The 2011 Swedish study, of death records, comparing Swedes post surgeries to general population age-matched and income-matched Swedes also were deceased, did not report the increased rate of suicide in natal females post surgeries. Swedish women who had double mastectomies from 1973 to 2003 were 40 TIMES more likely to have ended their own lives, compared to Swedish female controls data. Dhejne, et al, at the Karolinska Institut, folded the natal male data with the natal female data to avoid this unpleasant reality the data revealed. Dr. Stephen B. Levine, formerly "affirming" psychiatrist, is the researcher (and expert witness) who got hold of the raw data and revealed this shocking cover up in the female data. Natal males in the post op group are merely 18-19 TIMES more likely to have ended their own lives. It cannot be logically claimed that "minority stress" is the cause for the higher rates of suicide. The recent Finnish study demonstrating significantly higher rates of inpatient psychiatric care post surgeries/hormones (European Psychiatry, 66 (1):1-20) is another records-based, statistically significant survey, which the researchers admitted had one big flaw--self ID prevented the actual biological sex from reliably appearing in the records. My comments on this latter study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxJhFbqL_KU&t=1s
I have a story of my own as a parent. And all I can say is that we did come out ok in the end, in part because I talked about my fears of medicalization and the permanent harm and my desire to protect my teen. I appreciate you calling the parents who gleefully affirm as suffering from munchausen by proxy - I think a parent has to be very unwell to respond by cheering rather than worrying about their child’s physical and emotional safety.
There is much other food for thought here in what you’ve written. I recently have started unsubscribing from some of the blogs I was following during my family’s situation, but will continue to follow yours as I really respect and appreciate your voice. It adds complexity and depth of understanding in a topic where clarity seems to often be lacking, so I just want to say thank you. And thank you for your original advice 1.5 years ago. I’m glad you told me I couldn’t convince my teen otherwise. It helped me lean in to focusing on love and protection without focusing on the issue that felt so terrifying.
This is such a profound read. It has definitely hit a nerve and my emotions are hard to reign in after being immersed in the content. Society really has opened a Pandora's Box. It's incredibly frightening.
I know, it really gets to me when people seem to have this blanket notion that once you're an 'adult' you have the freedom to do whatever you want to yourself 'live and live', 'body autonomy rules!'
Does that apply when young adults cut themselves? (who remembers that past epidemic?) And the epidemic of inhaling glue? Or injecting cocaine and heroin? Are these actions part of live and let live and body autonomy?
The truth is vulnerable adults exist and they are vulnerable for 101 reasons including mental health being deeply affected and 'impaired' during a particular time in life, adults with permanent special needs, adults on the autism spectrum, etc. whatever the case they lack sufficient capacity and are just as vulnerable as children. Their vulnerability and needs don't disappear just because they hit 18 years old. Sometimes the expected responsibility in attaining adulthood can make any pre-existing issues worse and spiral out of control due to anxiety and the perception in that vulnerable person's mind of what is expected of them.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, in a caring and compassionate society, we have to step in to stop people from harming themselves and harming others as a direct or indirect result of their vulnerability. That includes putting their decision-making authority on hold and making decisions in their best interests, on their behalf.
I remember one of the detransitioners, Shapeshifter, being very, very emotional and saying that he wishes that he had had someone to strongly 'save him from himself'. He said he was running away from himself and internalised homophobia, amongst other traumatic mental health issues. He thought the answer was being a trans 'woman'. He underwent castration and vaginoplasty and unfortunately it all went wrong. He is now living with the consequences of a decision made when he was a highly vulnerable adult, struggling with mental health issues. The psychiatry and medical professionals let him down so badly.
Excellent post. My brother was an early victim. He had surgery in 1974 in Trinity CO at the age of 25. I was 17. It was a different era and my parents were lost as to what to do. He had a bright future prior to getting entangled in the web. He was brilliant academically and won a full scholarship to a prestigious teacher’s college in Nashville (Peabody).
