What the Research Says about Transgenderism
Sexuality and mental illness
We live in a world where to not accept trans women as real women is considered “transphobic,” a word that has only become popularized in the last several years. The origins of the phobia suffix comes from psychologist George Weinberg who coined the phrase “homophobia” in the 1960’s. In many ways it can be seen as an attempt to turn the tables on those who claimed homosexuality was a mental disorder, classifying homophobia as a mental disorder in itself. This was a time in which psychoanalysis and Freudian theory, originating from the Weimar Republic’s Frankfurt school, was experiencing a surge in popularity. Marxism and Freudian theory have frequently interlinked over the years, referred to by scholars as “Freudo-Marxism.” It is notable that these schools of thought are called theories because they have never been scientifically proven.
60 years later, “homophobia” can be considered part of the mainstream lexicon. This is despite inconclusive studies related to what the causes of homosexuality are, whether social, genetic or a combination of both. Furthermore, it is taboo to openly contemplate the possibility of homosexuality to be a mental disorder, and one can easily become ostracized by their community for voicing such an opinion. But before coming to any concrete conclusions on the issue, a new effort to normalize transgenderism has emerged in mainstream media. This normalization has lead to the “PC” notion that one must accept anybody who wishes to emulate the opposite sex through extensive, painful surgery, an idea which is pushed by celebrities, fictional TV shows and left wing activists. Essentially what this normalizing does is encourage people to commit themselves to irreversible decisions, despite there being clear evidence that transgenderism is a form of mental illness.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a publication at the center of psychology which is updated every several years, removed transgenderism as a mental disorder in 2013 edition. However, it was simply replaced with “gender dysphoria” which states the criteria for the condition in children as “A marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, of at least 6 months’ duration” as well as other factors such as “A strong preference for the toys, games, or activities stereotypically used or engaged in by the other gender.” The difference between transgenderism and gender dysphoria is that the latter is “associated with clinically significant distress or impairment in social, school or other important areas of functioning,” which ironically is the very symptom left wing activists claim trans people are subjected to by a transphobic society. This means transgenderism contains exactly the same criteria as a mental illness.
Mental health benefits of surgery are only short term
Perhaps it would be reasonable for one to pursue surgery if it changed their life for the better. However, suicide rates remain high both before and after transitioning, and the idea that transitioning prevents suicide is a myth. On the leftist “encyclopedia” website Wikipedia, it is stated “A 2014 study carried out by the Williams Institute (a UCLA think tank) found that 41% of transgender people had attempted suicide, with the rate being higher among people who experienced discrimination in access to housing or healthcare, harassment, physical or sexual assault, or rejection by family. [97] A 2019 follow-up study found that transgender people who wanted and received gender-affirming medical care had substantially lower rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts.”[98] Yet when one reads the linked studies, it is only stated that suicide rates declined for a year after surgery. This could be seen as a placebo effect in which the patient feels their problems are resolved, and any trauma from the past is likely to reveal itself after adjusting to their new gender. One of the studies actually contradicts the claim on Wikipedia, as can be seen below:
The study “Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden” found “The overall mortality for sex-reassigned persons was higher during follow-up than for controls of the same birth sex, particularly death from suicide. Sex-reassigned persons also had an increased risk for suicide attempts and psychiatric inpatient care.” While the study makes it a point to say “the results should not be interpreted such as sex reassignment per se increases morbidity and mortality. Things might have been even worse without sex reassignment,” it shows transitioning as a treatment for a mental condition is ineffective. The claim that suicide rates may have been higher is unsubstantiated, and the claim that “transphobia” is the cause of the suicides is contentious because it implies those who view transgenderism as a mental illness are at fault. This is like convincing a paranoid schizophrenic they are right in their delusion that people on the radio are talking about them, in the hopes they would feel relief from believing they are not mentally ill.
A new direction
It is obvious that harassment of any kind can worsen the mental health of an individual. However, acting as though they are perfectly sane when research says they are not is harmful. In a world where removing the stigma entirely from changing ones gender is considered politically correct, there are and will continue to be suicides among the mentally ill. It should go without saying long-term introspection and therapy should be conducted before making the decision to transition, and children transitioning should be made illegal across the world. The idea that trans people are heroes who should be applauded is misguided, and it cannot be forgotten transition surgery goes against the very nature of biology. Marxist ideas that aim to completely uproot tradition and society will unlikely cause many future problems, and while targeted bullying is sadistic, the normalization of transgenderism is another crack in the wall of Western civilization.
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