cis folks have endless access to gender-affirming care. GAC is only deemed “controversial” as soon as the person seeking it is trans, and i really appreciate you writing from this perspective. valid af, and so happy your note found its way to my feed.
This post was so insightful, thank you for sharing! As a cisgender woman I'm still trying to undo my assumptions about gender, thanks for reminding me that men and women are more similar than they are different! I think the existence of trans and intersex people shows how we all exist along a beautiful spectrum, each of us is unique and nothing is truly 100% black and white in how we exist as the gender we identify with 🌈💖
I’m actually the reverse case you hypothesize in the article! I had a breast reduction when I was 12 before I realized I was trans. I was *so* lucky that I had a good surgeon that left the breast tissue mostly intact while reducing the fat tissue around it. I was terrified that I wouldn’t grow breasts when I started taking hormones in my late 20s. I am happy to report that fear was unfounded, but it was close to being a reality.
I came here to write something very similar! I had a breast reduction at 13, but there was enough tissue left behind that I was able to grow new ones two decades later. Perhaps not as large as they would’ve otherwise been, but certainly far from flat.
I also find it so interesting that, as a foetus, we all start out with exactly the same ambisexual genital tubercle that can either develop into a clitoris or a penis.
….And this is off-topic but there is also huge pressure on mums to breastfeed so I find it fascinating that men's breasts would be capable of doing the work too.
Transphobia has only ever been about upholding the White Patriarchy. If we start believing that men and women are similar, it makes it harder for those in power to continue favouring White Men.
As a child I too had uncharacteristically large chest for a “boy”. I dreamt of removing the tissue so I would stop being harassed by my peers, or being asked “Are you a boy or a girl?”
At the time I had no knowledge of my gender other than what people told me I was. The struggle I had with my breasts was one which lasted for decades. Finally, in my early 40’s I realized I was transgender. It was very liberating to finally begin feeling comfortable in my own skin. I too am so glad I had not received breast reduction surgery as a child or younger adult.
I absolutely love that you wrote this. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
My son started taking T around the time I started menopause. It occurred to me that when I started taking menopause hormones, estrogen and progesterone, that we are traveling a similar path. We both stopped menstruating at about the same time and rely on our hormone medications to feel like ourselves.
Such a tiny drop of chemical day after day or week after week is the only thing making us different from another. Men, women, and non-binary folks. Alter the chemicals and you will look, sound, feel, and act differently. And I agree, this scares the hell out of the sex and gender binary-ists.
Other forms of gender-affirming care that cis folks don't think twice about until it's for a trans person: HRT for aging, hair treatments, breast implants, and most cosmetic surgery. The list goes on. The double standard is appalling.
Hi! I have to admit, I read this piece of yours prepared to block you. But not for the reason one might think. I recently read an article about detransitioning by a person who published through the garbage newsletter free press. Honestly, I don't want to amplify it by mentioning the writer or the title of the piece by name, but basically, it said that youth gender-affirming healthcare was exploitative and the author's wife was shunned for "whistle-blowing" such exploitation. It cited "bullying" by medical professionals to get parents to consent to invasive and irreversible "gender switching" treatments for their minor-aged children. It said doctors overprescribe puberty blockers to patients against their wills, and it disinformatively implied that puberty blockers caused permanent infertility.
I am not transgender but I'm wanting to be the best ally possible. To me, this means informing myself not only on the medical and mental health side, but reading literature and nonfiction related to the _experiences_ of being trans. It means letting trans people tell me their preferences on how to use pronouns, if they want to. It means listening to their unique narratives—not imposing a stereotypical trans experience on them or assuming typicality.
Gender affirming healthcare, imo, can be as simple as the medical professionals and the medical environment affirming the gender with which the person wants to be identified, without qualifications. It's not just about choosing to take gender affirming hormones or having gender affirming surgeries.
That said, I think you're right to call surgery for gynecomastia in cisgender males "gender affirming surgery." Because that's exactly what it is. Those who deny this actually strengthen the argument against themselves. If this is not gender affirming surgery, not medically necessary, then why are these people getting elective surgery for a body part that is culturally gendered?
I'm sure you will get shit for that, and maybe I will for commenting here. I'm preemptively sorry that you'll have to deal with it by reading then manually deleting and blocking the vitriol. But I wanted you know I found your article relevant and helpful.
cis folks have endless access to gender-affirming care. GAC is only deemed “controversial” as soon as the person seeking it is trans, and i really appreciate you writing from this perspective. valid af, and so happy your note found its way to my feed.
