I went to high school and undergraduate school in the 1990s; my high school was in a major metropolitan area, and had over 1500 students.
Not a single student, in either educational institution, required that they be affirmed as the opposite sex, play on the opposite sex’s sports teams, or use the opposite sex’s locker or restrooms— And not a single student required, in the combined 8 years, took their own life.
My story is not unique.
Dysphoria or unhappiness with one’s physical body is not new, and it’s certainly not rare for those who do not wish to conform to stereotypes.
But those of us, who grew up gay, in the 90s and before, who absolutely would be diagnosed with “gender dysphoria” today, did not take our own lives, I certainly wasn’t medicated for any reason, and I played sports with other girls and women.
Not only nonsense, but dangerous nonsense and authoritarian nonsense. Now that more people are aware of this , more people need to speak out. The problem is, that the trans ideologues are out there in force to take you down any way they can. Call you names, get you fired from your job, and attack you verbally or physically. They are a threat to society. So , people are afraid to speak up , and this is exactly what the cult wants! Trump , though he’s not exactly a role model , has taken the first step in announcing that there are only two sexes and that DEI must die. In this, he is to be applauded. Others must take courage and speak up or this scourge will go on for a long time.
So happy for you and your parents! As a side note, I think GSA organizations need to be banned from schools. It's not homophobic or even "conservative" to say that. Accepting your child's homosexuality means not making a big deal out of it. A teacher led club at school that discusses sexuality is just creepy.
I appreciate Simon’s story, maybe because I see myself in his shoes when I was young. I am also bisexual and autistic. As an autistic teenager, I would have been happy to change anything about myself to be accepted by peers. I think Simon opens up a genuine conversation about neurodivergence in relation to trans ideology. It’s a good time for autistics to start speaking up for and amongst ourselves about this. So many NT people have opinions on autism and trans…but real understanding is only going to come from listening to autistic voices.
I keep thinking about the trans activist rejoinder to the ‘autism’ point: “So you think autistic people don’t know themselves? You think they’re not capable of making decisions about their own bodies?”
The thing is: some can, and some can’t. No one is “really” trans, so anyone declaring a trans identity is going down a pathway that’s likely to create a lot of difficulty in the future. Whether or not it’s worth it—depending how bad the mental distress is, were they to try to accept the reality of their sex—is hard to gauge ahead of time. But the outsize representation of autistic people declaring trans identities cannot be ignored. The trans identification among autistic people is surely a byproduct of the neurodivergence and not a mere coincidence.
Then there’s the apparent overrepresentation of autism among gay people. What’s up with that is anyone’s guess.
I can say from experience and research that puberty is harder for autistic kids than neurotypical kids. It’s not super hard to understand either. We have a neurotype that can be very sensitive to sensory input (it’s different for each of us but we all have something that bothers us.) When you mix that with a changing body it’s obviously going to be harder.
For example: As a teenager I wore a tight bra 24/7 for at least 3 years because I hated the feeling of having extra weight on my chest. It had nothing to do with “breasts” per se but just the weight. I can easily see how someone who feels that uncomfortable can be groomed to believe it’s “gender dysphoria”. I would’ve probably bought it too especially because being trans comes with love bombing and a new set of friends. It’s also worth looking at why neurotypical peers largely reject autistic peers. There’s a lot to unpack.
Yeah, I’m on the autism spectrum myself, but puberty wasn’t an issue for me at all. All kinds of other sensations were, though, and still are! I swear they get worse with age.
Your bra/breast weight anecdote makes complete sense to me.
Thank you for this. And I applaud your father's refusal to "affirm" you when you were a minor.
But with more than mere curiosity (as I have a "non-binary" daughter on the autism spectrum who has toyed with the idea she is "really a guy" and is now in her first year of college) I'm wondering -- Was there anything your father did (or did not do) during your college years that helped you realize you were a Gay autistic guy and not a woman?
Well done. As a teacher of almost forty years, I've seen trends come and go. It was strong-minded of you to resist this one despite the encouragement you received.
Affirming someone's delusion that he's a woman or she's a man is a little like telling an anorexic child that yes, she's too fat.
And then giving her Ozempic.
Which isn't to say that there aren't some very few individuals whose XX or XY chromosomes are not clearly defined.
