My mother was a psychologist with a doctorate degree. She was one of the only psychologists in the world who helped transgender people back in the early 1960s. I've been aware of transgender people my entire 69 years of life.
That might not mean exactly what you think it means. Most psychologists in the 60s "helped" by using psychoanalysis to try and "cure" trans ppl. It was sexologists and endocrinologists who challenged that as standard procedure.
I'm Cdn and have been aware of them since I late 60s when I was 11/12 because I read a lot and have always loved learning about the vast diversity of life on this planet.
I don't remember when I found out about transgender people, but it sure as hell was a long time ago. Definitely long enough ago to know they're just people who deserve to have everything you deserve.
Wait, what? I remember stories of male presenting soldiers in the 17 and 1800's who served for years and were only discovered to be females when severely wounded/killed. Of course, these were seen as very patriotic women or girls following their lovers to war, but c'mon....
Or because men are ‘better’ so it makes sense women would want to be men. But men wanting to be the ‘worse’ gender must have a hidden agenda or evil motives.
My sister began her nursing career in 1982 on the plastic surgery floor at UVa Hosp. where many of her patients over the yrs were trans. Years later I worked in the OR at UVa that had a dedicated OR suite for "sex ops". So 30-40 yrs ago,trans ops were routine in a hospital where no one protested?
Come to think of it, we didn’t really start hearing about any of this MAGA bs until the Tea Party came on the scene. But like Sisko said, it was probably there the whole time.
Yes but unlike the ice age it wasn't made into a fad and pushed onto children by sick twisted people wanting to cut off their genitals !! Also no denies that trans exist!! They are clearly mentioned in the Bible Wich is 2000+ years old!! So this very argument is a fallacy!!
And there are tons of historical documents describing it, just without calling it that because they didn't have the same name for it. There's even cultures with a bunch of transgender characters in their stories like in china's myths.
Wendy Carlos, synthesizer pioneer and composer of movie soundtracks for A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Tron, was raising awareness for trans rights back in the 70s
And back then, trans folk (and gay folk) were seen as broken people, figures of mockery and acceptable targets for bigotry. Being gay was an insult, being trans was a punchline. It... wasn't a proud time in US history.
They used to gatekeep trans people from transitioning. You had to fit a very specific mold otherwise they wouldn't even let you consider it and a lot of them would just die taking it to the grave with them so they would just be assumed cis anyways. Now we have platforms that prove we exist.
Anti-Trans People aren't just remorseful, and angry; very, very angry about trans, but most likely have similar feelings toward homosexuals, immigrants, about anything really, that isn't a white male, church fella. They will intimidate the old and young, so no one is immune. No Bueno...
Is it fear? Maybe they find it hard to conceptualise another person’s experience, or to understand that experience as being equally valid. Toddler mindset, essentially
Maybe? Cognitive abilities is not their strong suit. It reminds me a lot of the guy haters when AIDS was starting up. Even though you could not easily catch it, people were treating others badly due to the mere threat of it.
And the ironies - they are the ones that supported draconian laws for gay people, especially HIV infected gay people. Bet they refused to wear masks when COVID hit. It’s all about the hate
I read some of your posts. I’m an artist and keep an eye open with politics, but you think outside the box and seem to have great intuition on what could be in the next four years plus.
I remember a MASH episode where a Swedish doctor offered Max Clingier a sex change operation in Sweden. Also a James Bond girl Caroline Cossey was transgender, and man played all the roles in plays for centuries.
Partially incorrect; they can be found within indigenous cultures as a description for the spiritual duality within each and all of us; “Ida & Pingala” for instance. But they never condoned mutilation nor taking poisons that mimic hormones in order to alter their physical appearance.
Wally Stott was famed in the UK for providing the music for the Goon Show. In 1972 she transitioned to become Angela Morley. Far from being ostracised, her career went from strength to strength. Imagine telling his woman she should use the gents. Ridiculous. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Morley
Actually, there were no transgender people before 10 years ago. Before then, there were transsexual people. Transgender is a very diverse group of which transsexual people are supposed to be part, whether they like it or not. I don't.
