I've kinda been thinking about this and have a theory and want to know what you guys think. So, as most of us probably know, there's been increasing numbers of transgender children transitioning. But you normal hear about MTF. FTM, you typically hear about when they're older. At least from what I've observed. And I was wondering why that is. Then it hit me. When a girl is more masculine, it's assumed that she's a tomboy. But if it's a boy who's feminine, people are more worried because boys can't be feminine in this society. But girls can be boyish, that's totally acceptable. So I thought parents probably just think their child is a tomboy and so FTM typically happens later in life. I don't really know. Please don't quote me on this, it's just a theory. What do you guys think? Do you agree, or do you think it could be for some other reason?
I think you've identified a couple of things. One, when it is said it's more acceptable for women to be masculine than for men to be feminine, what I believe you've identified is misogyny. That is, the best thing to be is a man, and the worst thing is to be a woman. Both people are "transgressing" against a gender norm. But to the extent the worst transgression is an expression of femininity, that's classical misogyny at work. Two, I think trans people might be feeling a little safer to question and express themselves at a younger age. I don't know what your experience was in school, if you happen to be around my age. I'm curious to know if you've noticed such a stark difference as I have in my area, but the acceptance of queer teenagers is substantially greater than it was eight to ten years ago. I certainly don't think it got easier for trans people in the same way or nearly as fast as it did for bisexual, lesbian, and gay teenagers, and I certainly don't think parents are making children's gender exploration and questioning any easier. All I think is happening is that today's transgender and genderqueer youth feel less alone than we did ten years ago. And I think they feel more emboldened by that. :3 Adrienne
I love that you brought up misogyny. It's true and disgusting. Nothing shameful about being a women. I think it definitely is becoming more accepted but still just as hard. Thanks for the thoughts.
