Comments on: world’s youngest transsexual

By: nexy

nexy — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:32:52 +0000

good point. perhaps i should have said that the media has recently updated their definition.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:17:34 +0000

Not sure I agree with your accusation that the media has unilaterally labeled “only” post-operative people as transsexuals. I’m sure you can recall many bits of news over the years about prominent transfolk who were called transsexuals even though they were pre-op or status unknown. However, it surely can be argued that the media will not call you transsexual if you are pre-transition - that is, if you haven’t done anything other than declare your status. If you haven’t grown or cut your hair, started hormones, or started dressing in your target gender, you’ll have a hard time getting anyone, least of all the media, to call you trans-anything.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 05:06:32 +0000

I appreciate your point of view, and I said I was trying to not be judgmental, not declaring that I was being 100% successful. I am glad we can have this conversation, and I can’t possibly understand who you were at 16, just as you can’t judge who I was at 16 from a sentence. 16 wasn’t easy for me either, but in different ways than for you. I had intended by sharing my honest thoughts, that other people would examine their own thoughts on the subject openly and honestly.
It is only though sharing our thoughts and feelings can we bridge the gap and learn from and about one another to promote tolerance. I also apologize if my post offended you. That was not my intention.

By: nexy

nexy — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:46:14 +0000

surely you can understand how i could interpret your comment about your experience when you were 16 as dismissive of my experience at 16 of knowing exactly how i saw myself, and how i needed to live my life. just because you were confused or immature at 16, doesn’t mean that i was, or that kim is. and surely, you could see that stating ” yet Germany pays for a teenager’s sex change!”, complete with exclamation point, is dismissive of “sex changes”. and surely, you can understand that your son at 16, knows that he would like for his congenital heart defect to be repaired.

in simple terms, you at 16, in perfect health, as a young, white, normative female, had only music and driving cars as your biggest concern. people like your son, and people like kim and myself, experience much larger issues than cars and music. we may not be mature in every area, but those aspects that impact our lives, or quality of life, can certainly be quite clear at a young age.

i understand you may not feel you are being judgmental, but i think if you re-read your comments with a more objective or empathetic eye, you may see my point of view. if you can’t possibly understand the complexity of this case, i would respectfully request you defer to those of us who do understand.

regarding my other comments about shemales and wannabes, those were directed to the media in general, and not at you specifically. i apologize if i positioned those comments in a way that directed my frustration at you.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:25:34 +0000

I was not asking the world to use my experience, but I shared it to show how I could not possibly understand the complexities of the case. I do not condemn the German government for paying for this surgery, quite the opposite. I wish our government was more supportive of people’s health. I am not accusing anyone of being “wannabe transsexuals. or worse, shemales.” I don’t even know what this means. I was trying to give some insight into how I feel about the issue, trying not to judge, trying to accept. I am not your enemy.