I don’t exactly know when “transsexual” started getting a resurgence, but following the mainstream transgender community’s chronic mistreatment of us, I’m in favor of reclaiming a word for us that they hate.
Transvestites decided they wanted to put TS ppl and transvestites in one group and name them "transgenders", to give TV ppl a better image. They didn't ask us if we agreed. I didn't, and I still don't.
The name was changed because being transgender is about gender, not sexual orientation. I was the editor of an LGBT community newsletter when the new term was introduced. It is not two distinct groups. You can't change your sexual orientation.
Transsexual is not about sexual orientation either. Transsexuals and transvestites are distinct groups, there's no point in putting them togehter in "transgender". A majority of transgender ppl are transvestites. I am a TS, I have nothing to do with transgenders.
Actually "genius" the mutation of "Covid 19" was a mutation of another form of Corvid. Now I can be a bad guy and say HIV was discovered in the early 80's and it was not in existence prior. That is a fact. And I was one of the first to see the quilt so don't try to throw shade you don't carry.
And just like that, cis people suddenly have become experts on transgender issues who are quick to diagnose trans people as being mentally ill with their instant medical degrees from Trump University.
I remember walking around Provincetown 30 years ago when I was 10 and just talking to the drag queens and begging them to let us ride their scooters and stuff. Granted this was in the liberal northeast…but still, no one batted an eye.
For sure to all these examples, but my point was I’m talking about actual drag queens promoting 18+ shows…I think it’s telling that what I remember is they were funny and some rode scooters…the sexual part went over my head and had no lasting effect on me. Know what I’m saying??
In the '50s Christine Jorgensen 1926-1989 Born George in NY legally, surgically transitioned in Denmark
In the US Jorgensen was a successful entertainer. She stated “The answer to the problem must not lie in sleeping pills & suicides nor jail sentences, but rather in life & the freedom to live it.”
I remember her from the Mike Douglas show in the 60s. It was interesting, maybe even sensational, but not at all controversial, and had no political baggage.
Only know the docu fr yrs ago, she was fierce & like The trans women I've known weren't part of the circus of LGBTQ She fought for her real life - just as gay people wanted to legally marry not be used to taunt the Phobes of middle America to rise up vehemently determined to put us back in closets
Trans & gay folks were just one of many groups the Third Reich began persecuting as soon as they gained power, but I take your point. Any group that can be demonized for political advantage, or just as illusionists distraction, will be.
Most people didn't make as big of a deal about it until recently. The same people who are shouting the loudest now, knew about trans people 20 years ago. They just treated trans people the same way they treated openly gay people.
It's worse. Much of what is going on with the trans community was calculated. They needed an enemy to rally against, a "them" to hate. So they started creating anti-trans legislation to "protect women and children." But it was all perforative to rile up their base.
We had a transgender woman in the 70's in our town. People tried to beat her up, but found out the hard way that not all people would allow themselves to be victims.
Eventually they left her alone. I still wonder what happened to her.
*Unless you were paying attention! I remember watching 𝘋𝘰𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 on television as a child in the mid '70s. My dad explained the plot matter-of-factedly, though I didn't really get it at the time. But as a child I accepted it as just being there.
There’s a whole history of intersex children mutilated as children to fit our definition of male female . Unfortunately you have to learn to read to know this.
Actually I know about trans people long ago and back in the early 80s and that's when I learned about it gay people also back then that was my first exposure to them and understanding my feelings so I knew but I know a lot of people who didn't
I was a wee girl when Christina Jorgenson was on my black & white TV for an interview. I thought, wow, that's amazing that you can change your gender. Never gave it a second thought.
She was one of the first people I learned about too as a preteen in late 60s and had a similar reaction. I found it quite fascinating and was truly amazed by what the medical profession were capable of achieving even back then.
I recall the terms transvestite and trannies being used. The first big deal that I remember is when a male pro tennis player made it known that he intended to have gender changing surgery. Reappeared as a lady tennis player.
