BY EMERSON LAYNE

For decades to centuries, transgender people and the like get ostrichsized and belittled socially, politically, and legally. From being outcast from their religious families, their identity unwillingly put on the political stage, to bans on transgender healthcare. Trans people have been put on the short end of the stick when it comes to generally everything. This belittling nature stems from the false narratives that trans people are harmful, mentally ill, etc. Many narratives have been proven false, in need of more context, or a scapegoat to a larger issue. This article will go over some harmful narratives targeting transgender people that are untrue or are in need of more context. 

One narrative that has been spreading around is transgender people, primarily transgender women, are invading sports to dominate in categories. This narrative has been prominently spread in women’s or girl’s sports. This false narrative comes from the long belief that biological men are stronger than women, though yes biological men have advantages over women, like in bone density, muscle mass, etc. But one thing people forget is what transgender women give themselves; estrogen. Estrogen, in what it is desired by transgender women, is the development of female characteristics, like breast growth and less facial hair growth. Some possible negative effects of estrogen are decreased muscle mass, bone loss, risk of heart disease, and redistribution of body fat. For a transgender women to play in elite sports, they need to be on estrogen for a year or two and have testosterone be mostly or completely out of the body. A trans woman on estrogen for a year will have decreased muscle mass and redistribution of body fat, so they would have a similar body structure to that of a cis woman. 

Though with the current and ongoing research of trans athletes, many people believe trans women are dominating women’s sports. Though with the few trans women and girls playing in sports, they are not dominating in any category. It’s also important to note that trans men are hardly talked about in men’s sports, which also comes from the belief that biological women are weaker than men, whilst ignoring the muscle mass and strength gain from testosterone hormone therapy. For those that don’t know, testosterone is a naturally occurring steroid, so trans men are given a type of steroid to join men’s sports. So if a trans man, or in the eyes of others; a woman, would have an unfair advantage over cis women if trans men would be forced to go to women’s sports. While if trans women are forced to go to men’s sports, they would have an unfair disadvantage from the men. 

Another narrative is that children are being forced to undergo transgender surgeries. One, it is illegal for a child to undergo transgender surgeries. Two, if a child does undergo hrt or puberty blockers, healthcare providers must need the child’s guardian’s approval before undergoing the process. Third, schools aren’t conducting transgender surgeries for children, there has been no proof of this happening. 

One thing that is generally seldom seen is gender affirming care. While yes, gender affirming care is typically used pertaining to transgender individuals, cis people are able to go through gender affirming care. It is important to note that gender affirming care is not exclusive to surgeries and hormones. Cis people undergoing gender affirming care can experience the same thing trans people go through, like hormones or surgery to change a person’s autonomy. Other experiences can include speech therapy, laser hair removal, and mental health services. Gender affirming care is an option after sessions with a therapist or counselor to discuss the best options for the person in need. This process can take a few months to years depending on the desired outcomes and the person. Gender affirming care is never immediately implemented for a person, since it can be even more harmful to a person’s mental or physical health. While less than 1% of people regret transitioning or undergoing gender affirming care, there are options to reverse transitioning, though not all things can fully be reversed, so it’s important for doctors, therapists, and specialists to know what the right thing to do for a person is. 

Another narrative is that trans people have a mental disorder due to them believing their gender identity is different from what they were assigned at birth. According to MedlinePlus, mental disorders are conditions that affect thinking, feeling, mood, and behavior. So, by definition, everything you come into contact with in your life that affects your thinking, feelings, moods, or behaviors can be classified as you having a mental health disorder. So yes, by definition trans people have a mental disorder, but so would everyone else. 

Ultimately, trans people who believe they are a man, woman, non-binary, etc. aren’t affecting your life nor the most important thing to think about. Things like the economy, healthcare, and housing are some things that most people find to be more important than what gender their neighbor is. As a whole, trans people aren’t hurting anyone, even with the few cases a trans person does, they are justly punished for their crimes. A person wanting to become a woman isn’t going to affect your life, your children’s lives, or anyone else’s lives besides their own life. Whether it’s a “mental disorder” or not, the only person they are “hurting” is themselves.