Transgenderism

As the mother of a 23-year-old Aspergers only child, I have spent over 24 years researching and learning topics on parenting, childhood development, autism, and now transgenderism.

I do not know what it's like to have a child who didn't have problems in school. I do not know what it's like to have a child who didn't keep getting kicked out of school. I do not know what it's like to have a child graduate from school. I do not know what it's like to wonder why my child was so different and isolated, until the diagnosis at the age of 16, but by then the system had failed to protect and it ended up being another statistic with no solution. I do not know what it's like to have a neurotypical child, with proper development, social functioning, or community inclusion...and now my child is moving towards having a sex-change operation.

I have been pondering for two years now, since my male born Aspergers child told me he is transgender and wants to be a female...because the suicidal ideation will go away is the claim. But what if it doesn't? Perhaps the fixation is such that it's just a distraction for now. But maybe I missed the signs. Everyone tells me there are signs, how could I not have seen them? Could it be a seed planted into his vulnerable mind by his suspected also autistic girlfriend? They are both developmentally delayed, perhaps this is a stage of what would be normal gender exploration and expression as would be in a neurotypical teenager. Have we taken this transgender thing too far? Are they just seeking to belong? Do they feel they have to label and change themselves physically to block the emotional pain just to fit into a box with society? They want to fit in and be accepted like everyone, is this the missing link for autism? My overthinking mind and previous education has me viewing all angles in this extremely complex situation.

I do not know what your thoughts are on this topic, and transgenderism can be very controversial for some. Throw autism into the mix with transgenderism and watch your complexities triple.

There are studies that show that doctors working in gender disorder clinics are seeing a higher than expected number of children with autism and that those with autism have the highest ranking for gender dysphoria. Is gender dysphoria a result of sensory issues that an autistic person experiences? Is the gender dysphoria an actual result of the fixation on what to do with their genitalia, or that some just aren't comfortable with the look or feel of what they have been given? Perhaps autistic traits of "fixating" on issues could convince children they are the wrong gender?

Many argue that the transgender movement has gone too far. I have read books that tell me transgenderism is an idea planted by the medical community to make money through a legalized genital mutilation method. This could be especially true in the autistic community as a method of castration to prevent them from reproducing.

According to the book Transgenda, Abuse and Regret in the Sex Change Industry by Alex P. Serritella, he states that sex change industry has been sold to the public. "Much of the sex change operations was done in concentration camps, governments have used prisoners as human guinea pigs for experimentation....." He goes on to speak about how the media has been controlling the public by persuading and feeding the illusion of acceptance by creating this trans-movement and how our perception has been influenced. "Perception has been carefully cultivated by the media to get the public to accept transgenderism. Those who accept it are enlightened thinkers and those who don't must have something wrong with them."

My final food for thought is this as was stated in Transgenda, and having been educated in mental health I can see where this causes a rock and hard place effect, so I will leave you with this statement from the book, "If a man goes to a psychiatrist and says, 'Doc, I think I'm a chicken', what would the psychiatrist do? Will he stick feathers in the man so he can look like a real chicken? Of course not, that's completely absurd. But it parallels the absurdity of a sex-change operation. If a man thinks he is a woman, he is clearly in a delusional state. Why would the psychiatrist feed the delusion instead of curing it? If he really wants to do what's best for the man, he would try to help him deal with reality and accept himself for who he is. Gender dysphoria is the magic bullet theory of transgenderism. It is a desperate attempt to make sense out of something that makes no sense at all."

As a mother of an autistic child who states a sex-change MtF is in the near future, I can't help but wonder if the fixation is due to a mindset of "I can be like a video game avatar and change myself" without understanding actual repercussions of long term effects. A lack of executive functioning that goes along with autism prevents them from imagining consequences to their decisions. So there it is...the pros and cons to an extremely unique situation. What are your thoughts?