Together on a path

The Children’s Hospital of Manitoba appears to be a nightmare.

I’m reading it, and it’s horrifying.

Mary [a pseudonym], a vibrant 10-year-old with bright eyes that always seem to be smiling, is a beacon of creativity, kindness, and artistry. She’s a dancer and musician, expressing herself through the beauty of movement and sound. 

No he’s not a musician ffs. He’s ten. He likes music, he’s learning music, he makes music, but he’s not a musician. He dances, but he’s not a dancer. If he plays hospital he’s not a doctor; if he plays school he’s not a teacher.

It’s a nitpick but maybe not just a nitpick, since treating children as if they can make monumental decisions about changing their sex is a massive part of the problem here. Children are children, not tiny adults.

Mary thinks she was about seven years old when she began to articulate feelings of longing to be a “real girl.” Femininity – dresses, rainbows, and girl roles in games and on screen in Disney movies – felt like the only areas that truly aligned with her identity.

That’s how it is with children. They try on stuff. They play. They create involved fantasies that they act out. That doesn’t mean you have to remove their genitals. You shouldn’t remove their genitals.

In Mary’s journey of self-discovery, her family stands as pillars of love and support. “They love me, and I love them, and they support me,” she beams.

Is that how tens talk? I wouldn’t have thought so. It sounds like therapy-speak. Since when do children think of their parents as “supportive”?

Dr. Bhatla suggests strategies to support youth awaiting healthcare, including social transitioning. This involves changes in dressing, hairstyles, and the use of special garments like binders to alleviate the discomfort of being in the wrong body.

And replace it with much sharper discomfort, up to and including broken ribs.

Despite the challenges, Mary envisions a future aligned with her true self. 

No doubt he does, especially with all these lunatic adults telling him there as such a thing as his “true self,” but the likelihood is he will hit a wall at some point. Sentimental glurge about his true self isn’t magic.

Even at age 10, the prospect of a future boyfriend worries her, wondering if or at what phase of dating she’ll need to disclose her journey. And she worries, a little, about never having a baby – but says her plans to be a famous actress won’t allow time to be a mom anyway.

He was never going to have a baby. Also, “plans to be a famous actress,” like plans to become a girl, are just plans. Lots of people want to be actors, and most of them fail.

It’s horrible watching these deranged adults encouraging this poor kid to ruin his body.

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