4 ms·

If I can derail conversation for a moment, what is the idea behind 'valid' or 'invalid' transition? It's not a phrase I've heard before sorry. I'm not in any ki

If I can derail conversation for a moment, what is the idea behind 'valid' or 'invalid' transition? It's not a phrase I've heard before sorry. I'm not in any kind of other forum where I think I could ask this without getting very emotionally-charged responses.

01HNNWZ0MV43FF 3y ago
In this case I meant valid as in, transitioning is really the best way to treat gender dysphoria and it's not useful to think of dysphoria as a delusion that would go away with conversion therapy or with time. Hope that helps!
- 000ooo000 3y ago
  Thank you
faeriechangling 3y ago
Look into gender essentialism, which contrasts with gender constructivism. It's often associated with TERFs, but it is VERY common within transgender communities themselves. There's notion that certain gender identities are valid and others are not (especially being male/female), and there's also the notion that diagnosable medical issues are required to be truly transgender. In this conversation, if you're AMAB, and have a male brain, and claim to have transitioned to being non-binary a gender essentialist might go "aha! Science proves they are nothing but a transtrender and a man" A constructionist would say "aha - the fact they have a male brain yet expresses a non-male gender identity proves they're a truly unique and special transgender person". It seems like an easy way to be on the "Right side of history" to reject gender essentialism, since you end up never calling a transgender person invalid. There is a dark side to rejecting essentialism, which is if gender ISN'T essential, than logically it should be possible to change people's gender identity to a "better" one. Which can result in things like Joan/John https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Reimer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Reimer.
cdstamper 3y ago
I'm no expert but I think the idea is to avoid a scenario where someone would take a brain scan and declare someone's transition to be 'invalid'. Transition (and by extension gender) is something deeply personal that shouldn't be gated by physical characteristics, including brain development.
- 000ooo000 3y ago
  Ah that makes sense. I think I took it a little too literally and the phrasing lead me to think that some transgender people themselves categorise transitioning as valid or invalid.

01HNNWZ0MV43FF 3y ago

In this case I meant valid as in, transitioning is really the best way to treat gender dysphoria and it's not useful to think of dysphoria as a delusion that would go away with conversion therapy or with time. Hope that helps!

000ooo000 3y ago
Thank you

faeriechangling 3y ago

Look into gender essentialism, which contrasts with gender constructivism. It's often associated with TERFs, but it is VERY common within transgender communities themselves. There's notion that certain gender identities are valid and others are not (especially being male/female), and there's also the notion that diagnosable medical issues are required to be truly transgender. In this conversation, if you're AMAB, and have a male brain, and claim to have transitioned to being non-binary a gender essentialist might go "aha! Science proves they are nothing but a transtrender and a man" A constructionist would say "aha - the fact they have a male brain yet expresses a non-male gender identity proves they're a truly unique and special transgender person". It seems like an easy way to be on the "Right side of history" to reject gender essentialism, since you end up never calling a transgender person invalid. There is a dark side to rejecting essentialism, which is if gender ISN'T essential, than logically it should be possible to change people's gender identity to a "better" one. Which can result in things like Joan/John https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Reimer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Reimer.

cdstamper 3y ago

I'm no expert but I think the idea is to avoid a scenario where someone would take a brain scan and declare someone's transition to be 'invalid'. Transition (and by extension gender) is something deeply personal that shouldn't be gated by physical characteristics, including brain development.

000ooo000 3y ago
Ah that makes sense. I think I took it a little too literally and the phrasing lead me to think that some transgender people themselves categorise transitioning as valid or invalid.