Here is the problem with trans advocacy, as I see it.
As the science is coming out, it seems extremely clear that the way gender affirming medicine is being practiced needs changes, particularly with minors. I’ve taken an honest look and it does seem like F2Ms are being extremely overdiagnosed, particularly in youth.
As a response, there is an extremely well-funded operation on the right whose true agenda is to destroy all trans healthcare. TERFs and transphobes naturally are drawn to these operations.
But there’s also a number of truly independent people in the middle who don’t necessarily hate trans people. They are just looking at the science and have reasonable public policy concerns.
On the trans activist side, as best as I can tell, there is almost no one advocating for a middle ground. The conversation seems to swing to its own wild extreme, from get rid of all clinicians in gender transition to talking about permanent changes to the endocrine system as innocuous.
Activists consistently minimize the role of medical assessment. Where can the people trying to independently look at trans public policy go to? Trans activists harass the shit out of anyone with a position outside the extreme.
At least the TERFs and transphobes are holding events to talk about the public policy. What I worry a lot about are the detransition stories that I believe will be coming out in the next 5 to 10 years.
As someone who strongly wants access to gender affirming care, I think these stories are going to destroy the public willingness to have any gender affirming care whatsoever. It’s going to be a nightmare for actual trans people. It seems really obvious that if you are interested In long-term access to gender affirming care, trans activists need to stop doubling down on the extremes and start following the science wherever it takes us.
We need to be reaching out to people in the middle and addressing those concerns openly and honestly. We need to be willing to compromise. We need to be talking about higher standards for transition, not lower ones. But there is zero incentive to do that. I can tell you firsthand, no matter how committed you are to trans rights - any position to the right of self-ID and hrt without clinicians will get you publicly framed as a transphobe. By not allowing a middle lane, based in science, I believe trans advocates are ensuring the total destruction of gender affirming care.
