I've been concerned about this for a long time. While we can legislate (or make executive orders) to prevent some of the medical harm, we won't fully solve the problem through legislation alone. Instead, we will have clinics, hospitals, and Planned Parenthood ready to pounce on every confused teen once they reach their 19th birthday, bearing toxic chemicals and scalpels as cruel birthday presents. Until then, as you say, these kids will breast-bind and tuck, call themselves the opposite sex and society will refer to and treat them as the opposite sex, causing some medical harm, and certainly preventing them from coming to accept their natural bodies.
In addition to any bans on harmful medical interventions, which I fully endorse and which should reach to age 25, we need to change hearts and minds. We need society to realize that this has been a medical and social scandal of epic proportions, involving every facet of society and every major institution. We need society to realize that the idea of being born in the wrong body is, well, insane, and harmful. We need society to realize that it has been fooled into thinking the way to protect vulnerable, non-conforming (often but not always gay/lesbian/bisexual), unique, sensitive, creative, young people is to pretend they are the opposite sex and to chemically and surgically alter their bodies when the real way to protect them is to love them just as they are. Then we need to help both detransitioners and desisters like you to heal from the harm society has promoted.
As mom to a brilliant and quirky 21 year old whose once-full-and-active-life became instantly small and stunted when she discovered her "gender identity" about 6 years ago, I can't thank you enough for exposing yet another scary truth of this ideology. It breaks my heart whenever I "catch" her with a binder on. I do not allow it in my house as I do not allow self-harm (and I've made it clear that's how I see it), but I worry that she may still be wearing it while away from me. She's sweet enough that she doesn't like to upset her dad and me, but she also claims to not understand (or, maybe, refuses to understand) why we're upset. Please keep speaking and writing. I have to believe that with voices like yours (you remind me of her which gives me such hope), eventually the truth will win out. I just need to keep her as safe as I can until then. You are a hero to me. I know it can't be easy so thank you for fighting for our kids (even the adult ones)!
Of course. I’m committed to this fight. I will continue to release articles and videos on this topic. It takes a lot of time and effort to create these documents and any and all support is very much appreciated.
I hope your daughter can make it out of this. Gender identity is a harmful belief system. I’m glad you’ve laid down those boundaries
Hi James...Maia told some of her story on Heretics with Andrew Gold (YouTube) which might be a gentle way to show your sweet daughter why you're conconcerned. It's a good sign she still acknowledges your wishes. (I haven't seen any of Maia's videos yet though, they're probably great too). Best of luck!
“Damage to healthy body parts is a feature of gender medicine, not a bug.”
Another excellent piece, Maia 👏🏻
You are spot-on about how banning hormonal and surgical interventions for sex-confused young people is just the start. There’s so much more behind the scenes that they’re susceptible to that threatens to send them down the path of self-destruction in service of a cross-sex fantasy.
Excellent article. It hones in with vivid detail on a normalized component of the subculture that's less glamorous than chemicals/surgeries but still convinces us it's equally nuts. Well sourced--making it useful not only for individual reading but for sharing in a debate context. Good work.
I hope you submit to @tfp. @nytimes etc. How about a reduced submission for teen magazines or your own graphic novel to counter Gender Queer? Very upsetting and yet gives everyone another piece of the puzzle which has gone very much hidden. I'm quite sure that many parents are struggling with fighting back this unbelievable gender monster. My kid too was encouraged to bind for yrs and ultimately ended up going even further. It's a barbaric trajectory and yet it's so hopeful knowing there are so many smart and articulate writers like yourself spreading the truth. Excellent work!
Also, I had not considered that later teen onset discomfort is unlikely to resolve before age 19. Yes it should be 25.
I AM outraged and frustrated. I have waved goodbye to half my friends, not because I'm a "Bigot" and "full of hate" (as I have been labelled) but because I just don't have any respect for grown adults who can't see how devastating the trans cult is to children, women and entire families.
I am so angry that so many adults could be so stupid, intentionally ignorant or whatever else it takes to turn a blind eye to this horror show.
And you have shown me I was too hopeful that we were on our way out of the woods. How absolutely depressing.
Didn’t society go through this already with castrati and corsets?
The dangers of corsets, which include atrophy torso muscles, bone deformation, fainting, organ damage, etc.
We already know that stopping testosterone before puberty has other deleterious effects than keeping their voices high. It leads to osteoporosis and interestingly, increased lung capacity.
This is because testosterone stops bone elongation, so it can become more dense and strong. Without it, bones continue to grow longer than they should, weakening them. This includes the rib cage, which leads to increased lung capacity, an attribute prized for singers.
