Lilac answers “This..... seems really transphobic. I...”

Kai asked this question about Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters:

This..... seems really transphobic. I understand that it's not actually saying trans people are invalid, or don't exist, but it is kind of saying that trans adolescents don't exist, which is not true. In fact, many of my transgender friends have known they are trans since they were in middle school. Is the book really this transphobic?

Lilac I think this book probably isn't the best one to read to get a sense of people's concerns with this. She does do mostly interviews with parents which …moreI think this book probably isn't the best one to read to get a sense of people's concerns with this. She does do mostly interviews with parents which offers some perspective, but she's also pretty conservative in terms of her own politics. I too have a number of transgender friends who have known for a long time, my concern, and one the book doesn't really address, is the difference between a two year old telling people they're the other gender when NO ONE around them can even wrap their head around the concept and a two year old proclaiming on what they are when EVERYONE around them is constantly asking them if they might want to reconsider their gender. (or rather, a teen proclaiming something which in some circles is currently pretty "popular"

I had a time years ago, well into my adulthood, and well before most people were talking about trans issues, where I had a lot of trans friends and while I didn't feel AT ALL like I might be trans, I was intrigued and envious at the idea that your life could be all out of whack and "feel wrong" and then you could find the one thing that was out of place and fixing it would improve your life immensely. I tried to talk to various people, friends, my therapist, and all of them, even though I clearly stated that I knew I wasn't trans were like, maybe we should consider that you might be trans? I can definitely, personally see that growing acceptance and growing popularity are maybe two sides of a coin and we should be paying more attention than we are.

I just wish a similar book had been written by a progressive lesbian instead.(less)

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Irreversible Damage

by Abigail Shrier

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