01-17-2016, 09:49 AM
interesting post earth_spirit
concern for trans-identifying individuals is justified in the imperfect world/societies we occupy but shouldnt be used as crutch to curb their self expression in the interest of safety. in such circumstances i'd imagine it's society that needs to change.
i know this may sound like a bit of an abstract detour but if u bear with me for a sec i think you'll understand where im going. If u think of democratic processes, where majority rules, the majority is often well within its power to restrict, criminalise or classify the actions of the few which deviate from the majority as abnormal, wrong or perverse. in some societies it may impose the harshest of punishments of mutilation, imprisonment or death. While i understand on a personal level it is your belief and choice to accept another persons gender expression, i would argue on a societal level it is something which should be safegaurded and afforded basic levels of rights and protection.
It may then seem like societal law intrudes into the personal arena of choice and freedom of opinion but some things cannot be allowed to occur just because the majority have a problem with it. abortion in the states may be something a large percentage of christian americans disagree with, but as a fundamental medical service it should be safegaurded. and so on with things like marriage equality, interracial marriages, apartheid, slavery, voting rights and every other issue that was ever controversial and which could have been left to the individual level to decided but which is codified by governmental bodies and laws to safeguard those rights we consider fundamental. i would classify the right to be able to choose a gender identity and have that choice respected, regardless of gentialia, chromosomes, brain structure etc to be such a right.
Lastly, there was an interesting article i read the other day that highlighted that the condition of being or identifying as trans does not always need to be associated with a feeling of dysmorphia. it may be many peoples experience, but it is possible to identify as trans without it or the desire to alter oneself, or pursue an avenue of treatment be it conventional or surgical.
concern for trans-identifying individuals is justified in the imperfect world/societies we occupy but shouldnt be used as crutch to curb their self expression in the interest of safety. in such circumstances i'd imagine it's society that needs to change.
i know this may sound like a bit of an abstract detour but if u bear with me for a sec i think you'll understand where im going. If u think of democratic processes, where majority rules, the majority is often well within its power to restrict, criminalise or classify the actions of the few which deviate from the majority as abnormal, wrong or perverse. in some societies it may impose the harshest of punishments of mutilation, imprisonment or death. While i understand on a personal level it is your belief and choice to accept another persons gender expression, i would argue on a societal level it is something which should be safegaurded and afforded basic levels of rights and protection.
It may then seem like societal law intrudes into the personal arena of choice and freedom of opinion but some things cannot be allowed to occur just because the majority have a problem with it. abortion in the states may be something a large percentage of christian americans disagree with, but as a fundamental medical service it should be safegaurded. and so on with things like marriage equality, interracial marriages, apartheid, slavery, voting rights and every other issue that was ever controversial and which could have been left to the individual level to decided but which is codified by governmental bodies and laws to safeguard those rights we consider fundamental. i would classify the right to be able to choose a gender identity and have that choice respected, regardless of gentialia, chromosomes, brain structure etc to be such a right.
Lastly, there was an interesting article i read the other day that highlighted that the condition of being or identifying as trans does not always need to be associated with a feeling of dysmorphia. it may be many peoples experience, but it is possible to identify as trans without it or the desire to alter oneself, or pursue an avenue of treatment be it conventional or surgical.