[hemogloben]

> Treating people under 18 is a politically losing issue.

Treating people as 'a politically losing issue' is weird to me. There are certainly some nuances to <18 transgender care, but that statement doesn't address any of them and just suggests we embrace political cowardice.

> When policies around it changed, that tipped the scales from the public ignoring trans women or seeing them as victims, towards many members of the public seeing them as monsters who are out to get their children.

This is worse. It wasn't because politics around it changed, it was because republicans (upset that they could no longer target gay people), reused the same crappy arguments against trans people, and then wrapped it in a pedophilic flag.

The change in policy is just effective propaganda making people concerned that random doctors are allowing their children to get sex change operations without consent, when that isn't how ANY of this works. Children <18 can socially transition, get puberty blockers, and MAYBE get hormone treatment. WITH parent consent.

The fact that the media and comments like yours continues to pretend its a reasonable 'discussion' perpetuates the nonsense.

[jart]

We? Political cowardice? Have you considered that trans people might just want to live their lives, and not be force-teamed into your war? Trans has been a thing since the 1950s and that whole time flew under society's radar, happy minding their own business and not be noticed, until around 2020 when your war started.

[hemogloben]

Trans has been a thing since a whole lot longer than that.

Discussions like this often end up at WW2 and that's not what I'm saying here, but Germany in the 1920s was essentially the Gay/Trans hub of the world until it wasn't: https://www.netflix.com/title/81331646.

But even that's not the beginning of 'trans'.

The reason trans isn't 'flying under the radar', isn't because trans people got too proud. Its because one political party decided to shine the magnifying glass to turn trans into a political issue.

[Alghranokk]

Have you considered that trans people just want to live their lives? As we all know, transitioning, social, hormonal, reduces incidence of suicide. This also applies to under 18 individuals. Should such options and approaches suddenly be revoked and discontinued, it will naturally follow that some will die who otherwise would not have.

How many do consider reasonable to sacrifice in the name of political expedience?

[jart]

Back in the days when there were gatekeepers, doctors would actually refuse to treat you for gender dysphoria if you were suicidal. Because suicidal people aren't thinking clearly enough to be making such an important choice, and their actions could be seen as abusing the treatment as a means of self-harm. I think people also make that argument because they feel they need to be manipulative so that others will let them do what they want to do. If the world were more enlightened, we wouldn't have such issues.

[seethedeaduu]

> happy minding their own business

Trans women until VERY recently were forced to go into prostitution and were excluded by the wider society. Trans people were not force teamed into any war, or rather, this is partially right, they were forcefully forced to pick a team by the side that aims to take away their bodily rights, protections, and mark them as undesirables again.

[actualwitch]

As a person born in a country on the very same trajectory Trump is pushing US into now, let me share some insights written in our blood with you. In my country, there were people who thought like you, thinking you can give them an inch and that they will be satisfied by it. But the truth is they always need more to keep the fire of hate going. First, they will take the <18 care because it was the point with weakest support. Next, when that is done, the weakest point becomes your legal identity. Then, your legal care at all. Then other lgbtqi+ groups. There is this poem about "first they came for _", this is a great illustration of it in action. It ends with transgender people pushed into conversion therapy or exile, like in my country. You should really look into how life for us was like in "1950s" and up to now, because if you don't fight for this happy life you want to live they will just take it without asking you, like they did throughout the history. The only answer to authoritarianism is to make sure there are no weak points to attack, stand united and you have a path to win. You can learn from our mistakes, or you can learn from yours. The choice is up to you.

[jart]

There's no weak point here in California. Even Trump bends the knee to our governor.

I hope you make it out here one day, if you haven't already.

[actualwitch]

Based on my perception of where US is now in terms of government, where its going and how seriously people are taking what is happening, I don't plan on going anywhere near it today or in the ~10 years to come. That is an optimistic timeline where trumpism is eventually stomped, btw. If you think it matters what individual states legislate when the entire country's government is being transformed into authoritarianism before your eyes, you are well on your way into pessimist timeline.

[HK-NC]

Odd that the idea of a child making permanent life changing decisions about their body hasn't been mentioned, you're so convinced you're right about all this.