Thursday, January 8, 2009

And the Clue Meter Continues to Read Zero....

I never fail to be amazed at how incredibly clueless the gender facists can be. They spend an incredible amount of time whining about the how people should be free to be who, and what, they wish to be, while at the same time they attack those who are pushing the Harry Benjamin Syndrome model...because they seem to object to people having the right to be a part of the gender binary. In there view, it only seems to be acceptable for someone to have surgery as long as they are willing to be "out, loud, and proud" as a member of the "transgender communuity." Anyone who dares to simply wish to be normal, and live their life as who they really are is branded as a traitor to the cause.


Recently, one of the leading gender facists, Mercedes Allen, posted on "The Future of Transsexual Medical Care." Now, when I first saw this, I thought it rather funny Mr. Allen would be trying to speak about was the future of medical care for those who are transsexuals, not transgender. After all, for many years Allen was an avowed "non-op." But it seems that Allen has recently decided that he wants to be a "woman" after all. In an earlier post, "Mercedes Joins the Gender Binary," he announces that he has decided that he wants "GRS," by which he means "Gender Reassignment Surgery." Now, unless doctors have figured out how to make major reconfigurations to the human brain, I have no idea who such a surgery could be accomplshed. Of course, Mr. Allen is really just a classic transgender on whom such fine points are lost.


Now, as disturbing as it is that Allen has "suddenly" decided that he wants "surgery," that is not the primary topic of this article. But I would like to take a moment to discuss this sort of thing. Now, first off, it is entirely possible that this is just a ploy to gain some status and credibility. In the "Imaginary Transgender Hiearchy of Status" a "pre-op" trumps a "non-op." Of course, a "post-op" trumps them all, but that is beside the point. By moving from "non-op" to "pre-op" Allen can possibly hope to silence those who dismiss him as just a "wannabe." In fact, given that he remarks " It also doesn’t mean that I’m allowing ideological bullies push me into making a life-changing decision based on their indignant and bigoted puritanism," it is very possible that is all that this is. Now, I don't know of a single HBS person who would ever actually do such a thing. Almost everyone would say that this is not something to seek unless it is absolutely necessary, and in fact, my advice to Allen would be to seriously reconsider if he is seriously considering surgery. Everything I have read that he has written indicates that he is not a person who needs to choose that path. In fact, no one should ever "choose" it at all. If it is truly a choice, then no, it is the wrong path.


But that aside, I was struck by the complete cluelessness of Allen's attempt to "pontificate" on medical issues. What specifically brought this on was the assertion that, "What is needed right now is to assess what our community itself can do in order to (best case scenario) drive the change toward a better model of transsexual health, or at least to (worst case scenario) avoid a future in which transition and surgery are further restricted or made unattainable to the people who need them."

Now, first off, Allen is one of those who rejects the Harry Benjamin Model, even though it is specifically a "better model of transsexual health." The problem is that it is not a "model of transsexual health" that fits the transgender party line. And, of course, I would imagine that what Allen really means is that he would like to avoid a future in which surgery is specifically restricted to those who need it. Allen, as has been observed, does not "need" surgery, but instead has developed, for whatever reason, a desire to have the surgery...or at least to claim that he does.

Again, I strongly suspect Allen simply wishes to claim some degree of standing to speak for those seeking surgery. His previous writings show no inclination towards any real desire for normality. And that is really what separates those who are truly transsexual, or preferably HBS, from those who transgender.

A person with HBS generally wishes to simply be who they really are. They derive no pleasure from being "different" and that plays no part in their motivations to transition. In fact, much of their life has probably been spent in misery because they have been punished for something they cannot help and which they often do not completely understand.


Early on, all I knew was that there was something wrong. I knew I was not "normal," but I did not really understand exactly why. I seemed to be at odds with what the world expected of me. In my childhood innocence, I was simply myself. As I grew older, my behavior caused more and more distress for my parents. Of course, they did not deal with this well, and when I did not "outgrow" those things, they tried to correct me. I learned to hide parts of me from people.

Now, for most people who are "transgender" the opposite was largely true. They were perfectly normal in childhood. They showed no signs of having gender issues until after puberty. In fact, many of them lead successful lives in their birth sex. For me, the opposite was largely true. I had numerous indications of what lie ahead. But, I wanted to get away from it. I did not know what was wrong, but I knew I had to hide it from my parents, my teachers, and my peers. The worst thing I could be was a "sissy." I was, I wanted to deny it, but I could not escape it.

When I read someone who says that he had a successful career, or was happily in the military for an extended period, but now is a "woman," I am just amazed. I would not have lasted through basic training in the military. Not as a man, for sure. I know there are women in the armed forces, but for all of the claims of "equality," they are still treated differently. They are not expected to be men, as that would never work. But these men were often able to successfuly fit in, and had no problems serving.

Of course those like Allen who "suddenly" decide to have surgery after an extended period of denial are classic autogyenphiles. The flaw in Blanchard's theories is not that autogynephiles do not exist, this beyond quesion, but that he is excessively rigid in his criteria. A lot of younger women with HBS identify as lesbian. That does not mean they are autogynephils, and they certainly do not fit within Blanchard's stereotypes. But those like Allen do show the classic indications. They may try to deny it, but that is what they are.

No, the transgender crowd continues to be completely clueless. They want everyone to be part of one big, happy family of gender variant people. They cannot understand that there are significant differences, and that there really is no such thing as "transgender" as they try to define it. At best, it is a group that people should be free to opt into. They want it to be a group that no one can opt out of.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Allen wouldn't have a clue if you or I for that matter mailed Allen one.


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