Claim: “Trans” is short for “transition.”
The Truth: “Trans” is short for “transgender.” It is just a descriptor of a person’s gender.
Claim: You must experience dysphoria in order to be trans.
The Truth: Incorrect. Dysphoria is an old, outdated term that’s been redefined over time to cover new specific needs. Despite its constant redefining, it’s still not an all encompassing descriptor for all trans people.
Claim: You must pursue hrt and surgery to be trans.
The Truth: Incorrect. There are a variety of reasons why someone wouldn’t want to have hrt or surgery, all of them valid.
Claim: If you’re trans, you’d show very specific signs as a child. / All trans people knew they were trans since a young age.
The Truth: A lot of trans people do not possess obvious signs of their transhood as children. Lots of people discover themselves later in life. Your age does not dictate your transhood.
Claim: Transition is solely defined by hrt or surgery.
The Truth: Transition begins from the moment you feel you’re trans and need to alter things in your life. Transition isn’t only medical. It’s also social, but most of all it’s personal. Something like making a plan to come out in the future is part of your transition.
Claim: You have to come out to everyone.
The Truth: That’s personal information you owe no one.
Claim: Most trans people detransition.
The Truth: Detransitioning is rare. And in most cases it’s because of financial and safety (read: bigoted harm) reasons. The claim that most trans people detransition is based on an old study where the kids were exposed to anti-lgbt rhetoric and when people didn’t return his calls he marked them as “detransitioned.” The amount of people who detransition cuz they “weren’t trans” is extremely rare.
Claim: Being on hrt will make you more depressed.
The Truth: Incorrect. Statistics show that the majority of trans people’s lives improve with hrt. What actually would cause depression is the constant harassment and harm from bigots, often times from the same people who told you hrt will make you depressed. Hrt itself is documented to improve the quality of life.
Claim: You don’t need hrt. There are pills on the market made from natural means that will give you the same result without a prescription.
The Truth: This is not only false, but it’s a money making scheme meant to exploit your lack of easy access to hrt. These pills will not work, they will actually have the opposite effect, and they cost the same as obtaining hrt without a prescription on average.
Claim: You absolutely must have a prescription for hrt. It’s illegal to get it without and you’ll die if you don’t have proper understanding.
The Truth: Morality isn’t dictated by legality. And, though some dangers exist with self medicating with no knowledge, as someone that did self medicated hrt it’s not impossible for you to get educated. Testosterone poses more legal risks and you need to be sure what you’re getting is the real deal with T, but the need to do things this way is a sign the system is broken - not that there’s something wrong with the people doing it.
For information about feminizing hormones, go here.
For information about masculinizing hormones, go here.
Claim: You can get hrt through Planned Parenthood.
The Truth: Accurate! Planned Parenthood does offer hrt on an informed consent basis in some places. This is not true to everywhere so maybe call them or check their own web site about it before just dropping in. Smallangryandtired did an excellent write up on how to do the process here.
However, as I said, they do not offer it in all locations. The main path a lot of people take is going to a therapist for a session or two and getting a letter from said therapist approving you for hrt and taking that to a doctor (who in turn usually recommends you to a specialist).
Claim: After a certain age, there’s no point to do hrt. It won’t have the same effect.
The Truth: That is a lie. Hrt will work no matter your age.
Claim: You can be too young for hrt and puberty blockers are dangerous.
The Truth: That is also a lie. Lots of people have known they’re trans since they were kids and refusing them treatment is child abuse. If a doctor deems a kid too young for hrt, the alternative is puberty blockers because they are not harmful to the child at all. Despite what anti-lgbt groups want you to believe, there is no danger to puberty blockers.
Claim: There are only two genders. / Nonbinary people don’t exist. / Biological sex dictates gender.
The Truth: The biological sex you know is only truly representative of gender stereotypes. The truth is that, biologically speaking, there are more than two sexes and the only true way to identify such is through karyotypes. Third genders and nonbinary genders have existed through out history, it is not new. The greatest minds in science have time and time again repeated this information, that sex isn’t a binary, that nonbinary people exist, that trans women are really women, trans men are men, and that nonbinary people are nonbinary. Even Bill Nye has said this.
Claim: Things like “stargender” or “noungender” are ruining the representation of the trans community. / “Noungender” is just children trying to get attention and are not actually trans. / People using neopronouns or nounself pronouns are not really trans.
The Truth: This in inaccurate and often times either a bullying tactic towards those who are different, or transphobic people using such to isolate a group of trans people. Some people do not fit into the binary or gender nor feel like they’re in any defined nonbinary genders. So they’ll define themselves with words and terms they enjoy. It’s no different from you feeling more comfort from being called “he” versus “she.”
And, in the off chance it is someone just seeking attention. It doesn’t matter. Let them have their fun. They’re not ruining anything calling themselves spacegender on tumblr dot com.
Claim: There are people faking being trans to fit into a crowd. / The entire concept of “transtrenders.”
The Truth: Not true. This is just age old blatant “you’re faking” transphobia.
Claim: Trans people on hrt or post-op can not experience sexual enjoyment.
The Truth: Both will change your body’s entire response to sex. Your enjoyment doesn’t disappear, the entire process just changes to something different. This inaccuracy is spread by transphobes on average and isn’t remotely true.
Claim: Trans people have a high rate of suicide.
The Truth: I’m sorry to say that trans people are under the stress of discrimination from all angles, and on top of other stresses or discriminations one may experience, it leads us into suicidal ideation. But, that’s why we need to stick together and help each other out. If you’re trans and considering suicide, consider the following:
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Trans Lifeline USA: 1-877-565-8860
Trans Lifeline Canada: 1-877-330-6366
The Trevor Project Hotline: 1-866-488-7386
The Trevor Project also offers texting and chat
You deserve to live your life. I promise you you’re strong enough to get through this.
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