Re: OT: Cracking Speech by JDV!

Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:

[...]

But, YOU determine your sexual preferences, sexuality, gender, etc.
You might "leak" hints to careful observers, but YOU are the defining
entity.  Whereas, in each of the preceding, you are likely the LAST
to know (or admit).
 
[That's not to say that there aren't folks who refuse to acknowledge
their own preferences -- likely because they KNOW there are social
(and likely business/economic) consequences to that!]

That is the critical point: there is what you are - and there is what
you do about it.   Like left-handedness, trying to suppress something
that is part of who you are will eventually take its toll on your
well-being. 

The link which was identified between mental illness and LGBT in the
past  was not because more LGBT people were mentally ill, it is because
of the way they were treated by society and the stress they were under
to appear to conform.

Very often the most anti-LGBT people are like that because they are
trying to suppress it in themselves.  I know many trenswomen who wasted
the first part of their lives pretending to be macho men, grew beards
and did weight training etc in the hope that it would make the feelings
go away.  Often this led to multiple breakdowns and/or attempts at
suicide before they eventually recognised their self deception and
decided to live the rest of their lives the way they needed to.

There is a bit of good advice given to parents who are frantically
worried that their young son might be transgender: "Better a happy
daughter than a dead son".  Sadly, this advice isn't always heeded.


--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
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www.poppyrecords.co.uk