Crossdreamers

It's no exaggeration to say that this call for...

2025-01-01T09:36:24.852-08:00

It's no exaggeration to say that this call for action really got me thinking. I read it on the very same day that I had read another post by a popular trans blogger based in the US whose initial reaction to the result of the US Presidential election was to consider standing down their prominent and much appreciated website. Encouraged by supporters, she soon chose to continue her work. But this reaction brought home to me how serious the question of activism is for those feeling real fear for the future.

Jack’s post definitely served as such a call for action for me, and I’m starting 2025 with thoughts about how I can become more active in raising the profile of trans related issues that matter to me. I am at least clear about being ready to do this, although being in the UK, at least in the year ahead, I suspect that raising my head a little more above the parapet will likely not expose me to the restriction of freedoms and possible persecution that may be on the horizon for our friends across the pond. I hope that such fears don’t foresee a much nastier future, but there’s little doubt that, transphobia is on the rise, and some of its proponents wield great power and influence.

My own approach to this call to action has been to reflect on what activism actually means to me, and where I currently feel ready and able to play my part. To help clarify my thoughts, I wrote a little essay for myself on the theme of being an activist guided by compassion. I won't attach it here, unless folks want to see it!, although will summarise some of the points in a post on my YouTube channel in the coming days.

The key things arising were really being clear about what it is I want to be active about, getting to the heart of what I'm passionate about and why. My sense is that effecting change can often happen at a local level, including among our own social groups and families, as well as taking part in marches and bombarding our politicians with letters. My sense is that raising the profile of what it is I want others to understand, hopefully accept and respond to, offering my stories and being factual, and and helping to educate them on the subjects they may know little about, will play an important part in this.

I recognise that I need to break out of a comfort zone and be ready to expose myself to potential criticism and engage in debate outside the relatively safe circle of the trans community, although it's not immediately clear to me how I will do this, or what form it may take. I also see that becoming more of an activist ties very closely to becoming more authentic and tuning in with my deepest truths. Again, exactly what these are will need a little teasing out, and I have set that as a primary intention for this new year.

So can a single post on a forum really make a difference? Well, this one at least hasn’t left me for some weeks now, and is stirring me to decide upon clear action. Well done Jack for taking the stand! Your rallying call has proved to bring about something of an awakening for me.

I will take a look at Nostr. Sounds interesting!

2024-12-20T00:39:56.179-08:00

I will take a look at Nostr. Sounds interesting!

I wondered if you checked out Nostr, as well. It i...

2024-12-03T11:11:55.576-08:00

I wondered if you checked out Nostr, as well. It is smaller, but it has some interesting features. Your identity is based on private/public key cryptography, which is in practice means that all your data is yours. If you want to migrate your account to another client, all you need is your private key, since it is what you use to cryptographically sign posts and verify your identity. Also, my impression is that it is more decentralised and censorship resistant than for example Bluesky. Community-wise, these features tend to attract people who lean towards libertarianism, as you might expect.

"Your identity is in fact nothing more than h...

2024-11-21T01:48:14.160-08:00

"Your identity is in fact nothing more than how you perceive yourself. That's all an identity really is. How you identify doesn't mean that that's what you are."

Oh dear. You really need to read up on gender incongruence and gender dysphoria, as researched on and described by modern science.

This kind of linguistic sophistry may sound clever to you, but it does not change the fundamental reality of gender dysphoria: It is not something people chose. It is not based on indoctrination. It is not a clever philosophical trick used to "make people trans."

I think very few would chose to gender incongruence if they could stay cis. They cannot.

It is an experienced reality that can only be explained by factors that are at least partly anchored in the brain. It is inborn. And as such a trans woman's female identity is not that different from the one of a cis woman.

Here's the thing: since I was four years old I...

2024-11-20T18:00:55.988-08:00

Here's the thing: since I was four years old I knew I wasn't on the "boy's team" and the girl's was where I belonged. I don't know how that intersects with thinking patterns, etc. It just is what it is.

Can I explain it? No.

I am 68 and transitioned when I was 61. I am so much more at home in my skin. Can I explain that? No, sorry, I can't.

You're missing the point here. If the things t...

2024-11-20T17:26:17.014-08:00

You're missing the point here. If the things that you think and feel are all thoughts and feelings that both a man and a woman can have, then what you think and feel is simply irrelevant to the question of what you are. Only the things that a man and a woman don't share determines what a man and a woman are. Not the things they do share. This is also why the concept of non-binary falls flat on its face. There is nothing about non-binary people that distinguish them from either a man or a woman.

"What form of behavior belongs to what gender...

2024-11-20T16:50:28.171-08:00

"What form of behavior belongs to what gender?" I don't know. Men and women can do and behave in all the same ways. And it's not about clothes either or predilections.

Check this out, please: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_dysphoria

This is why I said that you (like most people, roughly 95%) never experienced gender dysphoria and is why you're ignorant.

Similarly, do you believe that homosexuality is BS? Just because you're straight, that doesn't mean the same-sex romantic attraction is BS and doesn't exist.

All that said, I will readily admit that I don't understand what it is to be non-binary. I just don't, full stop. But just because I don't understand it doesn't mean that non-binary people don't exist. I believe they do.

I also don't know what it would be like to be bisexual. Or, to be attracted to men. But people are and I accept that there is variety in sexuality and, yes, gender.

CORRECTED COMMENT: What makes you think I know not...