Do the people supporting this not actually know about this or are they delusional?
Excellent writing. Especially "Their ritualistic binding and tucking, which once seemed necessary to alleviate the psychological discomfort they’ve labeled as ‘gender dysphoria’, turns into physical discomfort. . . The pain that was once psychological, now becomes new, physical pain. All this pain sustained in the pursuit of ‘authenticity’ and ‘happiness’ must then be treated through body part removal."
In addition to detrans health clinics for people who became so estranged from their sex that they fled it, there is a desperate need for a broad deprogramming campaign aimed at trans allies in society at large. They're a formidable obstacle to curbing the excesses of trans activism because of their appeals to politicians and the media on behalf of highly sympathetic causes such as the "trans kid."
An excellent, well-written article, Maia. Thank you for sharing your story in detail; it’s so helpful when trying to explain to others who, amazingly, seem to be totally unaware of the dreadful damage being wrought by this vile trans cult. I hope your physical pain will subside even though the psychological effects will be the most devastating. You have my complete admiration for your courage and commitment to helping other children to avoid the trap you were caught by. Well done!
Thank you for bringing more light to breast binding and genital tucking. It seems very disrespectful to the body, and I cannot believe that children are encouraged to treat their bodies so abhorrently.
What an educational and enlightening read! I'm SO glad that I chose to heed your request. 😊 You have added a deeper layer of illumination and understanding to help those of us ignorant to the challenges of so many young people.
Thank you for sharing your hard-earned personal experience and caring voice of wisdom in hopes of giving more "food for thought" to those facing this unimaginable challenge.
May you make the difference you sincerely hope to make as someone who has already traveled this difficult road. Bless you. 🙏💕
Thank you so much for reading this post.
It would be so helpful if you could re-stack it, comment on it and share your thoughts.
Every comment helps get this piece out to those who need to hear it most
I've been concerned about this for a long time. While we can legislate (or make executive orders) to prevent some of the medical harm, we won't fully solve the problem through legislation alone. Instead, we will have clinics, hospitals, and Planned Parenthood ready to pounce on every confused teen once they reach their 19th birthday, bearing toxic chemicals and scalpels as cruel birthday presents. Until then, as you say, these kids will breast-bind and tuck, call themselves the opposite sex and society will refer to and treat them as the opposite sex, causing some medical harm, and certainly preventing them from coming to accept their natural bodies.
In addition to any bans on harmful medical interventions, which I fully endorse and which should reach to age 25, we need to change hearts and minds. We need society to realize that this has been a medical and social scandal of epic proportions, involving every facet of society and every major institution. We need society to realize that the idea of being born in the wrong body is, well, insane, and harmful. We need society to realize that it has been fooled into thinking the way to protect vulnerable, non-conforming (often but not always gay/lesbian/bisexual), unique, sensitive, creative, young people is to pretend they are the opposite sex and to chemically and surgically alter their bodies when the real way to protect them is to love them just as they are. Then we need to help both detransitioners and desisters like you to heal from the harm society has promoted.
Precisely!!!!
As mom to a brilliant and quirky 21 year old whose once-full-and-active-life became instantly small and stunted when she discovered her "gender identity" about 6 years ago, I can't thank you enough for exposing yet another scary truth of this ideology. It breaks my heart whenever I "catch" her with a binder on. I do not allow it in my house as I do not allow self-harm (and I've made it clear that's how I see it), but I worry that she may still be wearing it while away from me. She's sweet enough that she doesn't like to upset her dad and me, but she also claims to not understand (or, maybe, refuses to understand) why we're upset. Please keep speaking and writing. I have to believe that with voices like yours (you remind me of her which gives me such hope), eventually the truth will win out. I just need to keep her as safe as I can until then. You are a hero to me. I know it can't be easy so thank you for fighting for our kids (even the adult ones)!
Of course. I’m committed to this fight. I will continue to release articles and videos on this topic. It takes a lot of time and effort to create these documents and any and all support is very much appreciated.
I hope your daughter can make it out of this. Gender identity is a harmful belief system. I’m glad you’ve laid down those boundaries
Hi James...Maia told some of her story on Heretics with Andrew Gold (YouTube) which might be a gentle way to show your sweet daughter why you're conconcerned. It's a good sign she still acknowledges your wishes. (I haven't seen any of Maia's videos yet though, they're probably great too). Best of luck!
“Damage to healthy body parts is a feature of gender medicine, not a bug.”