The fascination with trans begin, as best I remember, around 1970. He introduced his little sister (me) to drag shows and Christine Jorgenson’s story. After the surgery, he abandoned all other dreams. He lived on public assistance and drugs. Multiple health issues involving bladder and stomach led to more and more drugs. He died in a nursing home at the age of 68 in 2017. A life completely wasted. So sad.
Ritchie, thank you for highlighting the view of sexologists on paraphilias. I agree, transition is not a healthy path, nor is it the best, for anyone having a paraphilia. Better would be learning how to live with it and NOT have it define you. That, and the medical interventions are harmful. Love to you. <3
Always grateful to you for telling us your story - you are shining a light for others to understand. How you frame the sexologists and queer theorists is brilliant. Both are not to be trusted. Peace and strength to you, Ritchie.
I hope you write a memoir someday bc this was excellent.
I think you have your finger squarely on the pulse of this movement/historical moment.
I have a lot to react to, so prepare for a mini essay comment here bc this got my mental juices flowing:
“Aligning with sexologists isn’t the solution, and whilst I think there are merits in research, I’m always going to be sceptical of any theory that attempts to humanise some of the more troubling paraphilias.
Some suggest that prescribing to sexology will reduce the number of transitioners, under the premise that understanding their motivations will help them learn not to give in to them. I only see that as another form of affirmation, this time, more direct as it endorses the paraphilia as a condition, like gender dysphoria.”
“What can be said for one paraphilia, can be said for many others.”
“There is also an overreliance from apparent self-aware AGPs, that others with paraphilia’s, can achieve the same level of insight as themselves,
[the level of insight they claim to have!!]
that they too can learn boundaries. But once we consider the overlap between autism and paraphilia’s, and factor in that learning difficulties are often prevalent with autism, and offenders,
[poor self-insight is a hallmark of autism]
it becomes impractical to suggest that, all people with paraphilia’s will also understand the social contract and the boundaries that come with them.”
Amazingly, this is basically my stance on this subject to a T. And I say amazingly bc for some bizarre reason, I haven’t really seen this viewpoint spelled out anywhere else, even from professional psychologists, even though it seems the most intuitive to me. It’s just so obvious that this “his innate autoheterosexuality” “believe his story” “affirm his lived experience” “why won’t you just be nice” “this is an innate medical condition that must be accommodated” is exactly the same patterns that underpin transmedicalism and gender identity theory that got us stuck in this quagmire in the first place. Like, how do people not see that?! It’s not even similar: It’s EXACTLY the same.
At the end of the day, people are responsible for their actions. It doesn’t matter how much you affirm or validate behavior that 1. Hurts others or 2. Hurts one’s self. At some point you need to put on your grownup pants and say: I refuse to tolerate this kind of harm towards others. I refuse to facilitate this person’s self harm. Why really cares why at this point? The aim is to stop the behavior right now (love your burning house analogy- excellent. The firemen showing up at a five-alarm fire to stand out front and ponder “how did this start?”)
“And what about the ‘good ones’? The truest of the true, the ‘real transsexuals’? I’m sure their distress is real, but quite frankly, when push comes to shove, they do not sit on the lines they claim to. Some expect existing lines to be shifted, just because they agreed with the rallying calls or because they said something ‘based’. It doesn’t take much for that line dancing to stop, and for a tactical retreat to ensue once pushed.”
My unpopular opinion here is that TRAs are right about the pick-me GC trans people. There has always been something that doesn’t sit right with me about many/most GC trans folks bc they will lecture about gender ideology and how silly, “cringe” and ridiculous it is…as if their lifestyle is any different than a TRA’s. There’s one in particular who makes their whole income on their transition- used to advertise/proselytize transition AT SCHOOLS TO KIDS and now sells trans merch and logoed tchotchkes while sneering down their nose at true-believer trans people. I saw this person get misgendered by a (very aggressive, unstable) detransitioner…and their fight or flight reaction made it clear to me that this person’s enlightenment and willingness to challenge the homophobia and sexism of gender identity ideology is a paper thin facade, no matter how good intentioned.
