I wrote about my experience at the European Professional Association for Transgender Health conference for Genspect. Here’s an excerpt—but please read the whole thing (says every writer ever, I know)! So many questions aren’t asked, so many presentations end with no questions from the audience at all. Instead, there’s an awkward pause where inquiry and debate should be. It’s as though the questions that should be asked cease to exist. Patients expressed satisfaction six months after undergoing a double mastectomy. But why had patients sought such surgeries? How will patients feel in five years, or 10? Is this medicine or customer service provided under a limited warranty: customer satisfaction guaranteed—for six months?
This new term, "non-consensual puberty" is so befuddling. What does that even mean? And what kind of world do you have to live in for that to make any sense?
Every week, it seems, in my extended social circle of friends' children and relatives I learn of yet another young woman going trans. I learned of two just last week. I just throw up my hands and exclaim, "Well, of course! How can they resist this juggernaut?"
Thank you for reporting from inside the belly of the beast.
They advocate huge, life and organ-altering surgeries for an ideation. They will not discuss those who grew out of this ideation, or the adult detransitioners who name childhood trauma, complex PTSD, autism or OCD as the real culprit. They make excuses when they follow up and find out the patient no longer identifies as their opposite sex "identity." I have to say it does remind me of the sworn affidavit submitted in my custody case, in which my husband's "sexologist" claimed she made his diagnosis in the first appointment, that I, his ex-wife "forced" him to "decide to life full time as female" because I ended the marriage when business trips were revealed to be cross-dressing and sex-capades, and that our children, whom she'd never met, would be fine, their father's refusal to answer to "Daddy" was assuredly not the problem. 2 years later, our older son threatened to end his life 3 different ways, at the age of 9. But, no data taken on that, "see no evil" wins again!
How was the atmosphere with your fellow attendees? You had said in advance that you were going, and more people know what you look like than did at WPATH last year. Did you get any sense that your cover was blown, or that you were an outsider taking notes in a furtive manner?
These people are nuts. It's like watching the movie "Conspiracy" depicting the Wannsee conference. Those men sat around and calmly discussed setting up extermination camps, as if they were discussing the grocery list for the week. When I was 12/13-yrs-old (1973/74), I spent a year in Holland, just 28 years after the end of WWII. The Dutch kept much of the 3rd Reich symbols on buildings so visitors would have to come face-to-face with reality. I had the misfortune of visiting somewhere and pictures from the Mengele archives were on display. I remember one picture where Mengele was standing over one of his experiments (a live human) strapped to a surgical table, with a completely calm expression on his sociopathic face. I've listened to some of the creatures in this industry that destroys children. I would arm myself if they came around.
They seem to be exhibiting cognitive dissonance, in the original sense of the term. When confronted with information that contradicts their beliefs, they double down.
I also get the sense that they are themselves psychologically fragile. I wonder if that was what you felt.
I also wonder if this cult will at some point produce an apostate, and what kind of crisis that might create. The underlying dynamic does not seems stable. I can’t say that I predict that the social fabric of the group will rupture, but it seems likely to grow even crazier.
They sound like a bunch of well-meaning people with some serious cognitive dissonance.
I think I've had an epiphany this week about why so many seemingly, good, intelligent people have fallen for this. It came from reading two articles. One by Kathleen Stock in Unherd: https://unherd.com/2023/05/why-should-lesbians-sleep-with-men/, where she makes the point that sexuality is something that can't be faked or forced - the sex you are attracted to is part of your hard-wiring, and trying force desire for political/moral reasons doesn't work. The second article was on the Genspect website: https://genspect.org/no-trans-is-not-the-new-gay/ (a year old - not quite sure how I came to reading it this week). It makes a good argument that while homosexuality is innate, being trans only makes sense in a social context, and people (themselves and others) can be fooled.
And then it occurred to me: the people at the conference, and many others (good people), have a sincere belief that "transness" is an innate, immutable aspect of the self, in the same way sexuality is, and can't be faked. It's not guided by misogyny, but comes from a place of (naive) respect.
So this is the main reason so many left and centre-left political parties, corporations, human rights organisations, celebrities, young people and many women have latched on to it. Explains the shocked gasps if anyone questions it, because that's like homophobia, and beyond the pale. Anyone who doubts must be closed-minded and mean.
As soon as you start to doubt this innateness, the whole thing falls apart - and that must be terrifying for the conference delegates.
But even if they cling to their beliefs, it still doesn't quite make sense - if "trans" is a natural state, and sex isn't important, why medicalise it?
You say there were just thirty people eligible for the 17-year followup of the original Dutch study.