2024-11-20T16:24:45.484-08:00

CORRECTED COMMENT: What makes you think I know nothing about it? Let me ask you something. What form of behavior belongs to what gender? There's no correct answer to this question. If you say that a certain kind of behavior belongs to a woman, then all I have to do to debunk it is by showing you a man who behaves that way. This is where the concept of gender fails. If all forms of behavior can be part of people of all genders, (and it can), then the very concept of gender is incapable of categorizing behavior. And therefore, has nothing to explain about behavior. The reason why the concept of gender identity is bullshit is because it has NO explanatory power.

What makes you think I know nothing about it? Let ...

2024-11-20T16:23:09.319-08:00

What makes you think I know nothing about it? Let me ask you something. What form of behavior belongs to what gender? There's no correct answer to this question. If you say that a certain kind of behavior belongs to a woman, then all I have to do to debunk it is by showing you a man who behaves that way. This is where the concept of gender fails. If all forms of behavior can be part of people of all genders, (and it can), then the very concept of gender is incapable of categorizing behavior. And therefore, has nothing to explain about behavior. The reason why the concept of gender identity is bullshit is because it has explanatory power.

What makes you the expert? Just because you haven&...

2024-11-20T14:38:29.202-08:00

What makes you the expert? Just because you haven't experienced gender dysphoria doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

And what are you afraid of to be so compelled to argue something that you know nothing about?

Lifestyle?? Oh wow I had you pegged wrong. I gave ...

2024-11-20T10:15:57.671-08:00

Lifestyle?? Oh wow I had you pegged wrong. I gave you way too much credit. My bad and best of luck. But at least you helped make my point about the uninformed ;)

You're using a female name. So it was complete...

2024-11-20T10:07:47.072-08:00

You're using a female name. So it was completely reasonable for me to assume you identify as one. I have no problem with trans as a lifestyle. But that's not what we are really talking about, are we? We are talking about the fact that people can misidentify themselves. When transwomen say they are a real woman, they are in fact incorrect. They are men with a trans lifestyle.

To be concise I am a transgender person with life ...

2024-11-20T09:53:12.692-08:00

To be concise I am a transgender person with life long and persistent gender dysphoria who has found a very effective way to live. I am universally accepted by friends and acquaintances alike who embrace me. Thus far I have not lost a soul including all women friends who have been the best of all ;)

Please see below;)

2024-11-20T09:49:10.906-08:00

Please see below;)

I never claimed to be a woman which is clearly com...

2024-11-20T09:35:32.628-08:00

I never claimed to be a woman which is clearly coming from you. Please do some reading on the topic as I promise it will help you. Also look into the hatred as it's much better on the blood pressure;)

2024-11-20T09:33:20.693-08:00

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And yet, my argument still stands. Questioning my ...

2024-11-20T09:23:07.116-08:00

And yet, my argument still stands. Questioning my intelligence doesn't change any of that. Being offended cannot tell you the truth of anything. This is still true, regardless of what you think of me. Deal with the argument at hand.

Your identity is in fact nothing more than how you...

2024-11-20T09:14:53.782-08:00

Your identity is in fact nothing more than how you perceive yourself. That's all an identity really is. How you identify doesn't mean that that's what you are. People misidentify things all the time. What makes you think that how you identify yourself is any different? To claim to be a woman is a claim about objective reality, regardless of how you identify. If you misidentify something, including yourself, people have the right to call you out on it.

Hate reveals a lot about a person. It's basic ...

2024-11-20T08:46:43.653-08:00

Hate reveals a lot about a person. It's basic psychology.

I don't need to defend my identity to you sinc...

2024-11-20T08:43:52.685-08:00

I don't need to defend my identity to you since i know who I am. You be you and I will be me. I don't argue for any biolgical stance other than the existence and identity of transgender people in general is none of your business. I have enough life and experience and confidence en masse such that I am not easily derailed especially by the ill-informed ;)

How droll. I discuss this topic with people with a...

2024-11-20T08:38:02.239-08:00

How droll. I discuss this topic with people with a modicum of intelligence who know their subject matter not knuckle-draggers which are plentiful and just want to be contrarians.Thanks for playing though;)

Listen to me VERY carefully, Jack. EVERYTHING abou...

2024-11-20T07:17:50.872-08:00

Listen to me VERY carefully, Jack. EVERYTHING about the concept of gender identity is bullshit. Absolutely everything. And the reason is a obvious as it is simple. You wanna know why it's bullshit, Jack? Because the entire idea that a transwoman is not a man is solely built on the premise that a man cannot be like THAT. That's it. There's nothing more to it than that. That's ALL it is.

Hate speech is always the go to excuse for people ...

2024-11-20T06:39:22.444-08:00

Hate speech is always the go to excuse for people who cannot win an argument. Being offended cannot tell you the truth of anything. Therefore, the one who speaks the truth has a right to offend.

This is something that trans people and trans acti...

2024-11-20T06:22:21.771-08:00

This is something that trans people and trans activists like yourself REALLY need to understand. No one, and I do mean NO ONE, has any obligation whatsoever to perceive trans people the way they perceive themselves. Just like you have no obligation to perceive me the way I perceive myself. That means, by its very nature, that every time when a transwoman says: "I'm a real woman." EVERYONE has the goddamn right to tell him: "No, you're not. You're a man." Trans activist's utter refusal to accept this is the reason why they are hated.

Makes sense. A group that refused debate, facts an...

2024-11-20T04:44:08.931-08:00

Makes sense. A group that refused debate, facts and evidence would want to hide from all of those things and remain in a bubble.