Healthy Skepticism
It’s an incredibly
Shareworthy, love-reactey
Romantic and thought-provoking
To say things like
“My transition saved my life”
I think it’s true for a lot of people,
It’s true for me, but
Why did it save my life?
Why did it save yours?
That’s the next question/answer in the sequence.
For me, I say it
Because it made a noticeable difference
In my mental health and self esteem.
It wasn’t always positive and
Progress, isn’t linear. However
I’ve accomplished an insane amount
Since transitioning. Things that have
Absolutely nothing to do with the transition itself, more that
I accomplished things
Despite the hurdles and obstacles that transitioning brought in front of me
Transitioning was/is/continues to be
Extremely difficult, and extremely rewarding.
However, I still have depression, I still have anxiety
I still have all of the health issues I had before I transitioned
And a few new ones. I’m still riddled
With women’s issues and yet
I am living a man’s life with a man’s burden and
A man’s expectations, the way I’ve always been desperately
Desperately trying to. Now I finally do it and
Regardless of what others think I am improving
In my own eyes, in my own self-image.
It’s revolutionary, and yet
Is that all there is…?
My friend, there is never an end.
The world keeps turning, I keep yearning
To say things like
“Transitioning saved my life”
“HRT and surgery saved my life”
I dunno, I find it misleading.
I think it’s too-good marketing.
I wouldn’t ever suggest doing this
To someone else, unless they absolutely had to
In which case, yea boo good for you.
But what I really, really wouldn’t suggest
To anyone, for any reason
Is to think that transitioning
Is euphoric, to suggest that transitioning
Will help you with your body image, or
Will help you with honestly anything
Besides changing your hair, skin, and whatever else
It won’t help you with your body image
Unless you help yourself.
It won’t help you with your mental health
Unless you help yourself.
It won’t help you with your gender dysphoria
Unless you help yourself.
If you’re in an environment that doesn’t support you
Or treat you respectfully, as an equal
Then you need to figure that out, before you
Make yourself even more vulnerable.
Sorry if none of this is what you want to hear, but
Nobody should transition if what they’re really searching for
Is family, community, shelter.
Trans issues are an identity you make for yourself, not
A cult, not something
You can join for a while
To piss your parents off. Alas, many people seem to do this
And get really really mad
If you notice.
Some of these posts, some of these groups, some of these
Echo chambers
Are more like a cult than they’d ever like to admit to themselves.
If you dare voice an opinion, you get
Corrected. If you don’t perform
Gratefulness, if you don’t live
According to the scripture, you are
Rejected. The folks who get rejected
Are either isolated, or for whatever reason
The trans community is ‘blessed’ with rebels
That shoot themselves in the foot while they
Shit in their own beds and kill their own people.
Forgive me for having some
Healthy skepticism about a bunch of strangers
I am grouped with simply out of a shared desire
To change our genitals.
😅