I see from the original paper that they treated 54 patients with blockers, so was this just the first 30 of the study? Did they say how many of each sex?
This new term, "non-consensual puberty" is so befuddling. What does that even mean? And what kind of world do you have to live in for that to make any sense?
"Don't Stop Believing'" could be the title of your book! I promise I will read the whole thing!
Every week, it seems, in my extended social circle of friends' children and relatives I learn of yet another young woman going trans. I learned of two just last week. I just throw up my hands and exclaim, "Well, of course! How can they resist this juggernaut?"
Thank you for reporting from inside the belly of the beast.
Any discussion of the effective bans on transitioning minors in the UK, Sweden, etc?
They advocate huge, life and organ-altering surgeries for an ideation. They will not discuss those who grew out of this ideation, or the adult detransitioners who name childhood trauma, complex PTSD, autism or OCD as the real culprit. They make excuses when they follow up and find out the patient no longer identifies as their opposite sex "identity." I have to say it does remind me of the sworn affidavit submitted in my custody case, in which my husband's "sexologist" claimed she made his diagnosis in the first appointment, that I, his ex-wife "forced" him to "decide to life full time as female" because I ended the marriage when business trips were revealed to be cross-dressing and sex-capades, and that our children, whom she'd never met, would be fine, their father's refusal to answer to "Daddy" was assuredly not the problem. 2 years later, our older son threatened to end his life 3 different ways, at the age of 9. But, no data taken on that, "see no evil" wins again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVKnVw66i2E
How was the atmosphere with your fellow attendees? You had said in advance that you were going, and more people know what you look like than did at WPATH last year. Did you get any sense that your cover was blown, or that you were an outsider taking notes in a furtive manner?
These people are nuts. It's like watching the movie "Conspiracy" depicting the Wannsee conference. Those men sat around and calmly discussed setting up extermination camps, as if they were discussing the grocery list for the week. When I was 12/13-yrs-old (1973/74), I spent a year in Holland, just 28 years after the end of WWII. The Dutch kept much of the 3rd Reich symbols on buildings so visitors would have to come face-to-face with reality. I had the misfortune of visiting somewhere and pictures from the Mengele archives were on display. I remember one picture where Mengele was standing over one of his experiments (a live human) strapped to a surgical table, with a completely calm expression on his sociopathic face. I've listened to some of the creatures in this industry that destroys children. I would arm myself if they came around.
Excellent article, Eliza. In-depth and chilling. Thank you for it.
Sounds like they can't afford to stop believin'. Questioning what they are doing is too terrifying to be thinkable.
They seem to be exhibiting cognitive dissonance, in the original sense of the term. When confronted with information that contradicts their beliefs, they double down.
I also get the sense that they are themselves psychologically fragile. I wonder if that was what you felt.
I also wonder if this cult will at some point produce an apostate, and what kind of crisis that might create. The underlying dynamic does not seems stable. I can’t say that I predict that the social fabric of the group will rupture, but it seems likely to grow even crazier.
What’s your sense?
They sound like a bunch of well-meaning people with some serious cognitive dissonance.
I think I've had an epiphany this week about why so many seemingly, good, intelligent people have fallen for this. It came from reading two articles. One by Kathleen Stock in Unherd: https://unherd.com/2023/05/why-should-lesbians-sleep-with-men/, where she makes the point that sexuality is something that can't be faked or forced - the sex you are attracted to is part of your hard-wiring, and trying force desire for political/moral reasons doesn't work. The second article was on the Genspect website: https://genspect.org/no-trans-is-not-the-new-gay/ (a year old - not quite sure how I came to reading it this week). It makes a good argument that while homosexuality is innate, being trans only makes sense in a social context, and people (themselves and others) can be fooled.
And then it occurred to me: the people at the conference, and many others (good people), have a sincere belief that "transness" is an innate, immutable aspect of the self, in the same way sexuality is, and can't be faked. It's not guided by misogyny, but comes from a place of (naive) respect.
So this is the main reason so many left and centre-left political parties, corporations, human rights organisations, celebrities, young people and many women have latched on to it. Explains the shocked gasps if anyone questions it, because that's like homophobia, and beyond the pale. Anyone who doubts must be closed-minded and mean.
As soon as you start to doubt this innateness, the whole thing falls apart - and that must be terrifying for the conference delegates.
But even if they cling to their beliefs, it still doesn't quite make sense - if "trans" is a natural state, and sex isn't important, why medicalise it?
You say there were just thirty people eligible for the 17-year followup of the original Dutch study.
I see from the original paper that they treated 54 patients with blockers, so was this just the first 30 of the study? Did they say how many of each sex?