I take civil rights seriously. And I think young people have the right not to be persuaded to commit an irreversible error by people who seem to have some sadly misguided psychological reason to do so.
Thank you for sharing your story Simon. I’m glad you did not cut your parents off and found your way through without medical intervention. As a goth in the 80s my male friends were the misfits, we found our tribe we all wore lots of eyeliner and lipstick (boys too). The girls at your school were indoctrinated too and would have believed they were being kind and accepting. This ideology has come from the top down and needs to be rooted out.
I’m restacking your story as you wrote it so well. I hope it helps someone else.
Thanks for sharing your story. I think part of the deception of focusing on attractive trans influencers like Contrapoints' Natalie Wynn is that it gives men the idea that they too can be a hot young woman when in point of fact, the level of extreme body modification required to approximate that look is too expensive for most people, and depending on how you were built by nature may also require anorexia or be simply impossible even with lots of plastic surgery.
So men go into this with the dream of being someone they're not, and the dysphoria increases the more they realize that they may never pass as a woman.
Well said. Thank you! Gender Ideology and the promotion of its medical and surgical harms will eventually be seen as the most shocking medical/psychological scandal of our time, and thousands of children, adolescents, and young adults will be forever harmed by it.
I'm awaiting data on how all of the medicalization impacts the long-term health of these kids. I am guessing minimally chronic medical issues and maximally, shortened lifespans. This is not just cosmetic surgery and the human body, as plastic as it is, was not built to tolerate this type of manipulation. Truly tragic.
I’m a fierce Independent who was never a member of either party, or any third parties that are available in our country.
And when a child becomes an adult, which is basically 18 they can live the life. They choose as long as it is legal..
I’ve been a union construction worker for over 30 years and the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the most hardened of the far leftist members within the party let’s simply will not allow for the adult to lead the party.
How is the world did that fringe element to have so much power?
The idea that a 12-year-old a 13-year-old a 17-year-old can make a decision that is irreversible is beyond belief.
Even the idea of exposing children to that lifestyle is beyond cukoo for coco puffs.
Let me be the first one to thank your father from making such a life altering decision that is once again irreversible is what any loving parent does for their child.
And the bigger point is that they seem like as if they were very open minded and just wanted to make sure that you had the time to think it through enhance probably saved your life.
And the numbers for that out as suicide is incredibly high for transsexuals.
Your story does give me hope that at a minimum somebody should be 21 years old as opposed to 18 which is the legal definition in most states. Hell you can’t even buy alcohol until you’re 21 and a majority of America., and that might’ve changed as I do remember the legal drinking age was 18,but that was way back when.
Hopefully the squad or the far left Democrats will eventually not be able to control so much of the Democratic parties agenda.
Wow... thank you for bravely sharing your story and an opinion (with which I agree) that I can't imagine would be particularly popular amidst the trans community.
As a high school teacher, (and an recovering high school student myself- I am 32 years in recovery :), I have both seen and know firsthand how vulnerable and impressionable and sometimes fickle adolescents can be. In high school I was a flirt, and was in love with someone new every few weeks. (I wanted to try everything. But I was completely straight. I never had any same-sex physical contact.) And no matter what I tried in high school, back in the 90's, there was nothing that was going to alter my life the way that transitioning does. What if these kids today, who are feeling things and want to try everything, make their own decisions, change their bodies and chemistry, and then change their minds?! The adolescent brain is not known for making sound decisions. That's why they need parents.
Thanks you again for your honesty and wisdom! As a teacher, I'd love you as you are, but I think you have found a better way. Blessings as you keep going and growing!
Growing up is hard enough without all the predators, psy-ops, grooming and twisted thinking being dumped on kids today- not to mention unhealthy life choices, drugs and pornography. When will go back to protecting young people from such things?
Thank you for sharing your story.
I went to high school and undergraduate school in the 1990s; my high school was in a major metropolitan area, and had over 1500 students.
Not a single student, in either educational institution, required that they be affirmed as the opposite sex, play on the opposite sex’s sports teams, or use the opposite sex’s locker or restrooms— And not a single student required, in the combined 8 years, took their own life.
My story is not unique.
Dysphoria or unhappiness with one’s physical body is not new, and it’s certainly not rare for those who do not wish to conform to stereotypes.