It’s like a heroin addict standing outside a methadone clinic cheering on those that walk in the doors to get sober while sneering at the junkies who get their supplies on the street like themselves. (Sorry if that’s a harsh analogy. No offense is meant).
Frankly, I’ve been devastated at some of the responses from some “GC” transwomen over the paraphilia issue. Someone I *used to* respect called women that raised issue with public male paraphilia exhibition, and I quote: “women with a moral purity obsession.” Like UGH who needs that kind of garbage? That’s exactly what was said about us by the kind of misogynists calling us TERFs bc we said “hey shouldn’t we not castrate homosexual teenagers and mentally ill kids?” in the first place. EVERYONE has a reason why women are always wrong and need to shut up and step aside for and behind some other, more important victim class, EVEN when that victim class are 1. not victims or even 2. predators .
“Many of these make-shift alliances were never going to work in the long run, they were always fragile, if not circumstantial. And just because the wider goal may be the same, that doesn’t mean our values are in alignment too.”
Again, THIS. I’ve seen such a frustrating dialogue that goes something like “Omg we’re eating ourselves as a movement! Stop alienating our allies!” “Yes we just need to tolerate these diverse voices even if they may be a little strange or weird or creepy or sus but we just need to lose these battles so that we can ‘win the war.’” And it’s like: um, no. That’s called ends-justifies-the-means thinking, and it is the thought pattern that lead to this medical scandal and leads to destructive results for societies, and communities and people every time. The TYPE of result is yielded by the TYPE of journey: the means must justify the ends. We ALREADY DID THIS. Did we learn nothing?!
I enjoy reading your complex thoughts that are ever evolving on this slow motion plane crash in which so many of us have become social justice cheerleaders for strange science fiction “rights”. I find films by David Lynch that delve into the surgical and machine extremes of cultural redefinitions to be the most adept at showing our modern predilections. The human cost for such experiments of queer theory meeting surgical tools and hormones that change the shape of your vocal cords to match other bodies is more than imaginable. In talking with Richard A., your Californian counterpart, I wonder what resistance and survivor strengths will become. You and those who speak out and form new societies and alliances are a terrible and beautiful force. Thank you.
Dec 22, 2023·edited Dec 22, 2023Liked by @TullipR / Ritchie
Here in the US it's the deep seeded sentiment left behind by the Eugenics movement that provides the apathy necessary to turn a blind eye to the harm. I have talked to many people in the medical community, and there is a sentiment that anyone stupid enough to demand such procedures deserves them. They totally know what's up but they feel like it's only the mentally ill getting such treatment which makes it fine cause at least we're "Trimming the tards". We even had a doctor get caught in California recently who was sterilizing (giving woman full hysterectomies) to female prisoners when they were coming in for other procedures and he flat out said it's because these woman shouldn't be allowed to reproduce because their children will be criminals. Go back and read the US Buck v Bell decisions from the Eugenics era, "Three generations of imbeciles is enough" is a sentiment that the professional managerial class hold dear to their hearts.