They only think this because Nazis destroyed the Hirschfield Institute for Sexual silence during WW2. People are so objectively wrong when they say gender-non-conformity is a new thing that it hurts.
The Danish Girl is a novel (turned into a movie) about a transgender woman based on the true story of Lili Elbe, who was born in 1882 and fully transitioned in 1930.
Just because you don’t know about it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
The only reason any small minded idiot is "affected" by this is only because current mindset of more people is that these people should be treated as people and that they be afforded all the rights that cis white people have had. These idiots see rights as a pie, the more given, the less they have.
Trans people have always walked beside us. Many of us had no clue, because they had to hide for their safety. Please let’s stand with them, to let them know we are here for them, so they don’t have to live in fear?
I worked in an adult store during the 90's - there were just as many then as there are now! Usually referred to as TS or TV - its our language thats changed along with the fact that people feel they can be themselves more now and no longer have to hide or feel ashamed.
I think the progression of Eddie Izzard's gender identity encapsulates the change pretty well. She used to refer to herself as a straight Executive Transvestite and then got to a "call me whatever" place and now identifies as a transgender woman, but still uses Eddie as her stage name.
We’ve always been there, but narrowminded bigots have caused us to shrink from public life. I have made it my goal to encourage other transgender individuals to step up and be counted. Most importantly to be themselves without fear. Trump is not helping me!
I hadn't interacted w them. I know anything Human is automatically suspect. My wife had observed that Trans women who had previously been Conservative men never wrap their head around the fact they just became minorities. The ones I'd talked to were fiercely liberation oriented.
You as a self-described married white man, might I suggest you cast your net a bit a wider and see existence in the US as a Black person, a disabled person, Latino, Asian, gay as an insanely courageous act of determination. Trans identities cut across all of these demos too, incl GOP and 'asshole'
I've been married to Black women for over 30 years. My father offed himself when I was 6. I had a gay uncle who beat the odds and died of natural causes. He was one of my best role models. My opinion of White Patriarchy is sub basement. Anything that exists in defiance of it I applaud.
It's not just previously conservative white males tho. it's a LOT of LGBT white people who are indignant or fearful that they might lose some of the standing or hierarchy that their white privilege affords them.
Join them so you don't get beaten by them? I must take a moment to remark on your turn-around time, that's impressive! I always need a moment or two to marinate.
Sadly I have an answer for those who think they can get safety through appeasement. Line from Catch-22. "The enemy is whoever is going...
...to get you killed, regardless of what side he's on." I really don't think joining them will keep them from getting killed, but I get that everyone tries to stay alive best they know how. Moral cowardice works when the best and brightest get slaughtered. My own alignment is Black Feminist. Gynoir.
It seems like an outsize focus for something that is a low number. I don't personally know any trans people and even if I did, I wouldn't care. It seems like there are so many other actual problems to worry about.
We live in an area where some kids came out as trans in elementary & high school in the early 2000s. A bunch were at my house the other day. They must be so grateful for growing up where they did
I guess my beef is that if you watched the political ads this year, transgendered people seemed to occupy a way outsized role in this campaign. I guess when you don't really have anything else to run on, fear is a great motivator.
The Canadian trans community is also lucky bc they are protected under our constitution. We are just working things out now like the bathrooms but we have to do it just like we had to accommodate disabled ppl. Discriminating against minorities is unconstitutional
First, republicans picked up the fight against transgenders, then democrats tried to protect their rights, then republicans spent tens of millions on ads to blame that democrats are running on transgender issues.
The first author ever, wrote about trans and gender nonconforming people. She was a princess and Priestess in Sumeria. Enheduanna. Like 4300 years ago or so. So trans folks have always existed as far as historical record is concerned.
More Deep thoughts. If you believe in past lives & reincarnation….being gay, transgender, could be as Simple as you just being a Different Gender in a past life, or more. Sure would explain one of life’s mysteries and help people to understand. Stop Judging!
I wonder if there was a fairly notorious book burning that might be part of why that is...
Or set of codes preventing the depiction of *certain kinds of people* from showing up in TV and movies...
It almost feels like groups have been systemically erased from history to pretend they never existed...
