Who's Really 'Anti-Trans'?
How the Cultural Genocide of Transsexual Identity is Fuelling the Backlash We Face Today
The Surface Problem: Healthcare Bans
Restrictions on trans healthcare are a source of grave concern for many, and rightfully so. It’s easy to point fingers and demonise those who have advocated for such measures, but this would miss the forest for the trees. We need to confront a truth that might be uncomfortable for some to face: they are not the root problem. They are symptomatic, reactionary measures triggered by a deeper confusion, fostered by the very groups claiming to advocate for "trans people": the intentional conflation of transsexuals with a diverse range of identities that have nothing to do with the medical condition of transsexualism.
The Misdirection of Public Perception
To understand the true gravity of the issue, consider what comes to mind for the average person when they hear the word 'trans.' The harsh reality is that 'trans' no longer evokes thoughts of post-operative transsexuals — those who have grappled with profound distress related to their natal sex and have subsequently faced significant medical, psychological, and social challenges to painstakingly align themselves with the opposite sex.
Instead, the public imagination often shifts to an entirely different tableau: a kaleidoscope of identities that mainstream media parades as the face of 'trans.' This includes genderqueer, non-binary, and an array of people who seem ardently committed to transgressing societal norms simply for the electrifying thrill it affords them — or because they’ve become convinced of the nobility of such actions after taking a gender studies course. These are often individuals who appear to derive almost orgasmic pleasure in offering a middle finger to conventional society.
Adding another layer to the confusion are those who explicitly state, "my transness is not about feeling uncomfortable in my body," seemingly oblivious to the harm this messaging does to transsexuals, whose 'transness' is fundamentally about a deep-seated dissonance with the physical body and a medical need to alleviate it. Clothing and 'inclusive language' does not help.
The Consequences of Misrepresentation
While these non-dysphoric groups deserve recognition on their own terms, equating them with transsexuals is not just misleading; it's dangerous. Their socially provocative and often agitating actions become the public face for all 'trans people.' And here lies the problem: this agitation — perpetuated from the safety of cissexual bodies that need no medical attention — becomes the fuse that triggers a societal backlash, especially among those who feel threatened, confused, or downright offended by such confrontational displays of 'transgression.' Transsexuals are left with the fallout.
Conservative Backlash: Symptom, not the Disease
When conservatives see crossdressing men flaunted as the new face of 'trans women', they react. When they find libraries hosting drag story hours for children, they react. When they see sports debates ignited by males who have been through puberty wanting to compete in female leagues, again, they react. These are not the pressing concerns of transsexuals, who are struggling to manage a life-altering medical condition. These issues belong to the spheres of 'transgression' and 'trans liberation,' and are worlds apart from the day-to-day struggles of people with transsexualism.
The Unintended Targets
And yet, because transsexuals have been thrown into the same category, we bear the brunt. The backlash is misguided and misdirected, but it is born out of this confusion. It hits those of us who have done nothing to inspire such ire the hardest. We, the transsexuals, are caught in the crossfire of a public debate we did not ignite.
The Complicity of Progressivism and the LGBTQ+
Media outlets like the Associated Press, activist organisations like GLAAD, and ostensibly objective bodies like the American Psychological Association must face the stark reality: their actions have perpetrated nothing less than a cultural genocide on transsexual identity. By shoving us under a nebulous umbrella term through their so-called "inclusive language" guidelines, and disgracefully branding a vulnerable demographic "outdated," they have effectively silenced us—stripping away our distinct voice and fuelling a damaging backlash that impacts us more than anyone else. Their insistence on lumping transsexuals together with identities that bear no resemblance to our experiences has polarised the "trans debate," rendering any meaningful dialogue practically impossible.
The Way Forward: Reclaiming Transsexual Identity
If we are serious about combating issues like blanket healthcare bans, we have to get to the root of the problem: the intentional erasure and deliberate misrepresentation of transsexual identity. It is crucial for transsexuals to face reality, separate ourselves from 'trans' / 'transgender', and make it abundantly clear: we are transsexuals, not a catch-all category.
Until we clear up this confusion, until we reclaim our narrative and fight for our specificity, we will remain caught in this ideological compactor. And for those who are genuinely our allies, understand that to help us, you need to get the issue right from the ground up. Ignorance, even well-intentioned, is a poor basis for advocacy.
So if you're wondering why transsexuals are finding it difficult to breathe, perhaps consider that the knee pressing down on our necks is not just from the side you've been conditioned to oppose, but also from the very groups claiming to champion our cause.
Tired Transsexual is the pen name of an Anglo-American male-to-female transsexual who lives in the U.K. Her Twitter account is @tiredtransmed
Well said. I've known of just two Transexuals in my life, and they transitioned in the 90s. I've always wondered what their take on all this and suspected it would be as you've articulated here. I've been fighting this movement in my house for the last 4 years when my daughter came home at 12 and said she wanted to be a boy. It totally blindsided me and I knew she wasn't a Transexual. This transgender cause is alien to me. I've now realised it's a communist movement at it's core. It doesn't care about who it harms, it only cares about destroying the norms of our tolerant western civilisation. She's read animal farm, 1984, brave new world and Stalin's biography and is now fully deradicalised. She understands there are genuine Transexuals and they aren't Transgender.
Thank you. As a feminist I agree with your stance. Extreme trans rights activists (TRAs) have successfully polariser opinion in the gender wars and transexual people who just want to get on with their own lives will suffer. The ££ beneficiaries are big pharma & healthcare companies. TRA perspectives are reactionary and homophobic: transing the gay away. They rely on outdated strict gender stereotypes and put people into tight little boxes. It suffocates diversity.