touched on a number of points that need careful consideration. In particular, as it pertains to this controversy, there is a need for a thorough examination of what "identity" means from a psychological point of view, and the complex interacting factors that shape it. I appreciate the fact that you addressed some of these issues. Clearly, people do have 'gender identities' just like they have identities pertaining to other societal roles and self-perceptions.
https://everythingisbiology.substack.com/p/there-is-biological-evidence-for
But, as you said, this phenomenon is being exploited by ideologues without any clear understanding of what it means to have an 'identity,' or any recognition of the fact that identities change – sometimes rapidly. Again, as you've pointed out, much of the ideology is driven by fundamental misunderstandings of biological psychology and neuroscience, as evidenced in the use of terms like "girl brain," and the erroneous assumption that there are identifiable neural (anatomical) structures or genetic profiles that give rise to being "trans." Again, thank you for this clearly written, thoughtful essay. Sincerely, Frederick
ROGD is completely denied by the trans pimps and the operators of the Trans Industrial Complex. It violates the meta-notion of trans, which is "born this way". If social contagion can make a person trans, then there is choice in trans, and it's just a momentary delusion.
It's the same with detrans, which violates the meta-notion in the same way.
Trans is a delusion. It's a persistent delusion for some. It's a delusion which comes on in middle age for others. But primarily, today it is a social hysteria delusion.
One of the interviews on the podcast "Gender: A Wider Lens" with a detransitioner who is a woman gave me the impression that in some circles the allure of "T," or testosterone, is one factor behind some women's desire to transition.
In this case, the person had had a lesbian sexual orientation but had seen that more and more of the lesbians she knew were transitioning. I got the sense that she wasn't a kid. Of greater concern was that it seemed as if transitioning was an element of a subcultural scene rather than a response to gender dysphoria, but I digress.
It was clear that the interviewee saw T as a very effective mood-enhancing drug that quelled whatever sort of emotional distress might have been happening in the background.
When seeking to account for the increase in female transitioners, the appeal of testosterone should be taken into account.
Alas, I do not remember the episode number.
"[T]here isn’t even a positive term for girlish boys." Gay man and former sissy here. Allow me to suggest one: "Campy."
Who doesn't know women who were tomboys? My wife was one. My childhood neighbor friend was one. They both outgrew it, and while the neighbor grew up to be a lesbian, that's still a minority of tomboys. The point is they outgrew it. Woe to any tomboy today -- the cult will come for you, as they will come for all of us eventually. No more women, no more gay people. We're all transhuman but just didn't realize it!
Thank you, Lisa, for a thoughtful and thorough article. I especially appreciated your final paragraph: "Contagion is accidental. This has been a concerted marketed effort from almost every liberal institution in America, coupled with a powerful censorship campaign. Together, these efforts prevent kids from getting the help they need." These are facts and I am going to present one more aspect of this whole endeavor from the liberal institutions and the censorship involved, the presence of sheer evil. Whichever direction it is coming from, and some people will argue it is right or left ad nauseam, (see proceeding conversations) it just comes down to it being this basic. Either you believe in good and evil, or you do not. Why is this happening to our children? Why are there 2 million children trapped in sex trafficking today? Why are our children being taught to hate their bodies enough to want to be mutilated in the guise of changing sexes? Why are children being sexualized? Younger and younger and younger. Sex trafficking has been around forever, but when has trafficking of children and pedophilia ever been as accepted more than right now? Hence the "drag queen story hours" in schools and public libraries being touted, pushed and defended, the pushing forward on the boundaries of children being able to decide for themselves on ingesting chemicals/hormones, having surgeries, is ever expanding. People talking more openly about "minor attraction." The acceptance of fetishes being acted out in public, with "woman-face" being in our faces. If you think this is reaching, that these things are not connected, find out about the new Underground Railroad, an organization whereby children are being rescued in Ukraine and around the world, from child sex exploitation. See the movie, "Sound of Freedom." Evil is real, and it is in our midst. I, for one, pray that good people will fight for our children, however we can. Love, Indio.
It's intentional for several reasons. I know one reason is that the stereotypes have led some wealthy people during the early 20th Century to donate money toward clinical research for transgender elective procedures. Today, wealthy trans people and wealthy pro trans people want to push for improved clinical success and more doctor training.
The second reason I also know of is that many environmentalists believe overpopulation is the single greatest threat to the environment and human long-term survival. They put their money where their mouth is by financially and politically supporting any large scale effort limit population growth, even if some of those methods are directly harmful to children in psychological and physical ways. Many scientists, when asked, have not researched the impact of drugs in the home, gender affirming care, and the peripheral policies, such as trans women (who are not physically transitioned) supervising young girls undress and use the bathroom at the YMCA, just to name one of many examples of child hostile policies.
I say that some of these policies are child hostile because self identification of gender is impossible to objectively verify. Criminals can easily, and do easily, exploit naive liberal policies that allow males in female human restrooms, locker rooms, hospital bedrooms (where normally patients of the same sex are roomed together), and domestic violence shelters.
The last reason that I agree that gender dysphoria is increasing I'm numbers and at younger ages because of marketing and not a social psychology accident, is that pedophile groups actively support any political and social campaigns that seek to sexualize youth in any way, whether via provocative clothes and make-up, creating animosity between parents and children, or promulgating gender dysphoria.
Our culture is a cesspool that needs a toxic waste clean-up, ironically, because the people who claim to have all the answers for protecting our surroundings are actively destroying us inside.