Andrew Sullivan on Sex

[George K]

Yes, That Andrew Sullivan:

The Trans Movement Is Not About Rights Anymore

It's about a cultural revolution and the abolition of biological sex.

An unusual thing happened in the conversation about transgender identity in America this week. The New York Times conceded that there is, indeed, a debate among medical professionals, transgender people, gays and lesbians and others about medical intervention for pre-pubescent minors who have gender dysphoria. The story pulled some factual punches, but any mildly-fair airing of this debate in the US MSM is a breakthrough of a kind.

Here’s the truth that the NYT was finally forced to acknowledge: “Clinicians are divided” over the role of mental health counseling before making irreversible changes to a child’s body. Among those who are urging more counseling and caution for kids are ground-breaking transgender surgeons. This very public divide was first aired by Abigail Shrier a few months ago on Bari’s Substack, of course, where a trans pioneer in sex-change surgery opined: “It is my considered opinion that due to some of the … I’ll call it just ‘sloppy,’ sloppy healthcare work, that we’re going to have more young adults who will regret having gone through this process.” Oof.

The NYT piece also concedes another key fact: that puberty blockers are neither harmless nor totally reversible. Money quote:

Some of the drug regimens bring long-term risks, such as irreversible fertility loss. And in some cases, thought to be quite rare, transgender people later “detransition” to the gender they were assigned at birth. Given these risks, as well as the increasing number of adolescents seeking these treatments, some clinicians say that teens need more psychological assessment than adults do.

I would think that, just as a general rule, minors making permanent, life-changing decisions should receive more psychological treatment than adults. How on earth is this not the default? In what other field of medicine do patients diagnose themselves, and that alone is justification for dramatic, irreversible medication?

[Klaus]

If one looks at history, one often wonders how obviously silly beliefs were often maintained and blatantly obvious truths ignored for such a long time.

Believing in witches, or that South America is roamed by giants, or that masturbation causes blindness, or that blowing tobacco smoke up someone's ass cures illness - all this sounds rather rational compared to some of the BS we deal with today. We have no reason to look down on people of the past and laugh about their stupid beliefs.

[George K]

@klaus said in Andrew Sullivan on Sex:

We have no reason to look down on people of the past and laugh about their stupid beliefs.

Yes, to be sure.

I'm curious, of those long-held, now considered silly, beliefs in the past, how many were so life changing to the individual? No one went blind from tapping, no one was killed by giants.

OTOH, you have something like this (warning, this is very disturbing, so don't click).
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[Klaus]

@george-k said in Andrew Sullivan on Sex:

I'm curious, of those long-held, now considered silly, beliefs in the past, how many were so life changing to the individual? No one went blind from tapping, no one was killed by giants.

Well, I'm not so sure about that.

Witches were burnt. Jews were killed for 2000 years because people believed silly things about them. Silly medical superstitutions killed millions.

[George K]

@klaus said in Andrew Sullivan on Sex:

Witches were burnt. Jews were killed for 2000 years because people believed silly things about them. Silly medical superstitutions killed millions.

Of course, you're right, but those were societal things, and the medical superstitions were based on ignorance, because they followed the science - of the day (more bleeding!).

This phenomenon seems to be based on feelings of the individual, not based on any science, or norm of society. I know I'm not being clear, but it's the best I can do...