# Republicans' war on transgender people: Omnibus thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 3, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609 "2022-06-03T02:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 54
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1061 "2023-08-07T17:27:04Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > I think he implied little children cannot legitimately decide they are the wrong sex. If it helps, I, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and a vast majority of doctors giving gender affirming care, their parents, and the kids themselves all tend to agree with you. This idea that doctors, parents, and surgeons only listen to the kids’ stated desire without any actual processes or determinations of medical necessity is yet another in a long line of lies trumpted by the fanatical right wing to scare up support for their hate-fueled legislation. Here in reality, any gender affirming medical care is done only after a long series of tests, discussions, other less serious treatments, and actual work by actual doctors. These are decisions that are best left to the child, the caregivers, and their doctors; not to some politician hoping to scam a few more dollars from … not so bright, but very, very scared and angry people … by creating a panic and screaming “Wont anyone think of the children!!”. It’s a playbook as old as time. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1062 "2023-08-07T17:27:44Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > “but what’s the difference between a feminine gay person and a trans person, anyways” schtick has got to be trolling I’m not here to defend that poster, but people who aren’t as steeped in LGBTQ+ issues as many on this board do get confused about that stuff. My cite is my quite liberal extended family who often confuse gender and sexuality, and not in any way that’s meant to belittle or oppress trans folks, they just don’t quite grok the difference, even after one of my sisters and I have pointed out their errors. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1063 "2023-08-07T18:05:03Z")
I have never shoved myself where I didn’t belong, and my girlfriend thinks well of me( she was born a male but shes female now). All I said was people shouldn’t apologize for their opinions, when they’re not sorry, just so the public won’t pile on. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1064 "2023-08-07T18:21:52Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > my girlfriend thinks well of me( she was born a male but shes female now). Wow, your relationship status sure has _changed_ [in the last few months](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-relationship/976957)… ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1065 "2023-08-07T18:40:41Z")
Girlfriend-a woman who is my platonic friend. Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1066 "2023-08-07T18:42:48Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Girlfriend-a woman who is my platonic friend. I’m not sure if that usage of the term is common outside of the United States. I knew what you meant, my mom used to talk about her “girlfriends” all the time. Funny that guys don’t call their male friends “boyfriends”. It’s just one of those cultural quirks. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1067 "2023-08-07T18:48:16Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > I have never shoved myself where I didn’t belong, and my girlfriend thinks well of me( she was born a male but shes female now). All I said was people shouldn’t apologize for their opinions, when they’re not sorry, just so the public won’t pile on. Did you ever tell her that you consider her lived experience to have been invalid until she turned an arbitrary age, or do you keep your assholitude confined to online spaces? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1068 "2023-08-07T18:52:26Z")
No, that would be a lie. I met her before she transitioned. She hasn’t asked my opinion on the subject. I feel sorry for Ne-Yo. You may want to find him on twitter and flame him, maybe it will make you happy. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1069 "2023-08-07T18:59:21Z")
Who is “Ne-Yo?” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1070 "2023-08-07T19:01:51Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > I think he implied little children cannot legitimately decide they are the wrong sex. This is offensive to many, but I am in agreement with it. My favorite response to this is “How old were you when you knew what gender you were?” because for some reason it’s perfectly fine for a child with a penis to decide they’re a boy, but wrong and illegitimate for them to decide they’re a girl. If it’s wrong for a child to decide what gender they are it’s equally wrong for an adult to tell them what gender they are, because if they can’t know how are we to know? If you’ve spent any time around kids, it doesn’t take long for them to form opinions on how they want to present themselves. Most are punished and forced into the molds that society has constructed: If you have a penis you must look and behave like this, if you have a vagina you must look and behave like that. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1071 "2023-08-07T19:03:37Z")
Seems to be a singer. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1072 "2023-08-07T19:14:31Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And the “incomplete genital development” is about skin on the penis and scrotum, and is apparently only an issue if the person does go on to transition and exchange their penis for a vagina. You know that skin covers underlying tissue, and that less skin necessarily means less tissue? But don’t take my word for this obvious point; you can look at other reliable sources: [https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/transgender-center/puberty-blockers](https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/transgender-center/puberty-blockers) > - Less development of genital tissue, which may limit options for [gender affirming surgery](https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/transgender-center/gender-affirming-surgery) (bottom surgery) later in life. Saying it’s “only an issue if the person goes on to transition” is a rather ridiculous argument. Can you _really_ not think of any other issues