I’m working through so many unread posts but had to stop and say Thank You for this one. You are one of about 10 people always coming to mind when I wonder if this fight is worth it when it takes so much out of us. I still hope my brother comes out of his waking delusion soon but posts like yours help me to understand how he got there and why he hasn’t left (yet). Adults are vulnerable; we don’t say that often enough. Xx
The 2011 Swedish study, of death records, comparing Swedes post surgeries to general population age-matched and income-matched Swedes also were deceased, did not report the increased rate of suicide in natal females post surgeries. Swedish women who had double mastectomies from 1973 to 2003 were 40 TIMES more likely to have ended their own lives, compared to Swedish female controls data. Dhejne, et al, at the Karolinska Institut, folded the natal male data with the natal female data to avoid this unpleasant reality the data revealed. Dr. Stephen B. Levine, formerly "affirming" psychiatrist, is the researcher (and expert witness) who got hold of the raw data and revealed this shocking cover up in the female data. Natal males in the post op group are merely 18-19 TIMES more likely to have ended their own lives. It cannot be logically claimed that "minority stress" is the cause for the higher rates of suicide. The recent Finnish study demonstrating significantly higher rates of inpatient psychiatric care post surgeries/hormones (European Psychiatry, 66 (1):1-20) is another records-based, statistically significant survey, which the researchers admitted had one big flaw--self ID prevented the actual biological sex from reliably appearing in the records. My comments on this latter study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxJhFbqL_KU&t=1s
2 things:
1] You are a very engaging and talented writer. This piece is excellent.
2] Congratulations on winning Man of the Year on Queens Speech! I was rooting for you.
I have a story of my own as a parent. And all I can say is that we did come out ok in the end, in part because I talked about my fears of medicalization and the permanent harm and my desire to protect my teen. I appreciate you calling the parents who gleefully affirm as suffering from munchausen by proxy - I think a parent has to be very unwell to respond by cheering rather than worrying about their child’s physical and emotional safety.
There is much other food for thought here in what you’ve written. I recently have started unsubscribing from some of the blogs I was following during my family’s situation, but will continue to follow yours as I really respect and appreciate your voice. It adds complexity and depth of understanding in a topic where clarity seems to often be lacking, so I just want to say thank you. And thank you for your original advice 1.5 years ago. I’m glad you told me I couldn’t convince my teen otherwise. It helped me lean in to focusing on love and protection without focusing on the issue that felt so terrifying.
Brilliant essay, Ritchie. Your clarity is a powerful antidote to the nonsense peddled by the predatory gender industry.
This is such a profound read. It has definitely hit a nerve and my emotions are hard to reign in after being immersed in the content. Society really has opened a Pandora's Box. It's incredibly frightening.
I know, it really gets to me when people seem to have this blanket notion that once you're an 'adult' you have the freedom to do whatever you want to yourself 'live and live', 'body autonomy rules!'
Does that apply when young adults cut themselves? (who remembers that past epidemic?) And the epidemic of inhaling glue? Or injecting cocaine and heroin? Are these actions part of live and let live and body autonomy?
The truth is vulnerable adults exist and they are vulnerable for 101 reasons including mental health being deeply affected and 'impaired' during a particular time in life, adults with permanent special needs, adults on the autism spectrum, etc. whatever the case they lack sufficient capacity and are just as vulnerable as children. Their vulnerability and needs don't disappear just because they hit 18 years old. Sometimes the expected responsibility in attaining adulthood can make any pre-existing issues worse and spiral out of control due to anxiety and the perception in that vulnerable person's mind of what is expected of them.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, in a caring and compassionate society, we have to step in to stop people from harming themselves and harming others as a direct or indirect result of their vulnerability. That includes putting their decision-making authority on hold and making decisions in their best interests, on their behalf.
I remember one of the detransitioners, Shapeshifter, being very, very emotional and saying that he wishes that he had had someone to strongly 'save him from himself'. He said he was running away from himself and internalised homophobia, amongst other traumatic mental health issues. He thought the answer was being a trans 'woman'. He underwent castration and vaginoplasty and unfortunately it all went wrong. He is now living with the consequences of a decision made when he was a highly vulnerable adult, struggling with mental health issues. The psychiatry and medical professionals let him down so badly.
Excellent post. My brother was an early victim. He had surgery in 1974 in Trinity CO at the age of 25. I was 17. It was a different era and my parents were lost as to what to do. He had a bright future prior to getting entangled in the web. He was brilliant academically and won a full scholarship to a prestigious teacher’s college in Nashville (Peabody).
