Backlash has begun

 

A word of caution

I spoke to an ex-colleague yesterday who I knew has a 16 year old transgender teen transitioning from female to male. They were already on puberty blockers but I was surprised to learn that they were starting testosterone and that surgery was being discussed. This colleague also knows about my history. 

I could see the hesitation and discomfort on his face. I too have some reservations given his son's tender age which I shared very carefully without any sense of alarm. 

The previous case I am familiar with with another colleague is someone who did the same thing who is now 27 (same age as my daughter). The transition happened in the early 20's and at last word they were extremely happy. One would never have known from a photo that they were born genetically female. 

Apparently the doctor has assured the family that the regret rate is very low when undergoing treatment through an approved clinic and yet the tender age is still of concern to me. Given the tumult of being a teen one could imagine a scenario where one could look back in regret. My lesbian niece, who is now 24, went through a phase of questioning her gender and thought the better of it later. 

If my generation had wheels firmly stuck in the mud with few options to avoid massive pain and disruption, it appears we may have moved in the other direction a bit much. 

If I knew this trans teen I would counsel he delay just a bit longer and chew things over before any irreversible procedures. Of course easier said than done to someone of that age who feels an urgency which may or may not be entirely warranted.

Cruelty

It's hard to understand what Trumpists see. I try to put myself in their place to find some relational territory but I cannot and remain baffled. 

The best explanation I have is that frustrated people need someone to enact vengeance on their behalf. They want their enemies punished and Trump fits the bill which is why at its core the MAGA movement is ostensibly about cruelty. That is, until it happens to them. 

A Maryland man was mistakenly sent to a Venezuelan prison through administrative error. He is father to a special needs child of 5 and married to a woman who has just lost her husband to both incompetent idiocy and cruelty. This administration does not believe in due process and bases their immigration policy on the type of tattoos you have. A gay hairdresser recently met a similar fate.

It's hard to watch Nazi Barbie Karoline Leavitt lie her way through pressers with such arrogant aplomb. She is empty headed and so the confidence is unearned. Her worn cross contrasts sharply against the message of the Gospels. 

It all grates so much against our sensibilities because cruelty is precisely the point.