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Missing the Point of John/Joan Story

focus on abuse, not on gender incongruence

Forum: Strap-on.org
Date: 03/27/2002

I dunno - David Reimer might have something to say about that. Yes, many of the things that this society thinks of as "male" and "female" traits are pretty much imposed from the outside, but David was raised as a woman pretty much from birth (due to a botched circumcision),

you mean, after nearly two years of being treated as a boy?

never told the true story, put on hormones, etc and still KNEW that something was wrong.

did you actually read the book (_as nature made him_ by john colapinto)? because if *anyone* was treated by medical professionals and others surrounding them as abusively as he was throughout his childhood beyond the initial circumcision-surgery, they'd feel that "something is wrong" even if their gender identity happened to match their gender assignment. it's distressing to me that the only thing many people think about after reading his story is about gender - and overlook how isolated and violated he must have felt to be treated as a big family secret, to be put through invasive medical attentions, etc. ::sigh::

so what if david had developed feminine gender identity? would everything that have been done to him somehow okay as long as they get the gender right? do you think he would not be experiencing post-traumatic issues had he been comfortable identifying as a woman?

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