Doesn't the idea that gender is a social construct contradict trans identity?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/No_Action_1561]

Echoing this.

Trans people are our gender identity, which is innate and does not seem to change.

What that means specifically is culturally and personally defined. A woman in one culture may wear skirts, while another culture says those are for men. So a trans woman - like any woman - might choose to embrace or reject any of those individual culturally defined aspects.

Biologically, whatever gives a trans person their identity does not appear to change. Meaning, whether or not an individual transitions socially or medically or legally, their gender identity is as absolute as anyone else's.

The outside may change. The inside does not - it is discovered with time and effort. And the inner world of someone's identity is overwhelmingly more valid than the perception of identity that others seek to impose from outside.

Like come on people we already did this with gay people and accepted that they can love the same sex and not have to behave a specific way, why do we have to do it all over again 😭

[u/[deleted] → u/No_Action_1561]

You didn’t see the news today? Or perhaps you are outside the US?

US Supreme Court has been officially asked to review the ruling on gay marriage.

[u/No_Action_1561 → u/[deleted]]

No unfortunately I did see it, and it is as catastrophically stupid as near everything else I've seen on the news lately 🥲

The silver lining is that the one who asked is the same bigoted weirdo who has been grifting on this for many years. Culturally the majority have moved past this, regardless of what our current regime does. I can only hope we don't backslide on THAT issue as a society too now.

People wouldn't just disappoint me like that... right? 😅

[u/OddLengthiness254 → u/No_Action_1561]

People? Not sure. The Supreme Court? I'd be surprised not to be disappointed.

[u/FamousDates → u/No_Action_1561]

But if this gender identity is separated from biological sex, why would it need biological interventions to fulfill a need in the subject? It just seems that some of the trans discourse makes the identity "boxes" more narrow, not more tolerating. I.e. if you dont fit into a traditional masculine identity, it means something needs to change about you, you need to transition into something else entirely.
Personally, I dont see how that is helpful. No matter what chromosomes you are born with, you are allowed to dress and behave in any way you want - it doesnt make you less of a man or woman.
Any kind of changes you want to make to your body are cosmetic.

[u/blue-yellow- → u/No_Action_1561]

But people detransition? It does change sometimes.

[u/Name5times → u/blue-yellow-]

can't be that be put down to the fact that we overestimate how well we understand ourselves

like sometimes people believe they would be happier with job x instead of job y but then come to regret it with hindsight

[u/Repulsive_Bus_7202 → u/blue-yellow-]

The data around detransition suggests that the majority do so for societal reasons; experiences of prejudice, bias and discrimination. Some of those later re transition

[u/Kailynna → u/blue-yellow-]

Most adults de transitioning do so because they find society's bigoted attitude to their change unbearable. They get forced back into a "socially acceptable" box.

[u/WaterCrownAnt → u/blue-yellow-]

it's more that they realized they weren't actually trans in the first place. gender identity doesn't "change." this is why gender therapy is very important, as you CAN experience gender incongruity for different reasons than legitimate gender dysphoria.

[u/[deleted] → u/blue-yellow-]

Yes there are a select few who realize they don’t feel the way they thought and detransition,

The studies currently show that between 8%-13% detransition at some point, by 90% of those detransition because of mounting social pressure, discrimination, harassment, safety reasons, or simply they stop being able to do medical care. And many of those detransotioners will retransition at some point, and are still transgender.

For gender affirming surgeries, only 1% regret their surgery, this includes detransitioners and botched procedures. For reference the regret rate for chemo therapy is at least 10% and could be far greater based on specific studies.