We all need to use our voices. Please Follow Back. I’m a public school teacher (government) in AZ. It’s hard being in the trenches but resistance is vital. I need support. I probably won’t have a job by the end of the year because I will not normalize this!
People in India were aware for ever. They even have a gods that change gender, are half woman, half man, etc and there has been transgender community who people believe have special powers to bestow blessings or curses.
Should consider being "in the closet" for some of this perception? When society bullies people into concealing traits that can be concealed, some will and some won't. If anything, society has improved where people feel less pressure to hide.
Hmmm.
So.
Even though I heard disgusting jokes about dropping the soap in the locker room, and that was the 70s & 80s, I'm sure it wasn't the same thing at all... /s
Those were hypothetical scenarios presented "comedically" (I remember an insane outbreak of paranoia at my school when one of my classmates came out as gay circa 1982/3), but *actual* assault all too frequently wasn't reported because of wholly legitimate fears that it wouldn't be taken seriously.
It's not that you didn't hear about it,.. people just didn't CARE about it. So it was just "Oh,.. sex change operation,... hmm, that's unusual ok, anyway, what's for dinner?"
The originator and progenitor of modern trans theory was a monster who experimented upon and effectively murdered children. There isn’t much moral leeway in the trans community - all less than 100 of them worldwide.
There is no “trans community” - there are a great many individuals - like most groupings - there is no monolith. Any “community” pushing grooming of children has no moral standing.
I looked him up. He was a wretched creep. Are you trying to insinuate that, because an early researcher into transgender identity was a criminally negligent abuser who is generally reviled today, that means ... what? I'm still not sure where you're going with this.
It sounds like you're saying that trans people are bad because the creator of trans theory was bad. I don't know who you're talking about, but even if it's true that this person was bad, your statement would still be an example of the genetic fallacy.
The modern foundation is based upon their work. Their work is still cited to this day. There does not appear to be any interest in helping people with profound psych issues - only on using them as pawns in leftist politics. The response from conservatives is also unfortunate.
My favorite Tim Walz expression "Mind your own damn business" People should be free to express themselves in whatever way feels right to them. I do draw a line at hurting other folks. That's not freedom, that's abuse.
We would still not be hearing all that much about a small portion of the population who only want to live in peace, if GOP didn’t need yet another distraction from their corruption and ineptitude.
It's something I've been hearing about and thinking about for years. Finally, at 51, after years of worrying about what others think. I decided screw everyone else. I'm living for myself from now on.
This is a good point, but please remember over 225 languages were spoken on this continent, and there were a lot of sometimes major cultural differences. I think two spirit is a great term although I think it’s more non-binary than trans, but please don’t generalize to all of indigenous people.
Why’s it so hard to just mind your friggen business?
If someone’s trying to make it through life, with all hardship, and they’re also dealing with something way harder than anything I understand…I just want them to feel safe and respected. Not put them through hell.
Sitting here as a trans woman of three decades, wishing for the 90s, when hiding from fascists was easier, cuz they had shaved heads and bomber jackets. Now they're your parents, your coworkers, presidents and billionaire oligarchs...
You weren’t allowed to be left handed. The schools forced you to use your right hand and if you went to parochial school like I did, the nuns beat it out of you with a ruler.
You didn't hear of the Americas before Colon ran into it with his boats, but Leif Ericson found it before , populated with millions of people. He left again, did not take a bride nor a bribe, did not tell everybody there was gold to be found, did not sell land there. Leif just left! What if...?
There has been some interesting research on Mesopotamia that concludes that trans-people and non-binary identities were a normal part of society back then.
Really?? Does no one remember Rene Richards in the 70's? How about the show Soap in which Billy Crystal played a gay character who went in for a sex change operation? Maybe we need to start teaching modern history instead of re-teaching the Pilgrims every year.
My first experience of someone going through transitioning (male to female) was in the late 1970s in Birmingham, UK. The person was a tall and muscular ex-Captain of the British Army. I knew already that people were changing gender, so none of this came as a surprise.
