I'm not saying that those people identifying as Transgenders aren't people, they most certainly are human beings. They are, IMO, suffering from a mental illness. I have no doubt it's emotionally devastating and I have stated the humane thing to do is treat them for this illness, not encourage the delusion. That aside, if we as a society are going to go along with their delusion, then we must acknowledge that there are in fact differences between them and people who accept the reality of being a male or female from birth, especially when it comes to athletic competition. If they're going to compete in sports then yes, it should only be with other trans people, or within the gender of what they were born with. They want to run a track meet dressed as a women, identify as a woman, have surgical mutilation to look like a woman, all fine with me, they just compete against other men because they are in fact male, not female. We also need to stop the gaslighting of children into accepting that this illness is somehow normal, it's not. Other than that they can pretend to be whomever and whatever they want.
The way homosexuality should be "treated?" And, if so, how, exactly? Because no one has yet been able to pray away the gay to my knowledge. And, societal pressures aside, it seems that gay people are most happy being exactly who they are. So why would a trans orientation be any different? What do you know that all of them do not? I don't know how parents should approach this issue with their child, or when. That's well above my pay grade. And, no, it is not normal, by definition, because it does not fall within the norm. But that does not necessarily make it an illness that can be cured, perhaps any more than you can be presently cured of your sexual orientation. By all accounts that orientation is here to stay. So should we accept people for their orientation, or should we make it a miserable and lifelong struggle for them simply because it does not comfortably comport with our views?
Gay and Transgender are in no way similar other than for political alliances. Being gay is a sexual preference. Transgender is mental confusion about ones own body, and has nothing to do with sexual orientation, it's about gender identity. Many men who identify as transgender still prefer sex with women.(see Bruce Jenner) Regarding parents what I do know is there aren't any three year olds who are confused about gender without their idiot parents pushing some narrative and prompting such behavior. Now if some teenage kid, or possible somewhat younger is demonstrating some confusion I am suggesting professional help from a trained psychiatrist, not "pray it away" which is just another one of your cheap political shots. Finally, yes we should accept people for who they choose to be, but what can't be expected, and certainly not demanded,is that I play along with the delusion. There are two genders, male and female, and a person just can't choose to be one or the other depending on their mood or emotional state of mind.
No one’s complaning about some girl who identifies as a guy sweeping up the metals in male sporting events. Wonder why? If you think it’s fair for a born biological male to compete against a born biological female in physical sporting events, you need your head examined.
They're similar in the sense that they have long been ostracized by conservative-minded people, and chosen suitable alliances. By orientation in the transgender sense, I did mean gender identity. My bad. But I don't think transgenders are any more confused about their mental gender identity than gays or straight people are about their own sexual orientation. How do you get to decide who is "confused" and who is legitimate? What makes you the arbiter for people whom you have never even met? Come on. Are you kidding me? How many gay (and possibly trans) people were shamed into all kinds of interventions to become "normal," and how many of them legitimately "converted?" And the "pray away the gay" conversion therapy was, and perhaps in some circles still is, a very big thing among fundamentalist Christian groups. Cheap shot? No, bull's eye. None of that shit works. People are who they are. You continue to miss the point. There is no choice here. You think people choose their gender identity and sexual orientation? Are you kidding me?! Did you choose yours? Do you know the suicide rate among transgenders? https://www.google.com/search?q=ransgender suicide rate&cad=h And you think these people actually choose to go down the gender identity road? Come on, man.
Nobody watches women sports, ergo nobody cares. Let me know when a transgender woman starts competing competitively in man's sports, then I'll watch
No, people don't chose their gender, that's the whole point, you are what you were born as, there is no changing it. This is also the case with mental illness. These people did not choose to be mentally ill, none the less they are. We as a society are choosing to facilitate the mental illness rather than treat it. Would we encourage a schizophrenic to jump off the building because the person thought he could fly? Suicide rates are high among the mentally ill so that's no surprise, and that's exactly why these people need serious treatment for their illness.
Their theory was that lowering the testosterone level to a certain limit equalized strength. Clearly they were wrong. Best to admit the mistake and cut losses now, rather than become Trump's next target.
Mentally ill according to whom? No possible chance of just having been born different but otherwise “normal?” Must be cool knowing it all.