Saw this article and... it just annoyed me. The woman claims that she's a cat stuck in a human's body. Now... if people want to have delusional beliefs, and it doesn't harm anyone, then I suppose it's no harm, no foul. The problem is, though, that people like this, with their ridiculous bullshit, end up making it harder for many other people, who have very real problems, from gender dysphoria, to struggling with sexuality, to authentic mental healh issues, to get help with their issues, or to be understood and accepted by society. This person probably does have an authentic problem, but it isn't that she thinks she's a cat. It's more likely some sort of desire for attention, no doubt caused by issues in her childhood. She deserves compassion, and to get the help she needs for whatever her underlying issues are. And again... if not for the fact that people lump bullshit like this into the same category as people with genuine struggles, I'd say let her do what she wants. But until people learn to discern the people with bogus attention-seeking, speclal snowflake crap from the people who are genuinely struggling, everyone suffers.
There is another article that states that people like that form this animal identity as a defensive mechanism due to a traumatic incident like abuse or bullying. I for one don't like these people. Half the ones I have talked to (mostly tween tumble users) seem to be just after attention. There are a more rational few who do say they don't believe that they are these animals, but that they were that species in a past life or that it is their totem animal or such. I just hate how this affects the LGBT community, espiecally the T community who is already often treated like a joke.
That is precisely my issue with people like this. It causes immense indirect harm to people who already have a tough enough time. I get that at the root of all of these attention-seeking behaviors is some sort of reaction formation or insecurity or coping strategy. And that's why these people need compassion. Where it gets complicated is when these bogus situations interfere with the very real and difficult ones.
Hmm, yeah, I understand why you guys in this thread feel and think about this woman the way you do. But.. how do we know for sure that being transspecies isn't a genuine thing? I mean, there have been times in which people thought homosexuals and transgenders didn't really exist, either. Some people even thought that homosexuality was caused by abuse or that it was an mental illness. Now, I see that people in this thread are saying the exact same things about being a cat trapped in a humans body. Yeah, it might be bogus, but again, how do we know for sure? There might be lots and lots of types of people that have 'abnormal' feelings which are completely real but who are being heavily oppressed by society even in the present.
I saw this in The Telegraph a few weeks ago and I'm just sick of this nonsense, the issue is that many of the people publicising this are the same 'open minded' liberals (open minded only to themselves) who supported the gay rights movement are now seeking a new social justice cause they can campaign on to make themselves feel better. The fact it's the same people using the same "it doesn't hurt anyone" narrative, ignoring the obvious difference that sexualities differ and that it isn't physically possible for someone to be a 'different species'. All of these people have some sort of underlying metal disorder and we shouldn't just let people cling onto these 'coping mechanisms' perpetuated and normalised by Tumblr. I'm sure everyone here knows my thoughts on people seeking special treatment.
I don't think that this woman being the way she is is the problem. The real problem is that some people for some reason use her as an example to invalidate or make fun of the LGBT community - why? This woman and the LGBT community are two different things.. Besides, why do people even think this can't be a real thing? It doesn't necessarily have to be non existent just because it seems absurd to people.. So I think that what is really causing harm is the way that some people are thinking about this.
So? Do you have to be flamboyant, like Madonna and Lady Gaga and have a 'gay voice' to be gay? Does being 'masculine' somehow invalidate your gayness, then? I understand your point but that argument kind of reminds me of, well, stereotypes about how gay people are.
My point is mostly that most trans people just want to be themselves and live a normal life not tell everyone they meet about how special they are. I don't mind otherkin.I mind otherkin that do it for the attention.
There's a guy in Pennsylvania who had an appearance on Dr. Phil who thinks he's a dog in a human body. He sleeps in a dog house, eats Alpo out of a bowl on the floor, plays with chew toys, walks around town in a homemade dog suit made of shredded paper, and barks at cars. He's 50 years old, has no job, lives off his mother's trust fund, and is a virgin. He even tried legally changing his name to "Boomer The Dog," but a judge denied him. Just when you think you've seen it all, shit like this pops up.
The response from articles like these by bigots is worse. "Do you see what 'transgendered' people have done? Not only are they making people uncomfortable in the bathroom, but they are being a bad influence to our children!" Fuck all bigot-nuggets. :smilewave
The fact is that there is a wide difference between being another gender and another species. I'm not a scientist but its easier to believe a person. Can be born with the brain/body of the wrong gender considering the very small amount of difference between how gender in the brain. But on a DNA and genetic stand point, on brain size and many other things, its rather seems rather freaking unlikely.
I do think she has some issues that she needs to be helped with, but personally I don't relate 'otherkin' with the LGB/T community.