I roll my eyes every time someone tells me that Republicans are going to protect me from men in my public restrooms. I’m a social worker, I am completely aware that trans women have been in my public restrooms for decades. Can we please be educated adults 🙄??
Kind of like when people tell me I don't have ADHD because it wasn't around back then. Why do you think the hunters and gatherers were able to stay up all night looking out for everyone else?
There's also something to be said of the middle-ground between "overt hindrance" and "miraculous savant", which is just that it wasn't a big enough deal for the population to be weeded out of the gene pool.
Reminds me of when I took my dog for an early morning walk in the dark. Something felt off…I look behind and there’s a coyote lurking around behind us. A lot of people attribute ADHD as a disability (and they argue it’s not real) but I always find it a strength.
I have walked backwards in a coyote, who was returning at dawn with something in its mouth. I was up photographing the sun rise over the Joshua Tree National Park. Coyote and I weren't expecting anyone. We both jumped skyhigh and scarpered in different directions. They're no danger to people.
Love this story. I too grew up with many coyotes in my backyard in CO and my dogs would run and play with them (under close supervision). While they did unfortunately catch a few of our bunnies, all doggies and family were never harmed. Though I do question some LA coyotes, they are unpredictable 😅
The coyotes in WA aren’t too bad, they mostly are looking for smaller animals and run when they see humans. Unfortunately my dogs are both chihuahua-terriers so they might fall under the category of prey, so I have to take a bit extra precaution.
Comments
but now I'm forever thinking of Antarctica as trans and I love it
I was not obsessed with his genitals.
That would be MAGA.
MAGA is obsessed with Trans Ppl.
Everyone else just doesn't want to be assholes.
It must be a conspiracy by Big Telescope to trick us into believing there are lots of stars in the universe.
.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Morley
It didn't exist before then.
Noted.
no?
How about that one episode of Futurama where a male character gets pregnant and gives birth essentially on screen?
No?
Bugs Bunny? Tootsie? etc etc etc.
This is manufactured outrage
Remember the massive protests when mrs Doubtfire premiered?
Because that movie should be their be all and end all of evil, given the main character dresses in drag and reads stories to kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-355kMZxUN4
In the US Jorgensen was a successful entertainer. She stated “The answer to the problem must not lie in sleeping pills & suicides nor jail sentences, but rather in life & the freedom to live it.”
Is anything but support
Or facts..
So many things just wouldn’t exist!
What a wonderful world!!
Eventually they left her alone. I still wonder what happened to her.
Me: "You think it wasn't happening? You think that's why you weren't hearing about it?"
Just because you don’t know about it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Sadly I have an answer for those who think they can get safety through appeasement. Line from Catch-22. "The enemy is whoever is going...
-cavemen on twitter
Get a grip, this isn’t even schoolyard philosophy.
Or set of codes preventing the depiction of *certain kinds of people* from showing up in TV and movies...
It almost feels like groups have been systemically erased from history to pretend they never existed...
Everything is relative, but if you don't have two things, how would you differentiate.
Hmm - I wonder why people might have been reluctant to report it until then?
So.
Even though I heard disgusting jokes about dropping the soap in the locker room, and that was the 70s & 80s, I'm sure it wasn't the same thing at all... /s
There was an episode of "The Love Boat" about it FFS.
And *gasp* no one boycotted the show!
https://www.tiktok.com/@rachellestarson/video/7284412463314046254?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
I looked him up. He was a wretched creep. Are you trying to insinuate that, because an early researcher into transgender identity was a criminally negligent abuser who is generally reviled today, that means ... what? I'm still not sure where you're going with this.
Me: trans people are real.
Transphobe: so is God.
Me: prove it.
Well maybe not so much in deep space, but here at least.
If someone’s trying to make it through life, with all hardship, and they’re also dealing with something way harder than anything I understand…I just want them to feel safe and respected. Not put them through hell.
Why’s that so hard?
So enforcing uniformity produces worse performance, but I guess saves money on buying those left handed scissors.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevali%C3%A8re_d'%C3%89on?searchToken=6q8jmhfeb1q8bnzw3k0n4sjxi