with having (say) a penis that is only partially between pre-pubescent and adult-sized? > [@BigT](#): > > At the end of the day, they’re the experts, not us. Yes, and the fact that there is still great disagreement among professionals should be concerning. Not with the disagreement, per-se–medicine is science, and science is often messy. But when the language from some sources sounds authoritative, and it disagrees with other authoritative sources, then maybe it should be considered with significantly less weight. The NHS, incidentally, hedges things even further: > **[Gender dysphoria - Treatment](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/treatment/)** > > Treatment for gender dysphoria aims to help people live the way they want to, in their preferred gender identity or as non-binary. > Little is known about the long-term side effects of hormone or puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria. > > Although GIDS advises this is a physically reversible treatment if stopped, it is not known what the psychological effects may be. > > It’s also not known whether hormone blockers affect the development of the teenage brain or children’s bones. Side effects may also include hot flushes, fatigue and mood alterations. “GIDS advises” is a typically British slam on their own division. Given that they plan on closing the clinic, I think it’s safe to assume that the position of GIDS does not match that of the NHS as a whole (which is clear given the surrounding text). Much of the safety claims rest on the blocker’s use for _precocious_ puberty. I.e., delaying it from (say) 9 until 12. And they are reasonably safe in that application, with caveats. But that safety data is not necessarily applicable toward delaying normal puberty. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Speaking of which, read many layman’s summaries about medical issues relating to covid? Let’s try to do better than that. I almost said “it would be hard to do worse”, though I’m not sure that’s actually true. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1073 "2023-08-07T19:23:41Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Honestly, sometimes the truth is offensive. And, of course, you feel you are the complete and arbitrator of what the… truth is. Fuck your feelings. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1074 "2023-08-07T19:26:58Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Girlfriend-a woman who is my platonic friend. Looks like some of your best friends are trans. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1075 "2023-08-07T19:41:08Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Speaking of which, read many layman’s summaries about medical issues relating to covid? > > Let’s try to do better than that. I almost said “it would be hard to do worse”, though I’m not sure that’s actually true. Who is this “us” who should try better? Me? I try really hard to be medically accurate. The popular press? They are routinely horrible on medical news. Even when there’s no politics involved, articles in the general press are routinely wrong about really basic stuff. Some study shows a correlation and they assume a casual relationship. Some other study shows a result with little biological significance and they for it up into something you should change your life for. Hoping to get perfectly accurate science and medical reporting is a pipe dream. (Although one reason i subscribe to the wall street journal is that they are substantially better than average at it.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1076 "2023-08-07T19:42:56Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@SuntanLotion](#): > > > > Girlfriend-a woman who is my platonic friend. > > I’m not sure if that usage of the term is common outside of the United States. > > I knew what you meant, my mom used to talk about her “girlfriends” all the time. Funny that guys don’t call their male friends “boyfriends”. It’s just one of those cultural quirks. That’s not how i read it, but i will confirm that it’s pretty common in the US for women to refer to platonic female friends as “girlfriends”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1077 "2023-08-07T19:47:19Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > what separates an effeminate gay man who chooses to prevent as a woman (either consistently or from time-to-time) but still identifies as a gay man, and someone who is “trans” and identifies as a woman? What makes the person trans? What makes the gay man a woman? After all the conversations here you have participated in, _supposedly in good faith_, your post is clearly the perfect example of deliberate ignorance. In my experience, the proper response to deliberate ignorance is “Fuck off, asshole.” Fuck off, asshole. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1078 "2023-08-07T20:29:00Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Girlfriend-a woman who is my platonic friend. Seriously? I’m aware of the usage, but it’s not usually phrased as “my girlfriend”, singular. “One of my girlfriends” or “this one girlfriend” or similar. “My girlfriend” is the kind of phrasing I’d expect for a romantic partner. Seriously. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > i will confirm that it’s pretty common in the US for women to refer to platonic female friends as “girlfriends”. But will they, absent any other context, regularly refer to one as _just_ “my girlfriend”? That’s different than the usage here, then. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1079 "2023-08-07T21:05:44Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > But will they, absent any other context, regularly refer to one as _just_ “my girlfriend”? That’s different than the usage here, then. Absolutely. I used to tease my mom about it sometimes. “Oooh… You have a GIRLFRIEND…?” I mean, I was a kid. But yeah, in the US that’s not at all weird. Is it ambiguous? Yeah, it is, and sometimes confusing. Don’t ask me to justify American culture, because I can’t. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609/1080 "2023-08-07T21:36:34Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Interesting Obviously there were dramatically fewer kids identifying as trans decades ago I believe you mean openly identifying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-war-on-transgender-people-omnibus-thread/965609.md?page=55)