This post was so insightful, thank you for sharing! As a cisgender woman I'm still trying to undo my assumptions about gender, thanks for reminding me that men and women are more similar than they are different! I think the existence of trans and intersex people shows how we all exist along a beautiful spectrum, each of us is unique and nothing is truly 100% black and white in how we exist as the gender we identify with 🌈💖
Thank you for being here and learning! <3
Thanks for writing this. The fear of a minority will cause people to deny themselves and their families needed surgery. So crazy.
This didn’t go where I thought it was gonna go! :) A very interesting read ⭐️
I’m actually the reverse case you hypothesize in the article! I had a breast reduction when I was 12 before I realized I was trans. I was *so* lucky that I had a good surgeon that left the breast tissue mostly intact while reducing the fat tissue around it. I was terrified that I wouldn’t grow breasts when I started taking hormones in my late 20s. I am happy to report that fear was unfounded, but it was close to being a reality.
I came here to write something very similar! I had a breast reduction at 13, but there was enough tissue left behind that I was able to grow new ones two decades later. Perhaps not as large as they would’ve otherwise been, but certainly far from flat.
I also find it so interesting that, as a foetus, we all start out with exactly the same ambisexual genital tubercle that can either develop into a clitoris or a penis.
….And this is off-topic but there is also huge pressure on mums to breastfeed so I find it fascinating that men's breasts would be capable of doing the work too.
So true!!
Sometimes they are. Some antidepressants havr caused men to lactate.
Humans are not always what we think we are.
We vary a lot more than, "as seen on tv".
Transphobia has only ever been about upholding the White Patriarchy. If we start believing that men and women are similar, it makes it harder for those in power to continue favouring White Men.
As a child I too had uncharacteristically large chest for a “boy”. I dreamt of removing the tissue so I would stop being harassed by my peers, or being asked “Are you a boy or a girl?”
At the time I had no knowledge of my gender other than what people told me I was. The struggle I had with my breasts was one which lasted for decades. Finally, in my early 40’s I realized I was transgender. It was very liberating to finally begin feeling comfortable in my own skin. I too am so glad I had not received breast reduction surgery as a child or younger adult.
That would have been such a head spin! But i am glad you worked it out! Humans vary a lot.
As a trans man with a PCOS beard prior to my egg shell cracking, this post is really resonating with me.
I absolutely love that you wrote this. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
My son started taking T around the time I started menopause. It occurred to me that when I started taking menopause hormones, estrogen and progesterone, that we are traveling a similar path. We both stopped menstruating at about the same time and rely on our hormone medications to feel like ourselves.
Such a tiny drop of chemical day after day or week after week is the only thing making us different from another. Men, women, and non-binary folks. Alter the chemicals and you will look, sound, feel, and act differently. And I agree, this scares the hell out of the sex and gender binary-ists.
Other forms of gender-affirming care that cis folks don't think twice about until it's for a trans person: HRT for aging, hair treatments, breast implants, and most cosmetic surgery. The list goes on. The double standard is appalling.
Hi! I have to admit, I read this piece of yours prepared to block you. But not for the reason one might think. I recently read an article about detransitioning by a person who published through the garbage newsletter free press. Honestly, I don't want to amplify it by mentioning the writer or the title of the piece by name, but basically, it said that youth gender-affirming healthcare was exploitative and the author's wife was shunned for "whistle-blowing" such exploitation. It cited "bullying" by medical professionals to get parents to consent to invasive and irreversible "gender switching" treatments for their minor-aged children. It said doctors overprescribe puberty blockers to patients against their wills, and it disinformatively implied that puberty blockers caused permanent infertility.
I am not transgender but I'm wanting to be the best ally possible. To me, this means informing myself not only on the medical and mental health side, but reading literature and nonfiction related to the _experiences_ of being trans. It means letting trans people tell me their preferences on how to use pronouns, if they want to. It means listening to their unique narratives—not imposing a stereotypical trans experience on them or assuming typicality.
Gender affirming healthcare, imo, can be as simple as the medical professionals and the medical environment affirming the gender with which the person wants to be identified, without qualifications. It's not just about choosing to take gender affirming hormones or having gender affirming surgeries.
That said, I think you're right to call surgery for gynecomastia in cisgender males "gender affirming surgery." Because that's exactly what it is. Those who deny this actually strengthen the argument against themselves. If this is not gender affirming surgery, not medically necessary, then why are these people getting elective surgery for a body part that is culturally gendered?
I'm sure you will get shit for that, and maybe I will for commenting here. I'm preemptively sorry that you'll have to deal with it by reading then manually deleting and blocking the vitriol. But I wanted you know I found your article relevant and helpful.
A good read and thank you for the thorough research. It is also nice to see the genuinely supportive (intellectually and compassionately) comments. 🩷🩵
As a chemist, not a medical doctor, I do always find this kind of article fascinating. Keep up the good work.
Thank yoiu for explaining so beautifully. Opening my eyes even more.
When?