...happens. What many people do not realize is that the “Standard of Care” has a one year requirement that you live for one full year in your “true gender” before you have surgery just to find out if it is your “true gender.” For a very small percentage this turns out to be the case, they de-transition for various reasons. For some if it pressure from family, friends and co-workers or the stress from society and for other it might be that they were never trans, they only thought they were trans.
Transgender Newsman Don Ennis Has Second Thoughts After ‘Amnesia’For whatever reason he chose to de-transition and that is what the “real life test” is supposed to do, give you a chance to find yourself. For many people they see this as “flip flopping” but this is the RLT is all about giving trans-people the chance to see if transitioning is really for them. Transitioning is the hardest thing that we ever do and for some, whatever reason cannot cope with the stress.
New Yorker
By Joe Coscarelli
August 6, 2013
A few months ago, ABC News producer Don Ennis received very public support from his co-workers and the wife he was leaving to live as Dawn Stacey Ennis, a woman. Now he's decided to switch back. In an e-mail to friends and colleagues titled "Not Reportable, Very Confirmed," Ennis insisted, "No, I’m not fucking with you. No this is not a joke. No, this is not an episode of 'Would You Fall For That?'" But after a bout of "transient global amnesia," he's going back to Don Ennis. "That will be my name again, now and forever. And it appears I'm not transgender after all."
I can't imagine the pain that must come with detransitioning, be it during rlt or worse after surgery. This is not an easy path to go down to begin with, never mind having to double back and try to go back to what is left of the life you have already abandoned and try to rebuild. Most of the time your transitioned friends don't want to be with you because you might put doubt in their own minds, or somehow be seen that they were weak to go all the way when they could have done like you and just stayed the way you were born. Their pretransition friends most likely would be afraid that you are a little unstable and might change your mind yet again. Thus leaving the poor soul with very little support, confused and alone. There is no real map other than the SOC, there are no straight paths to get from point a to point b, and there are multiple destinations, everyone is different and we must remember to embrace all of those on this journey no matter what destination they chose to go to.
ReplyDeleteAsh
"There is no real map other than the SOC...."
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that this "map" was drawn up by men who have no clue where they themselves are going.
Calling it "Harry Benjamin's Standards of Care", is an outright fraud. Harry had nothing to do with HBIGDA or WPATH.
There is a serious problem with this system and those "professionals", who are personally invested in this narrative of misinformation and lies will continue to profit from the confusion and tragedy of others, most specifically the TG "community".
Actually you are wrong. The SOC is from WPATH and the WPATH committee is made up of men, women and most importantly trans-people.
ReplyDeleteIt is not called the "Harry Benjamin's Standards of Care" it is just called "Standards of Care" it hasn't been called that in probably in over 10 years.
Oh BTW, the SOC are only guidelines and doctors and therapist do not have to follow them and many do not.
ReplyDelete