The fascination with trans begin, as best I remember, around 1970. He introduced his little sister (me) to drag shows and Christine Jorgenson’s story. After the surgery, he abandoned all other dreams. He lived on public assistance and drugs. Multiple health issues involving bladder and stomach led to more and more drugs. He died in a nursing home at the age of 68 in 2017. A life completely wasted. So sad.
Ritchie, thank you for highlighting the view of sexologists on paraphilias. I agree, transition is not a healthy path, nor is it the best, for anyone having a paraphilia. Better would be learning how to live with it and NOT have it define you. That, and the medical interventions are harmful. Love to you. <3
Always grateful to you for telling us your story - you are shining a light for others to understand. How you frame the sexologists and queer theorists is brilliant. Both are not to be trusted. Peace and strength to you, Ritchie.
It's the professionals and politicians and those who enabled the lies and pushed out of the way and demonized those who tried to help you and others.
Exactly.
Thank you for your voice and vision!!❤️❤️❤️
I hope you write a memoir someday bc this was excellent.
I think you have your finger squarely on the pulse of this movement/historical moment.
I have a lot to react to, so prepare for a mini essay comment here bc this got my mental juices flowing:
“Aligning with sexologists isn’t the solution, and whilst I think there are merits in research, I’m always going to be sceptical of any theory that attempts to humanise some of the more troubling paraphilias.
Some suggest that prescribing to sexology will reduce the number of transitioners, under the premise that understanding their motivations will help them learn not to give in to them. I only see that as another form of affirmation, this time, more direct as it endorses the paraphilia as a condition, like gender dysphoria.”
“What can be said for one paraphilia, can be said for many others.”
“There is also an overreliance from apparent self-aware AGPs, that others with paraphilia’s, can achieve the same level of insight as themselves,
[the level of insight they claim to have!!]
that they too can learn boundaries. But once we consider the overlap between autism and paraphilia’s, and factor in that learning difficulties are often prevalent with autism, and offenders,
[poor self-insight is a hallmark of autism]
it becomes impractical to suggest that, all people with paraphilia’s will also understand the social contract and the boundaries that come with them.”
Amazingly, this is basically my stance on this subject to a T. And I say amazingly bc for some bizarre reason, I haven’t really seen this viewpoint spelled out anywhere else, even from professional psychologists, even though it seems the most intuitive to me. It’s just so obvious that this “his innate autoheterosexuality” “believe his story” “affirm his lived experience” “why won’t you just be nice” “this is an innate medical condition that must be accommodated” is exactly the same patterns that underpin transmedicalism and gender identity theory that got us stuck in this quagmire in the first place. Like, how do people not see that?! It’s not even similar: It’s EXACTLY the same.
At the end of the day, people are responsible for their actions. It doesn’t matter how much you affirm or validate behavior that 1. Hurts others or 2. Hurts one’s self. At some point you need to put on your grownup pants and say: I refuse to tolerate this kind of harm towards others. I refuse to facilitate this person’s self harm. Why really cares why at this point? The aim is to stop the behavior right now (love your burning house analogy- excellent. The firemen showing up at a five-alarm fire to stand out front and ponder “how did this start?”)
“And what about the ‘good ones’? The truest of the true, the ‘real transsexuals’? I’m sure their distress is real, but quite frankly, when push comes to shove, they do not sit on the lines they claim to. Some expect existing lines to be shifted, just because they agreed with the rallying calls or because they said something ‘based’. It doesn’t take much for that line dancing to stop, and for a tactical retreat to ensue once pushed.”