Another excellent piece, Maia 👏🏻
You are spot-on about how banning hormonal and surgical interventions for sex-confused young people is just the start. There’s so much more behind the scenes that they’re susceptible to that threatens to send them down the path of self-destruction in service of a cross-sex fantasy.
Thank you so much for reading my post ❤️
Excellent article. It hones in with vivid detail on a normalized component of the subculture that's less glamorous than chemicals/surgeries but still convinces us it's equally nuts. Well sourced--making it useful not only for individual reading but for sharing in a debate context. Good work.
Thank you, Brian. That means lot ❤️❤️❤️
I hope you submit to @tfp. @nytimes etc. How about a reduced submission for teen magazines or your own graphic novel to counter Gender Queer? Very upsetting and yet gives everyone another piece of the puzzle which has gone very much hidden. I'm quite sure that many parents are struggling with fighting back this unbelievable gender monster. My kid too was encouraged to bind for yrs and ultimately ended up going even further. It's a barbaric trajectory and yet it's so hopeful knowing there are so many smart and articulate writers like yourself spreading the truth. Excellent work!
If you have any connections to these organizations, I’d be happy to submit the piece
Brilliant.
Also, I had not considered that later teen onset discomfort is unlikely to resolve before age 19. Yes it should be 25.
I AM outraged and frustrated. I have waved goodbye to half my friends, not because I'm a "Bigot" and "full of hate" (as I have been labelled) but because I just don't have any respect for grown adults who can't see how devastating the trans cult is to children, women and entire families.
I am so angry that so many adults could be so stupid, intentionally ignorant or whatever else it takes to turn a blind eye to this horror show.
And you have shown me I was too hopeful that we were on our way out of the woods. How absolutely depressing.
Thank you for your observation and comments
Didn’t society go through this already with castrati and corsets?
The dangers of corsets, which include atrophy torso muscles, bone deformation, fainting, organ damage, etc.
We already know that stopping testosterone before puberty has other deleterious effects than keeping their voices high. It leads to osteoporosis and interestingly, increased lung capacity.
This is because testosterone stops bone elongation, so it can become more dense and strong. Without it, bones continue to grow longer than they should, weakening them. This includes the rib cage, which leads to increased lung capacity, an attribute prized for singers.
Do the people supporting this not actually know about this or are they delusional?
I guess we keep having to make the same mistakes over and over again
It’s frustrating
Thank you so much for having the courage not only to detransition, but also to write about it. You are a hero 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thank you :)
Excellent writing. Especially "Their ritualistic binding and tucking, which once seemed necessary to alleviate the psychological discomfort they’ve labeled as ‘gender dysphoria’, turns into physical discomfort. . . The pain that was once psychological, now becomes new, physical pain. All this pain sustained in the pursuit of ‘authenticity’ and ‘happiness’ must then be treated through body part removal."
I'm sorry you were preyed upon by the sadists.
Thank you for your comment
In addition to detrans health clinics for people who became so estranged from their sex that they fled it, there is a desperate need for a broad deprogramming campaign aimed at trans allies in society at large. They're a formidable obstacle to curbing the excesses of trans activism because of their appeals to politicians and the media on behalf of highly sympathetic causes such as the "trans kid."
Another good point
An excellent, well-written article, Maia. Thank you for sharing your story in detail; it’s so helpful when trying to explain to others who, amazingly, seem to be totally unaware of the dreadful damage being wrought by this vile trans cult. I hope your physical pain will subside even though the psychological effects will be the most devastating. You have my complete admiration for your courage and commitment to helping other children to avoid the trap you were caught by. Well done!
Thank you!
If you could manage it, I would be very interested to hear your experience/take on the psychological harms of binding and tucking you refer to.
Keep up the fantastic writing Maia and so happy to have you on Substack.
Thank you for bringing more light to breast binding and genital tucking. It seems very disrespectful to the body, and I cannot believe that children are encouraged to treat their bodies so abhorrently.
This ideology is inherently destructive
Restacking for Maia. She is an amazing person and author. Please subscribe to her stack. I have learned so much from her.
Thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Maia!
What an educational and enlightening read! I'm SO glad that I chose to heed your request. 😊 You have added a deeper layer of illumination and understanding to help those of us ignorant to the challenges of so many young people.
Thank you for sharing your hard-earned personal experience and caring voice of wisdom in hopes of giving more "food for thought" to those facing this unimaginable challenge.
May you make the difference you sincerely hope to make as someone who has already traveled this difficult road. Bless you. 🙏💕