But those of us, who grew up gay, in the 90s and before, who absolutely would be diagnosed with “gender dysphoria” today, did not take our own lives, I certainly wasn’t medicated for any reason, and I played sports with other girls and women.
This entire “movement” and ideology is nonsense.
Not only nonsense, but dangerous nonsense and authoritarian nonsense. Now that more people are aware of this , more people need to speak out. The problem is, that the trans ideologues are out there in force to take you down any way they can. Call you names, get you fired from your job, and attack you verbally or physically. They are a threat to society. So , people are afraid to speak up , and this is exactly what the cult wants! Trump , though he’s not exactly a role model , has taken the first step in announcing that there are only two sexes and that DEI must die. In this, he is to be applauded. Others must take courage and speak up or this scourge will go on for a long time.
So happy for you and your parents! As a side note, I think GSA organizations need to be banned from schools. It's not homophobic or even "conservative" to say that. Accepting your child's homosexuality means not making a big deal out of it. A teacher led club at school that discusses sexuality is just creepy.
So much this!
I thought GSA stood for Girl Scouts of America, not exactly a trans cult.
If only... It stands for Gender and Sexuality Alliance, unfortunately.
Gay Straight Alliance, I believe - typically grandiose adolescent name.
It used to be Gay Straight Alliance. Now it's Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Much worse in my opinion.
Oh dear. Yeh that’s way worse.
Yep.
I appreciate Simon’s story, maybe because I see myself in his shoes when I was young. I am also bisexual and autistic. As an autistic teenager, I would have been happy to change anything about myself to be accepted by peers. I think Simon opens up a genuine conversation about neurodivergence in relation to trans ideology. It’s a good time for autistics to start speaking up for and amongst ourselves about this. So many NT people have opinions on autism and trans…but real understanding is only going to come from listening to autistic voices.
I keep thinking about the trans activist rejoinder to the ‘autism’ point: “So you think autistic people don’t know themselves? You think they’re not capable of making decisions about their own bodies?”
The thing is: some can, and some can’t. No one is “really” trans, so anyone declaring a trans identity is going down a pathway that’s likely to create a lot of difficulty in the future. Whether or not it’s worth it—depending how bad the mental distress is, were they to try to accept the reality of their sex—is hard to gauge ahead of time. But the outsize representation of autistic people declaring trans identities cannot be ignored. The trans identification among autistic people is surely a byproduct of the neurodivergence and not a mere coincidence.
Then there’s the apparent overrepresentation of autism among gay people. What’s up with that is anyone’s guess.
I can say from experience and research that puberty is harder for autistic kids than neurotypical kids. It’s not super hard to understand either. We have a neurotype that can be very sensitive to sensory input (it’s different for each of us but we all have something that bothers us.) When you mix that with a changing body it’s obviously going to be harder.
For example: As a teenager I wore a tight bra 24/7 for at least 3 years because I hated the feeling of having extra weight on my chest. It had nothing to do with “breasts” per se but just the weight. I can easily see how someone who feels that uncomfortable can be groomed to believe it’s “gender dysphoria”. I would’ve probably bought it too especially because being trans comes with love bombing and a new set of friends. It’s also worth looking at why neurotypical peers largely reject autistic peers. There’s a lot to unpack.
Yeah, I’m on the autism spectrum myself, but puberty wasn’t an issue for me at all. All kinds of other sensations were, though, and still are! I swear they get worse with age.
Your bra/breast weight anecdote makes complete sense to me.
Thank you for thanking your father. As a parent, it is so hard to stand up against this ideology. Thanks for writing this.
Thank you for this. And I applaud your father's refusal to "affirm" you when you were a minor.
But with more than mere curiosity (as I have a "non-binary" daughter on the autism spectrum who has toyed with the idea she is "really a guy" and is now in her first year of college) I'm wondering -- Was there anything your father did (or did not do) during your college years that helped you realize you were a Gay autistic guy and not a woman?
Thank you, Simon, for telling your story despite many attempts to silence you. And kudos to your father, for leading as a parent should.
Well done. As a teacher of almost forty years, I've seen trends come and go. It was strong-minded of you to resist this one despite the encouragement you received.
Affirming someone's delusion that he's a woman or she's a man is a little like telling an anorexic child that yes, she's too fat.
