People are People, Lizards are Lizards

I have a clarification I think I need to make. Recently, I published one of my articles on Off-Guardian and got a rather intense response from one of my readers. The article was It’s Progress, Dummy, which I published here in February. This comment was very intelligently written, and she was careful not to call me an insensitive ass (at least not in those specific words). Her point was that I did not understand the trans situation at all and that transexuals (and transgender folks) were people too. She went on to say they didn’t “choose” to be trans and that I should have more empathy for people who went through the harrowing experience of being born in the wrong body.

I immediately went back and reread my article, although it was not my intention to come across the way that she said I had, I could certainly see why she felt the way she did. I tried to respond to her response and kind of fumbled around with it. It really got me thinking. Not so much questioning my views regarding the trans situation, but questioning the quality of my writing about such a topic. Writing is a weird thing. Particularly the style of writing I am committed to on Shrew Views. I could write academic articles where I carefully weigh out facts and journalistic etiquette, thus being overly careful to avoid offence and to be absolutely certain I say nothing that is not verifiable, accurate, and truthful. Forget that! No one would read it for one thing. And truthfully, there would be little I was expert enough to write about! I also would not be able to have the voluminous output I have, nor would I be able to write an article in less than 5,000 to 10,000 words. I could do this on a handful of topics (psychological and spiritual) but not on very much more.

As I am sure you’ve noticed, I do not delve into the complexity of international politics, or even psychological convention. I touch on all of these things, but Shrew Views is not intended to be a source for “news”—what I write is opinion. And that’s about it.

But, I do think it is important that my opinion is clear. And as far as this particular article is concerned, I did not make it clear, at least to this one commenter, that I believe trans-gender folks are people, too. I do. They are indeed people, and as people, they should be treated with respect and dignity. Suppose some of us believe these folks are suffering from a psychological malady that has the potential to diminish the happiness, creativity, and meaning in their lives. In that case, we should be willing to assist them, even if only through acceptance of their humanness (not necessarily through an acceptance or “affirmation” of their malady).

This is where this all gets sticky. As a psychologist (or more accurately a “psychotherapist”) I do believe that most trans people are suffering from a malady. I do believe there are exceptions, and this is an area I must admit I do not have definitive knowledge of. I have only known a few trans folks, as psychotherapy patients, so I cannot speak for all of them. I rely more on other professional viewpoints that I trust to come up with overall opinions.

I have been known to call this malady a form of psychosis, but I think I will back off on that for now and stick with Jordan Peterson’s definition. (I won’t go into that here because it would be too lengthy, but suffice it to say this is what he basically believes —see footnote[1].) I need to make clear I seldom write my opinion about this malady. Occasionally I have hinted that I do believe it is a psychological aberration (not necessarily a mental illness) but I have, I think, stayed a bit clear of getting into this. What I write about is my horror over the way the culture has dealt with this malady. That is clearly apprehensible. And this is what I want to make known.

Whether transgenderism is a psychological pathology or not is beside the point. It is clearly present and expressed in many individuals. Much of the basis for this body-dysphoria is perfectly natural. Particularly people who experience it pre-adolescence and puberty. This time in any child’s life is chaotic and filled with turmoil and question. Much attention needs to be paid to kids going through this inevitable period of growth. It is very easy for them to be led astray during this time. Body confusion, gender confusion, depression, and anxiety that accompany these confusions and psychological-social pressures are all natural occurrences and should be looked at with extreme empathy and an attempt to understand and be patient and present.

This is where the problem comes in. Many adults engaged with kids dealing with these issues seem to believe that their role is strictly to affirm these kids’ thoughts and beliefs and give no credence to biological truths about their bodies. This goes beyond simply adult supervision, but it has become a central focus of government, medicine, and education. Oftentimes, the excuse is given that if these kids are not coddled in a manner that leads them to parental alienation and subsequent medical intervention, they are much more likely to commit suicide.

Needless to say, fear of suicidal ideation and execution among adolescent children is a real concern. But much of the mainstream focus with these particular kids who are suffering from a form of body-dysmorphia on their gender identification is naïve and dangerous. There are many reasons why kids want to kill themselves, and although it could very well be related to their sense of self and personal identity, taking a scalpel to them, whether physical or chemical, is not the way to deal with it. In fact, it has been shown again and again to actually exacerbate the underlying issues.

Trans people very well may be going through very difficult issues caused by a variety of things, not the least of which could be childhood abuse, trauma, sexual molestation, etc. Many of them, however, may only be experiencing typical adolescent trauma revolving around natural psychological and physical growth. Some of them may be confused homosexuals, which is not a mental disorder, and many of them are pressured and coerced by their peers to “be cool” and follow the crowd (social contagion). If they had a responsible adult support system (school, parents, doctors, therapists, etc.) actually helping them through these issues (which seemed to work quite well in decades past), many of them would not opt to have their body and their psychology mutilated.

My offence is focused on these people with the agenda and the systems they operate in—systems quite possibly controlled not by people, but by lizards. (Did I lose you? Only kidding, sort of, I am using lizard as a metaphor here; don’t take me too seriously unless you want to.)

Many (maybe not all) of the people who suffer through this trans-thing are only following the powerful coercion pushing them. The “identification confusion” they are experiencing is not abnormal—the coercion[2] is. Those suffering with gender identify issues are people. And people are people, deserving of love and understanding.

Lizards, however, are lizards. And that’s another story.

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[1] Peterson’s take on transgenderism blends clinical skepticism with cultural critique. He’d diagnose it as gender dysphoria in some cases but would approach it cautiously, using a multi-faceted method to rule out other explanations. He sees causes as potentially biological, psychological, and heavily influenced by social dynamics, often framing the latter as a cautionary tale about modern society. His views have sparked significant debate, with critics accusing him of downplaying transgender experiences and supporters praising his resistance to what they see as ideological overreach.

[2] Again, many of these people are just following the sheep in front them and are in a trance, devoid of critical thinking on their own. They may mean well, falling for the agenda’s ruse.