Both: Early childhood socialization and what causes people to become trans

submitted by worried19 from self.GCdebatesQT

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[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

I am separating body and social dysphoria here. I presume that is possible that social dysphoria could come from social experiences in children as well but I don’t see how rationally body dysphoria can come from social pressure to be masculine. ( in trans women anyway I don’t claim to have any particular insight for trans men)

[–]peakingatthemomentTranssexual (natal male), HSTS 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

I don’t see how rationally body dysphoria can come from social pressure to be masculine.

Wouldn’t it just be like feeling pressure to be masculine, but realizing that your not, then realizing if you weren’t a boy physically, you wouldn’t be being pushed to be masculine, then hating the parts of your body that make you a boy. I don’t know if this actually happens, but it seems very easy to me to connect the two.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

It just doesn’t feel accurate to me. We live in a society that praises and encourages masculinity. If anything society would be encouraging you to like male attributes more.

[–]peakingatthemomentTranssexual (natal male), HSTS 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I guess I feel like femininity or masculinity isn’t always a choice. Maybe you don’t believe that and I think we’ve talked about it before. So like, in my thinking, it doesn’t matter how much society praises masculinity, if that’s just not how you are made, you aren’t going to be able to fit.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I don’t disagree. My point is to if society tells you masculinity is good and femininity is bad you would start hating femininity if it was effecting you not your body. That’s why I don’t think it’s something being socially shaped.

[–]peakingatthemomentTranssexual (natal male), HSTS 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I feel like different people might deal with it differently.

Personally, I don’t think I could have hated femininity because it felt like a part of me and I liked how I was. I don’t think that means that liking my femininity made me hate my body, but it feels easier to hate your body than yourself, if that makes sense. I like myself (still do).

[–]worried19[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I'm not sure. I think it's possible. Let's say I hated being a girl, that I loved and admired everything about masculinity. That I wanted so much to be exactly like my male heroes. And then that I learned that men had penises, something that I as a girl lacked. I could see men being praised and respected while women were seen as weak and emotional. A situation like that could lead to penis envy, because that would make me a "real man," and that in turn could lead to hatred of my vagina or breasts.