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Sly Fawkes's avatar

My son lost his best friend to the Trans Cult. This young woman decided she was born in the wrong body, which isn't surprising, considering that she was sexually abused by her father, emotionally abused by other family members, and bullied at school. Back then, I still believed in "true trans." My son and I affirmed this young woman's beliefs, thinking we were doing the right thing. I have a tattoo honoring her (him, I thought) on my right calf.

As with many Trans Believers, it's never enough. This person became extremely radicalized, eventually breaking off the friendship with my son when he disagreed with her assertion that able-bodied performers should never play disabled characters (i.e. Daredevil), straight performers should never play bisexual or homosexual characters, and "cis" performers should never play trans characters. Such a disagreement wouldn't seem like something to end a friendship over, but that's what happened.

I started noticing how many Trans Believers had a My Way or the Highway approach.

My son was devastated by the loss of this friendship. He is high-functioning autistic and doesn't form close connections easily. He was never rude about his opinions, he politely disagreed. However, his friend had been lost to the Trans Cult, and in the eyes of the Trans Cult, nothing short of 100% compliance is acceptable.

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Marla Singer's avatar

Thank you for writing this and to PITT for publishing it. The things you say in here are necessary for us to hear. As parents, as children, as friends, there is only one fabric that we're all tethered to and every person who severs connections, especially without explanation, causes a terrible rip. Of course, friendships change and closeness waxes and wanes over time, but the precipitous shredding of human care in person-to-person relationships is hurting all of us.

I think we have to look further back at the arc of this. The hypersexualization started with things like Playboy and the acceptance of breast implants. As soon as women started deforming themselves through surgery, the floodgates opened to the idea that anyone could look like a sexualized version of themselves. The medical industry made untold wealth from it, it demoralized women, children, and men to thinking that humans are worth the value as calculated by sex. That all those Victoria Secret models could be their own mothers, wives, CEOs.

Online porn is effusive, not only as its own activity, but every single billboard, ad, movie, etc. We’re swimming in the idea that humans are solely sex objects. Beauty industries shove makeup, hair products, cup jumper padded bras, extreme high heels, etc on everyone, especially youth, not just for those special occasions but for every day. Even things like permanent makeup change one's relationship to oneself and others.

Today in the local coffee shop or grocery store, girls and boys wear false eyelashes, piercings in their cheeks, throats, breasts pushed up into odd shapes at chin level. Not just for the club or parties, but in the most quotidian corners. It's theatrics and circus all the time, with no separation between acts. With technology, anyone can push this so that it all can become "permanent" not imagining that moods, opinions, superficial preferences will change again. They don’t get a break. Constantly in their role. That alone could deform one’s sense of self. It’s fun to dress up for special occasions, even go all out for Halloween, but to have to live that every single day…

We gave up on the idea of discovering the inner beauty and instead focus on these exterior forms molded in whatever fashion one has the money for. The obsession with looks instead of character is harming us all.

Your story is a perfect depiction of how that works. Thank you for sharing it.

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