My unpopular opinion here is that TRAs are right about the pick-me GC trans people. There has always been something that doesn’t sit right with me about many/most GC trans folks bc they will lecture about gender ideology and how silly, “cringe” and ridiculous it is…as if their lifestyle is any different than a TRA’s. There’s one in particular who makes their whole income on their transition- used to advertise/proselytize transition AT SCHOOLS TO KIDS and now sells trans merch and logoed tchotchkes while sneering down their nose at true-believer trans people. I saw this person get misgendered by a (very aggressive, unstable) detransitioner…and their fight or flight reaction made it clear to me that this person’s enlightenment and willingness to challenge the homophobia and sexism of gender identity ideology is a paper thin facade, no matter how good intentioned.
It’s like a heroin addict standing outside a methadone clinic cheering on those that walk in the doors to get sober while sneering at the junkies who get their supplies on the street like themselves. (Sorry if that’s a harsh analogy. No offense is meant).
Frankly, I’ve been devastated at some of the responses from some “GC” transwomen over the paraphilia issue. Someone I *used to* respect called women that raised issue with public male paraphilia exhibition, and I quote: “women with a moral purity obsession.” Like UGH who needs that kind of garbage? That’s exactly what was said about us by the kind of misogynists calling us TERFs bc we said “hey shouldn’t we not castrate homosexual teenagers and mentally ill kids?” in the first place. EVERYONE has a reason why women are always wrong and need to shut up and step aside for and behind some other, more important victim class, EVEN when that victim class are 1. not victims or even 2. predators .
“Many of these make-shift alliances were never going to work in the long run, they were always fragile, if not circumstantial. And just because the wider goal may be the same, that doesn’t mean our values are in alignment too.”
Again, THIS. I’ve seen such a frustrating dialogue that goes something like “Omg we’re eating ourselves as a movement! Stop alienating our allies!” “Yes we just need to tolerate these diverse voices even if they may be a little strange or weird or creepy or sus but we just need to lose these battles so that we can ‘win the war.’” And it’s like: um, no. That’s called ends-justifies-the-means thinking, and it is the thought pattern that lead to this medical scandal and leads to destructive results for societies, and communities and people every time. The TYPE of result is yielded by the TYPE of journey: the means must justify the ends. We ALREADY DID THIS. Did we learn nothing?!
I think some people are just pattern blind.
I enjoy reading your complex thoughts that are ever evolving on this slow motion plane crash in which so many of us have become social justice cheerleaders for strange science fiction “rights”. I find films by David Lynch that delve into the surgical and machine extremes of cultural redefinitions to be the most adept at showing our modern predilections. The human cost for such experiments of queer theory meeting surgical tools and hormones that change the shape of your vocal cords to match other bodies is more than imaginable. In talking with Richard A., your Californian counterpart, I wonder what resistance and survivor strengths will become. You and those who speak out and form new societies and alliances are a terrible and beautiful force. Thank you.
Here in the US it's the deep seeded sentiment left behind by the Eugenics movement that provides the apathy necessary to turn a blind eye to the harm. I have talked to many people in the medical community, and there is a sentiment that anyone stupid enough to demand such procedures deserves them. They totally know what's up but they feel like it's only the mentally ill getting such treatment which makes it fine cause at least we're "Trimming the tards". We even had a doctor get caught in California recently who was sterilizing (giving woman full hysterectomies) to female prisoners when they were coming in for other procedures and he flat out said it's because these woman shouldn't be allowed to reproduce because their children will be criminals. Go back and read the US Buck v Bell decisions from the Eugenics era, "Three generations of imbeciles is enough" is a sentiment that the professional managerial class hold dear to their hearts.
An excellent piece that should be shared on all available social media platforms.
I’m working through so many unread posts but had to stop and say Thank You for this one. You are one of about 10 people always coming to mind when I wonder if this fight is worth it when it takes so much out of us. I still hope my brother comes out of his waking delusion soon but posts like yours help me to understand how he got there and why he hasn’t left (yet). Adults are vulnerable; we don’t say that often enough. Xx
I love you Ritchie, your brilliant mind and soul.
Yes, this is your purpose and as a parent, I am so grateful for your courage. ❤️