What to call this thread?

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I remember when my son was in 1st grade -- that was the year we finally understood he was trans, and began his social transition (name and pronouns mostly). He's always been a super bright kid, but he had also always struggled with his reading. He lagged behind the other kids for some reason, and just wasn't able to concentrate long enough to know how to sound out the words.

There were other things happening, too: he was super squirrelly on the rug during circle time and could never seem to sit still. When it was time to line up (boys over here, girls over here), the sweet thing would just go and hide somewhere instead. He didn't want to line up with the girls, but he knew he'd be kicked out of the boys line if he lined up there where he felt he belonged. So he'd just hide instead.

Breaks my heart, honestly.

I won't retell the entire story of "how I figured it out", but it eventually all clicked for me: after YEARS of him trying to get me to SEE him for his authentic self, I finally got it. He wasn't a "tomboy". He was a BOY. And the sooner ....

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In recent years, activism from Christian nationalists, ‘gender critical’ feminists, and other right-wing groups, funded by billionaires and fossil fuel companies, has led to widespread restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender young people in the UK and the US.

Despite evidence demonstrating that gender-affirming care improves mental health and wellbeing, reduces suicide attempts and self-harm, and increases happiness, these groups have succeeded in pushing harmful narratives which have stoked concerns around gender-affirming care for trans youth. These narratives have found their way into scholarly journals, national policies, and liberal media alike.

Two issues in particular have been used to justify bans on youth gender-affirming care: an alleged “explosion” in the number of young trans people seeking gender-affirming care, and an apparent increase in the number of transgender boys (those assigned female at birth, or AFAB) seeking gender-affirming care in adolescence compared to the number of transgender girls (those assigned male at birth, or AMAB) who do so.

Rapid onset gender dysphoria

Controversial research by self-described physician-scientist Lisa Littman has argued that these changes are due to a phenomenon she terms ....

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Shiftless2 said:
View attachment 2247 #864
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That's one possible explanation Caroline. It's not the only possible explanation.
Ockham's Razor, more likely I suspect, they prefer what's natural.
In weight-lifting, some can lift more than others.
It's a competition to see who can lift the most.
Wouldn't make much sense to roll in a crane, and lift not only the barbell, but also the stage it's on.

Oscar Pistorias may be a useful illustration for you.
When a prosthetic leg was little more or less than a badly designed baseball bat, it was hardly considered an advantage, & in fact was not.

But extensive prosthetic materials & design engineering created limbs which surpass nature.
 
Shiftless2 said:
"On that basis they shouldn't be banning cis women whose natural testosterone levels are high, even by male standards." S2 #866
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Perhaps.
The Devil's in the details. That's not an endorsement. It's an explanation, an acknowledgement of the difficulty of this issue.
We tend to try and make it "fair" with mathematical objectivity, for example: X.xx level of specified hormone. In the era of synthetic treatments (steroids, or whatever).
And when we apply this standard in sincere attempt to uniformly apply standards, these unusual exceptions tend to surface.

Institutionally therefore, we operate the system to accommodate the ~99% (the majority) rather than tailoring it to the 1% (the minority).
If I were a mathemagician I might seek an objective solution, meaning a system that would eliminate or significantly reduce the unfairness addressed by meme #866.
Can that be accomplished by applying mathematical quantification as the standard, but without the injustice of these exceptions?
Kudos to the one that finds one, and promotes it sufficiently for it to be implemented globally (or better yet, throughout our solar-system).

Shiftless2 said:
"Semenya must take medication to reduce the testosterone that her body naturally produces ..." #866
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Acknowledged. Please see previous reply.

Shiftless2 said:
"Phelps" #866
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I'm a layman on this. My wild guess is the distinction is, Semanya has invoked non-nature, whereas Phelps, circus freak though he may be, appears to be natural even if unusual, unlike for example Lance Armstrong, who reportedly turned to artificial steroid use to win the Tour de France.

Shiftless2 said:
And don't forget the complaints about the female Algerian boxer
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I don't know this.
 
sear said:
I'm a layman on this. My wild guess is the distinction is, Semanya has invoked non-nature, whereas Phelps, circus freak though he may be, appears to be natural even if unusual, unlike for example Lance Armstrong, who reportedly turned to artificial steroid use to win the Tour de France.
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Semenya has not invoked anything non-natural. Like Phelps she's a genetic freak whose NATURAL testosterone levels are off the charts but the powers that be don't like her (she not only doesn't look "pretty" i.e., meet traditional masculine ideas of female beauty) but she's black and butch gay.

And while I stand to be corrected my understanding is the the ruling that requires her to take testosterone suppressing drugs is so narrowly written that it applies only to her.

On a related note, to the best of my knowledge all of the women who have been banned because of their natural testosterone levels just happen to be black. Not surprising because it's not that long ago that white female athletes were complaining that black women competitors had unfair advantages.
 
Shiftless2 said:
"Semenya has not invoked anything non-natural. Like Phelps she's a genetic freak whose NATURAL testosterone levels are off the charts but the powers that be don't like her (she not only doesn't look "pretty" i.e., meet traditional masculine ideas of female beauty) but she's black and butch gay." S2 #868
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- oh -
oops
I thought she was competing in a gender category other than her birth category.
Thanks S2.
In that case, my opinion: if she's as natural as Phelps, the same standards should be applied.

Shiftless2 said:
"And while I stand to be corrected my understanding is the the ruling that requires her to take testosterone suppressing drugs is so narrowly written that it applies only to her." S2 #868
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That in my opinion would raise serious questions. If it only applies to her because she's the only one like that, but it would apply to three others, IF there were 3 others, worthy of monitoring, simply to verify the rule is being fairly, uniformly applied.