And then giving her Ozempic.
Which isn't to say that there aren't some very few individuals whose XX or XY chromosomes are not clearly defined.
I take civil rights seriously. And I think young people have the right not to be persuaded to commit an irreversible error by people who seem to have some sadly misguided psychological reason to do so.
Thank you for sharing your story Simon. I’m glad you did not cut your parents off and found your way through without medical intervention. As a goth in the 80s my male friends were the misfits, we found our tribe we all wore lots of eyeliner and lipstick (boys too). The girls at your school were indoctrinated too and would have believed they were being kind and accepting. This ideology has come from the top down and needs to be rooted out.
I’m restacking your story as you wrote it so well. I hope it helps someone else.
Thanks for sharing your story. I think part of the deception of focusing on attractive trans influencers like Contrapoints' Natalie Wynn is that it gives men the idea that they too can be a hot young woman when in point of fact, the level of extreme body modification required to approximate that look is too expensive for most people, and depending on how you were built by nature may also require anorexia or be simply impossible even with lots of plastic surgery.
So men go into this with the dream of being someone they're not, and the dysphoria increases the more they realize that they may never pass as a woman.
These men need psychiatric help, not hormones and surgery!
Well said. Thank you! Gender Ideology and the promotion of its medical and surgical harms will eventually be seen as the most shocking medical/psychological scandal of our time, and thousands of children, adolescents, and young adults will be forever harmed by it.
I'm awaiting data on how all of the medicalization impacts the long-term health of these kids. I am guessing minimally chronic medical issues and maximally, shortened lifespans. This is not just cosmetic surgery and the human body, as plastic as it is, was not built to tolerate this type of manipulation. Truly tragic.
Hopefully it is in its dying state, but a lot of work still needs to be done.
Thank you for your courage. This is such an important piece, which everyone should read and learn from. I have restacked.
Thank you Simon. I am so glad you found your way out, with your Dad by your side.
I’m a fierce Independent who was never a member of either party, or any third parties that are available in our country.
And when a child becomes an adult, which is basically 18 they can live the life. They choose as long as it is legal..
I’ve been a union construction worker for over 30 years and the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the most hardened of the far leftist members within the party let’s simply will not allow for the adult to lead the party.
How is the world did that fringe element to have so much power?
The idea that a 12-year-old a 13-year-old a 17-year-old can make a decision that is irreversible is beyond belief.
Even the idea of exposing children to that lifestyle is beyond cukoo for coco puffs.
Let me be the first one to thank your father from making such a life altering decision that is once again irreversible is what any loving parent does for their child.
And the bigger point is that they seem like as if they were very open minded and just wanted to make sure that you had the time to think it through enhance probably saved your life.
And the numbers for that out as suicide is incredibly high for transsexuals.
Your story does give me hope that at a minimum somebody should be 21 years old as opposed to 18 which is the legal definition in most states. Hell you can’t even buy alcohol until you’re 21 and a majority of America., and that might’ve changed as I do remember the legal drinking age was 18,but that was way back when.
Hopefully the squad or the far left Democrats will eventually not be able to control so much of the Democratic parties agenda.
God speed 😎
“Weaponization of empathy”. Wow. Powerful words. Thank you for sharing.
Wow... thank you for bravely sharing your story and an opinion (with which I agree) that I can't imagine would be particularly popular amidst the trans community.
As a high school teacher, (and an recovering high school student myself- I am 32 years in recovery :), I have both seen and know firsthand how vulnerable and impressionable and sometimes fickle adolescents can be. In high school I was a flirt, and was in love with someone new every few weeks. (I wanted to try everything. But I was completely straight. I never had any same-sex physical contact.) And no matter what I tried in high school, back in the 90's, there was nothing that was going to alter my life the way that transitioning does. What if these kids today, who are feeling things and want to try everything, make their own decisions, change their bodies and chemistry, and then change their minds?! The adolescent brain is not known for making sound decisions. That's why they need parents.
Thanks you again for your honesty and wisdom! As a teacher, I'd love you as you are, but I think you have found a better way. Blessings as you keep going and growing!
Growing up is hard enough without all the predators, psy-ops, grooming and twisted thinking being dumped on kids today- not to mention unhealthy life choices, drugs and pornography. When will go back to protecting young people from such things?