It seems trans folk have been in the news a lot. A Congress critter introduced a bill to "protect" women in sports...which, if that's the highest priority given the world we live in right now, I want the drugs she's on....but maybe like a quarter dose? Also, some red states have introduced laws banning gender therapy for kids of a certain age. A few celebs have "come out" as trans or non-binary, most notably Elliot (Ellen) Page. In my own life, a friend of a friend is trans, and wanted to smash (yeah, yeah gender whatever, pussy is pussy). We're talking and I am kind of surprised. They were on testosterone for a while, and it utterly fucked them up. All sorts of health issues, that they are still dealing with, despite being off it for almost 3 years. Apparently, shitty doctors will throw folks on a transition plan with drugs, diet, therapy, etc. and not adjust it when it starts to go off the rails. I can see some of the laws making sense from a public health perspective: not all transitions go well, and while someone like Caitlyn Jenner had millions of dollars and a breathtaking array of plastic surgeons to throw at it, most folks do not. I remember this being a major sticking point in the trans folk in the miltiary issue: their healthcare is a public expense, and getting gender-affirming surgery on the public dime is one thing, but a lifetime of debilitating health issues if that surgery doesn't go well is another. My ex's nephew is maybe 2, and was born with severe genital birth defects (coincidentally, the name of my first metal album). His parents had to essentially tell the surgeons/doctors what gender they wanted him to be, and cautioned them that he would have serious health issues his entire life, from some levels of sexual disfunction to hormone issues. They've been preparing for him to be trans and championing for gender-neutrality in their community. I read a book a few weeks ago that talked about the way our social constructs of gender create inherent biases that fuck up children. No surprises there, and I can see some benefit from shying away from gender specific child-rearing to avoid those biases. Yet, I cringe if I hear "raising our baby to be trans/non-binary", because the kid didn't make that choice. There's a chasm between gender-neutral colors and toys, and "my woke-ass baby". Lastly, I remember reading studies that talked about the decline in sperm count and testosterone in men, largely due to plastics and other chemicals we're exposed to. Part of me wonders if that has something to do with the prevalence of trans/non-binary folks, or just a seemingly large swath of the population embracing androgyny because the stereotypical aspects of masculinity elude them from a genetic/hormonal perspective. Ie, this is becoming a bigger deal because of population-wide shifts in hormones. I know this movement is in it's infancy, and I can see some true mainstream benefits from some of their perspective. I'm curious what y'all's experience has been, and where you think this heads.