Shiftless2 said:
"On a related note, to the best of my knowledge all of the women who have been banned because of their natural testosterone levels just happen to be black. Not surprising because it's not that long ago that white female athletes were complaining that black women competitors had unfair advantages." S2
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Perpetrators seem to pretend to victimhood more often than commonly recognized.

Shiftless2 said:
"... black women competitors had unfair advantages." S2
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Bigots can turn on the dime.
Until embarrassingly recently Blacks weren't allowed to be NFL quarterbacks because 'they're not smart enough'.
That's a stumper to me. Any candidate can demonstrate skill on the practice field. So evidently the $wealthy White owners weren't smart enough?
 
Who and what can you trust? NOBODY in this Administration

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What can we trust? What insult or injury is too much?

This week, the Department of the Air Force rescinded already approved retirement applications for transgender members with 15-18 years of service. Now, in addition to being forced out, these Airmen and Guardians are being denied retirement benefits. They may be eligible for separation pay, but that will be recouped by the VA if they ever access any veteran's benefits.

Even with all the upheaval of the past few months, these individuals finally felt that there was some sense of closure. Some had moved, accepted jobs, or had otherwise made plans. Now all of that is up in the air in addition to their loss of benefits.

I'll let MSgt Logan Ireland, one of the people impacted, describe the situation -

Beyond devastated. Despite having a Department of the Air Force approved early retirement date of 1 Dec 2025 and official retirement orders in hand, the Department of the Air Force has now revoked my retirement—along with all previously approved early retirements for transgender Airmen and Guardians—without any case by case review, explanation, or legal justification.

I have served my country honorably. I’ve earned multiple awards for leadership and excellence, deployed to combat zones, led operations across the globe, and worn this uniform with pride. My service has been nothing short of meritorious. I didn’t just check boxes, I exceeded the standard, time and again, in defense of this nation.

And now, without warning, I am being forcibly removed—not for misconduct, not for failure, but because I am transgender.

We are being purged. Our gender markers are being stripped from our military records and forcibly replaced with our sex assigned at birth, even when our legal documents reflect who we truly are. Our involuntary removal is being carried out without dignity, without transparency, and without the respect every honorable service member deserves.

We are being torn from the uniform we bled in—by the very service that once celebrated our sacrifice.

SOURCE
 
Shiftless2 said:
"And we used to hear that there were no black hockey players in the NFL because their ankles were too weak." S2 #871
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I'm over 70.
I'm losing my faculties.
It's progressive. BUT !
It's nice to have some company, plenty of room in the lifeboat sir.

"... no black hockey players in the NFL ...".

The top 4 Black hockey players in the NHL​

Though hockey is still perceived as an all-White sport, these players are changing the game
By Toby Adeyemi / Oct 08, 2024

The top 4 are also the bottom 4 ?

- anyway -
It may get even a little worse:

Jamaica national bobsleigh team More from Wikipedia​

:)



a drag race

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"What a world! What a world!" the Wicked Witch of the West's last words
 
I totally don't like this!
Shiftless2 said:
Who and what can you trust? NOBODY in this Administration

What can we trust? What insult or injury is too much?
This week, the Department of the Air Force rescinded already approved retirement applications for transgender members with 15-18 years of service.
Click to expand...
a) I consider this a conspicuous breach of contract. If their service is honorable, then the terms mutually agreed to on day #1 are the terms that must be applied. Changing the rules AFTER a decade and a half of service or more, is entirely unacceptable.
b) Disgraceful.
c) President Trump is our elected representative, is required to act on our behalf. Betraying those that have faithfully served us not merely undermines them, it undermines U.S.

I hope this is challenged in law court, and severely smacked down. IF NOT !!
Then U.S. national security will be further jeopardized as a result.
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant" Louis D. Brandeis
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Thank you S2 for shining the light on this further Trump embarrassment / disgrace.
 
As that post says - that's what class action legislation is designed for.

If you follow that link and read the comments you'll see that some of the posters are giving Trump a pass and blaming Obama and Biden because they didn't enact legislations enabling transgender individuals to continue serving and relied on Executive Orders. That said, even if you agree with that it does not mean that the current administration is justified in stripping retirement benefits from people who were willing to serve their country.
 
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Intersex resolution receives unanimous support from Australian Medical Association conference delegates

The Australian Medical Association held its National Conference last weekend and in exciting news, Dr Thomas Drake-Brockman moved for the AMA to “recognise Innate Variations of Sex Characteristics as natural variations in humans, oppose pathologisation of Intersex people, and call for the deferral of all non-urgent medical and surgical interventions for those who cannot given personal and informed consent”. Dr Jasmine Davis seconded the motion and…

...the motion was passed with unanimous support from the National Conference!

The motion will now advance to the Federal Council, where Dr Drake-Brockman says it “can be expected to drive significant policy and advocacy work across the AMA”.

Read more at

interaction.org.au

Intersex resolution receives unanimous support from Australian Medical Association delegates – InterAction

The Australian Medical Association held its National Conference last weekend and in exciting news, Dr Thomas Drake-Brockman moved for the AMA to “recognise Innate Variations of Sex Characteristics as natural variations in humans, oppose pathologisation of Intersex people, and call for the...
interaction.org.au interaction.org.au
 
Shiftless2 said:
#878
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Well done. BUT !
What's the best way to not merely acknowledge the scientific validity of this biochemical human spectrum, but to apply it in public policy?

Example:
We ignore this, and have two genders of toilet facilities at baseball stadia, McD's & Wal~Mart. If two isn't enough, how many more do we need?
 
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