I actually wish I knew which thread this was referring to (though I don’t know the average turnaround time between question and answer, for all I know this letter was sent a year ago and the thread is loooong dead).
I used to be (as in, before 5 minutes ago before I read this) a very, very staunch supporter of transsexuals. And to a degree, I am, I’m casually acquainted with a couple post-ops, I refer to them as “she” (both MtF), never gave them a degree of shit about it and I never will.
However, this point has kind of got me stuck and I’m starting to become shaken. At least as far as transitioning between “transsexuals are mentally okay, you bigot!” To “I’m so sorry about your severe body dysmorphia with regards to your genitals, what a terrible affliction!” I’ll never start hating transexuals or anything. Heck, even if it is a “mental illness” I’ll still vote to support trans rights.
But either way, what say you, Dopers? What is the flaw here? I can’t really figure out what the difference is between somebody who wants to alter their penis because they feel like a woman and a person who wants to chop off the bottom half of their legs because they’re totally a hobbit. Or that guy I know from college who had a dragon fleshlight and wouldn’t shut up about his “draconic habits” (sexual and non-sexual) because he’s a dragon “inside”. Or maybe this just means there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the hobbit and the guy who is convinced he’s a giant lizard trapped in a human’s body and I should accept them.
Heck, after reading this, an apt comparison almost seems like anorexia. Where they just don’t feel right in their body because it’s NOT THIN ENOUGH. And they HAVE to stop eating because they MUST become thinner.
I’m really having a crisis of… something here, can anyone help me out?