Judgements

I usually file stuff like that under everybody is entitled to their opinion, but I couldn’t do that the other day. One of my conservative friends claimed to be doing research and she re-posted an article by a dinosaur who claims psychiatric accreditation. He offered his opinion about transgender people, and I’ve been doing a slow burn since.

He, like most everyone in his profession used to do, claims we are suffering from a mental condition. He went on to give permission for religious hatred and persecution. Well, to be fair, I don’t think he knows the hatred is implied.

 So, I don’t really care if somebody thinks I’m crazy, but I resent somebody claiming they understand what it’s like to be me. You see, I’ve been fighting this thing through my whole life. I think I know how it feels better than some old guy who believes I am a sinner, going against God’s wishes.

As a young man, I was convinced that I was crazy. As an older, young man, I went through a period of intense religious training and service. I experienced many gifts from God, but even during that time, I couldn’t shake those feelings. I was able to temporarily put my dysphoria out of mind, but God never completely took it away.

With the advent of certain media times and trends, everything trans has been pushed onto society lately. I understand that many people are confused. They don’t understand and they admit that, but to spout your religious beliefs and claim them as fact only confuses people more. Especially, if you happen to have accreditation.

Worse is to claim to understand transgender people, without ever talking to one, is like somebody trying to determine how a dog feels, based on the prejudice of being a human. I’ll get into that later, though.

You see, I’ve been fighting this thing through my whole life. I think I know how it feels better than some old guy who thinks it goes against God’s wishes. As a young man, I was convinced that I was crazy. As an older, young man, I went through a period of intense religious training and service. I experienced many gifts from God, but even during that time, I couldn’t shake those feelings. I was able to temporarily put my dysphoria out of mind, but God never completely took it away.

So now I am old, and I’m tired of fighting against my dysphoria. The studies that conclude gender dysphoria is an actual medical condition, proves nothing. Neither do the studies that point out the hormone connection between a fetus and the mother’s womb. You see, the good doctor, previously mentioned, will not accept those studies.

Contrary to the doctor’s belief, the truth is that without actually being transgender, there is no way outsiders could ever hope to understand. Some people come close, but they can’t empathize. They can’t begin to understand how it feels. How could they after all, we are freaks right? Of course I’m being facetious.

Anyway, on Facebook, I tried to persuade my friend to actually do the research. I rebutted the article, and I asked her to talk to people who actually suffer. Before long, I was called out for what I said. Another of my writing acquaintances began to tell me how wrong I was . . . Okay, you should know, that circle of friends don’t know yet. Still, can you relate to the irony?

He went on to misquote scripture, and even went so far as to claim that we are possessed . . . yes that’s what he said. Needless to say, the discussion degraded from that point. I never came out to him, but I made several points that he could never hope to understand. At one point my other friend, deleted the whole post.

Feeling infuriated, I asked another person, a friend who knows about me, if I am possessed. I went on to say, if I’m possessed, then I have been, for my whole life. Even during that period of intense religious training and service. I’ve been fighting this battle forever.

In retrospect, I’ve concluded we have no hope of changing minds. When I come out to those writer friends in that circle, they will think I’m crazy. Most of them knew me during my last stand, the final battle to be the man I was born to be. Yes those friends will be shocked, annoyed, and condemning. Why do I care? Because I spent a lot of time building those relationships. I care too much to see them write the whole thing off, out of hand.