#medical misogyny and misinformation is so fucking rampant

[mischiefmanifold]

challenge: find more than five FND content creators that do not endorse "functional tics"

[confirmedfruit]

CW: Transmedicalism, dysphoria, TERFs mentioned. Cis people can interact I guess but this is very a intra-community concern

There are a lot of issues with how we as a community tals about dysphoria that I wanted to vocalize. From what I've observed there's a great deal of internalized transphobia in how we speak about our experiences, because there is a great pressure to make what we're experiencing as palatable to cis people as possible. Trying to pass off the most painful form of dysphoria as the Only Legitimate form is genuinely harmful. This is relevant to the great transgender vs. transtrender debate, and I'd go so far as to say every so-called "nondysphoric" trans person actually is dysphoric, but their dysphoria doesn't align with the view of "true" dysphoria being a life-threatening hatred of one's body. There's a huge issue with transmeds shooting down any nuanced discussions because in their eyes if there's a sliver of uncertainty about your trans identity that is for sure proof you're faking. This ideology has stifled any chances that people like me who long considered themself nondysphoric would be able to relate to posts talking about dysphoria, because it is simply not as straightforward as other people's. I know people say all the time "everyone experiences dysphoria different uwuwu" but it's painfully obvious most people don't practice that belief, and give in to the notion if you're not in constant agony you're faking it.

I think a lot of these issues will be mitigated if we're more open about the differences in how straight trans people and gay trans people experience dysphoria, as sexuality really does play a huge role in how you express and relate to your gender. People have pointed out more and more how most attacks on "transtrenders" are really directed at gay (and often fat) trans men who aren't performing a stereotype of masculinity. I understand why it's easy to just push these experiences aside because it's not as cut and dried what transmeds hold up as True dysphoria, but the fact that I've seen little to no one talk about variations in how dysphoria manifests has been largely invalidating. The fact I didn't fit into the "correct" trans narrative made me think I eventually had to be a cis woman, which made me dysphoric to the point of suicidal ideation. One would go so far to say this ideation proves that I'm a Real trans, but I don't think it's healthy that an otherwise nonsuicidal person should only be validated when he's suicidal. It comes from the same mentality that trans people only deserve respect and recognition when we're suicidal or straight up dead, which I would say is a result trying desperately to appease cis people.

I'd be willing to go so far and start a dialogue with transmeds, but it would appear the driving force of their ideology is that trans people are abnormal and bad, and you only transition if it's life or death, not necessarily because it would make you happier. To a lot of them being trans is cis lite, and they center their conceptualization of being trans with how cis you can get yourself to be. No doubt part of this is because of their internal dysphoria, but it's not healthy to push that on an external community of people who all have variable experiences with dysphoria. And although transmeds claim they're coming from a place of medical concern their communities are rampant with misinformation, the biggest being that trans is a mental disorder, of which literally any medical practitioner worth their degree would disagree with. Being trans is not a condition, the anxiety and depression that comes from dysphoria is what needs treating. Furthermore, the push to pathologize being trans would be exploited by eugenicists, who most certainly agree with transmeds that being trans is a mental disorder.

I have a greater appreciation for posts that say a person is whatever gender they say they are, and I think it's a very positive ideology to replace the pain-focused ones we have now. And yeah there are some ~weird~ genders out there, but I'll take a mogaii space princen who uses starpronouns over a transmed who gives cis people permission to determine who is and who isn't trans any day of the week. I'd love to make a different post about how the TERF lite ideology of butchcommunist and them are just as complicit in the distress I've been feeling these past few months as transmedicalism, and how insidious it is to suggest to trans men the dysphoria they're experiencing is because of internalized misogyny instead of encouraging people to do what they believe will make them happy because if they do they're giving into the patriarchy or whatever the fuck. Gender dysphoria is not a result of misogyny.

I would be remiss to not acknowledge that pretty much everything written here is something a trans woman has said before, and I'm only coming to these conclusions now because I couldn't get over my transmisogyny to internalize these messages.