My favorite was the football boots quote. In light of the obvious emotional suffering Elliot nee Ellen Page went through that eventually pushed her to medically alter her body and "escape" womanhood, quotes like that are extremely important. So many people are conflating pain associated with not fitting in, and the temporary comfort of a coping mechanism that escapes a tortured existence, with a false phenomenon called "being transgender." In fact, transgender individuals are those who have transitioned. Some of them will be comforted by this coping mechanism, for some time period, perhaps even for life, and many will not. All will pay some price in health issues. Anyone who has not transitioned, but wants to, is just someone looking to escape/avoid their problems - not an insult, as we all want to escape or avoid our problems. Nobody is born "transgender." Keep up the "fun" imagery. :)
Yes, Elliot/Ellen very closely resembles the kind of reasons our daughter wanted to transition - retreating into a kind if warped version of boyhood with few perceived responsibilities and more privileges. Almost as if it's not that she exactly wanted to BE male, but wanted all the benefits that go with it (inc lack of unwanted sexual attention) so retreating into boyhood was the only viable option, rather than because she desperately wanted to BE male. Hence the associated interests in skateboarding, 6-packs, cap-wearing teen male look. Someone recently described the "look" achieved. as if Justin Bieber were 10 yrs old. This was her "entry" into transitioning. She's since gone on to have a double mastectomy and testosterone & declare herself non binary, & queer as well. 5 years estranged (by her) this July
I can relate to your experience, although I’m I a different place with this. My daughter is in this 4 plus years now. She took illegal testosterone secretly (gel packets she had delivered to a friend’s house) for 98 days last year at 16 until I discovered it. She also wants the perceived benefits of being male. She is not particularly masculine but doesn’t think she will the woman she sees as HOT and perfect and thinks she will be happier as a male. Too much to say in a comment, but I do think the idea of escape is a big part of this - running from something rather than to something - since there is no way to know what you will be getting once you transition; you just know you aren’t happy with what you have now.
I’m so sorry about the estrangement. I fear it as my daughter has threatened it in another year. I keep hoping the tide will change, but it can’t happen quickly enough for me!
Thanks Eliza, most are from my archive screenshot library (now over 20,000 screenshots) #7 - how flippantly we regard the bodies of young women, so we can cut them up and have a laugh about it. #6 is the kind of man that does it, #8 from a trans protest, #13 is a man in a women's sport team, #10 was a still from a film clip - seems to capture the performative outrage of misgendering as literal terror, by middle class white young adults exploring luxury beliefs; all sucked into this psychic epidemic (last screenshot, no 15) Thanks for yr queery ;-)
This was a US state (forget which one) public presentation and thanks event, on behalf of the drag/trans community combined. I think they were given pots of money for being trans/kweer whatever & I'm sure I could look up which event it was, there was a child on stage with them (obv used as a shield, as they always are) so I excluded this from the image to reframe it for widescreen. But yes, the face of the official looks almost as if trying not to crack up at this clown pantomime
My favorite was the football boots quote. In light of the obvious emotional suffering Elliot nee Ellen Page went through that eventually pushed her to medically alter her body and "escape" womanhood, quotes like that are extremely important. So many people are conflating pain associated with not fitting in, and the temporary comfort of a coping mechanism that escapes a tortured existence, with a false phenomenon called "being transgender." In fact, transgender individuals are those who have transitioned. Some of them will be comforted by this coping mechanism, for some time period, perhaps even for life, and many will not. All will pay some price in health issues. Anyone who has not transitioned, but wants to, is just someone looking to escape/avoid their problems - not an insult, as we all want to escape or avoid our problems. Nobody is born "transgender." Keep up the "fun" imagery. :)
Yes, Elliot/Ellen very closely resembles the kind of reasons our daughter wanted to transition - retreating into a kind if warped version of boyhood with few perceived responsibilities and more privileges. Almost as if it's not that she exactly wanted to BE male, but wanted all the benefits that go with it (inc lack of unwanted sexual attention) so retreating into boyhood was the only viable option, rather than because she desperately wanted to BE male. Hence the associated interests in skateboarding, 6-packs, cap-wearing teen male look. Someone recently described the "look" achieved. as if Justin Bieber were 10 yrs old. This was her "entry" into transitioning. She's since gone on to have a double mastectomy and testosterone & declare herself non binary, & queer as well. 5 years estranged (by her) this July
I can relate to your experience, although I’m I a different place with this. My daughter is in this 4 plus years now. She took illegal testosterone secretly (gel packets she had delivered to a friend’s house) for 98 days last year at 16 until I discovered it. She also wants the perceived benefits of being male. She is not particularly masculine but doesn’t think she will the woman she sees as HOT and perfect and thinks she will be happier as a male. Too much to say in a comment, but I do think the idea of escape is a big part of this - running from something rather than to something - since there is no way to know what you will be getting once you transition; you just know you aren’t happy with what you have now.
I’m so sorry about the estrangement. I fear it as my daughter has threatened it in another year. I keep hoping the tide will change, but it can’t happen quickly enough for me!
These are fun. Thank you! Would love to know more about some of them, especially #10.
Thanks Eliza, most are from my archive screenshot library (now over 20,000 screenshots) #7 - how flippantly we regard the bodies of young women, so we can cut them up and have a laugh about it. #6 is the kind of man that does it, #8 from a trans protest, #13 is a man in a women's sport team, #10 was a still from a film clip - seems to capture the performative outrage of misgendering as literal terror, by middle class white young adults exploring luxury beliefs; all sucked into this psychic epidemic (last screenshot, no 15) Thanks for yr queery ;-)
Wondering the context around #9. Is that a govt official peaking?
This was a US state (forget which one) public presentation and thanks event, on behalf of the drag/trans community combined. I think they were given pots of money for being trans/kweer whatever & I'm sure I could look up which event it was, there was a child on stage with them (obv used as a shield, as they always are) so I excluded this from the image to reframe it for widescreen. But yes, the face of the official looks almost as if trying not to crack up at this clown pantomime