This was inspired by today’s episode of Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4, which seemed to be endorsing a rather odd narrative about the large increase in referrals for assigned female at birth trans children and young people.
Personally I think it’s to do with the fact that this demographic never used to get referred for treatment, and in many cases still aren’t, due to parental and GP ignorance and the children themselves not having had a vocabulary to explain their situation.
But that’s just me.
____________
At 12
I was cutting myself.
I didn’t know what was triggering those feelings
But I came to the conclusion:
Things would be easier if I were to be male
I saw:
The GP
The psychiatrist
The Tavistock
I don’t know why I thought it would be easier.
More suited to who I was.
I associated being a man with
being happier within myself.
Connecting with the person
I felt as though I was.
On an instinctual level it felt right
Hormone blockers helped
Testosterone masculinised me a lot.
I wanted chest surgery
But nothing involving the bottom half.
And now?
At the moment I identify as non binary
Neither male nor female.
That’s quite different to the time
When I was very keen to be a man
Looking back?
I would never say that I regretted it
The decisions I made were right for who I was.
But there were things I didn’t quite pick up on at the time
I wish I had considered non binary gender.
I’m happy with the physical changes but
I wish I’d taken things a little bit slower.
The interviewer sighs her relief.
Soundbites achieved.
Point proven.
Tom Juniper Poetry 