I really didn't mean to come across as a trans-hater. I have known trans gender people for a pretty long time. Quite a lot of them too. I am not the sort that is going to question an individual's choices like that.
Maybe I just hate 15 year olds.
I had not really considered the difficulties of growing up trans. It is quite a bit different than growing up gay or just weird. Gender has a more intimate connection to identity. I think it is easier to just fake it until you get older in the first cases.
I guess I am old school. In my day, when you figured out that you were different, you tried not to get stomped until you were old enough to move to the city. And it pretty much worked for most people. Recognition and acceptance complicates shit sometimes.
But I am a social carmudgeon if nothing else. I kind of loathe Bruce Jenner not because of his gender, but because he is an attention seeking whore and always has been. But at least he has a reason to be famous unlike his former in-laws. So when I heard the unusually high number - or what seemed to be a high number - I had a mental image of a bunch of confused kids pondering some really serious medical procedures because of Caitlyn's PR machine. I think that most of them should wait until they are confused adults. I don't think this shit is supposed to be easy. Growing up is a bitch.
I guess my old brain needs some time to push this thing into my preconceived notions that have resulted from decades of experience with a very diverse crowd. Makes me wonder which of the souls I have encountered over the years would have identified as trans. I dunno, we never fucking cared. When the whole culture was sort of underground, you didn't need labels so much.
I am one of those fortunate people who has always had a very clear gender identity. It is sort of liberating, or was at the time. Without questioning my gender and sexual preferences, I felt comfortable being around people's of all sorts. It was fun. I met a lot of people that had to overcome a lot of obstacles. Many of them became close friends. It was sad to see so many die.
But now my beliefs are considered provincial by some - and that feels strange.
