Is This...Euphoria?

[u/K_S_M28]

Credits on vid. Just a little something I couldn't unsee, every time I watched this video. 😅

As much as we can each be our own worst enemy, I truly believe we can also be our strongest ally. You are worthy and deserving of all the kindness you would give to others. Love each other, fam, and love yourself! 🩵

[u/Creativered4]

It's a cool idea, but can we PLEASE stop equating dysphoria with internalized transphobia? It's incredibly hurtful to see how people are starting to equate things like wanting to be stealth, not wanting to be clocked, feeling dysphoric about features of your agab, having your dysphoria triggered when you're reminded of trans stuff, and basically so much more things that are completely normal and are just dysphoria, turned into "internalized transphobia". Honestly it makes me and many others feel unwelcome in trans spaces because something completely normal we can't help (mind you, something that is causing us a lot of pain) is being vilified and equated with transphobia (internalized or not).

You should definitely love yourself and others, and celebrate the gender affirming things, or even just the easing of dysphoria! And I agree that trans people are deserving of love and kindness. We are our genders.
Just... There's no need to throw those of us who are suffering from dysphoria under the bus and wave our natural feelings away as being internalized transphobia. Because there's a huge difference between "I'm trans so I'll never find love/be attractive/be normal/etc" (internalized transphobia) and "I'm a trans man and my hips are wide/I can't grow a beard/I'm short/my voice is high pitched/I don't have a penis, which is a product of my being born female, and it is very painful" (dysphoria)

[u/K_S_M28 → u/Creativered4]

Honestly, thank you so much for giving such detailed and personal insight, I hadn't realized it might read that way! My intention was to reference my own experience, in that when I experience dysphoria, which is not a transphobic thing in and of itself, it often pulls me out of enjoying gender expression and triggers additional issues, such as internalized shame, transphobia, memories of past trauma, etc. I should have been more clear that dysphoria is not, itself, transphobic!

I apologize for being too vague with terms that I know have the potential to hurt people. I'll be more clear about the distinction, moving forward. 🩵✌️

[u/Creativered4 → u/K_S_M28]

Thank you <3 I really appreciate that you took the time to read and listen to what I had to say. (I'm also really glad that you're able to overcome all of that and live your best life. I wish all trans people were able to live their best life like that, however that looks!)

Honestly, It's not just you, but a lot of people, and this is still a more tame example. I'm just getting really frustrated. I even made a post about it to remind people that dysphoria isn't internalized transphobia. It's like, I suffered for over 30 years and clawed my way out of a pit of despair and all of that was "internalized transphobia" according to some people? Grr!

[u/K_S_M28 → u/Creativered4]

Thank you, and I appreciate you hearing me out! I am nearly 40 and have just begun transitioning within the past 2 years, so I am not the most well-informed or experienced person, and I have a lot of internalized things I am working on, which this was meant to be a positive representation of. Thank you for calling out/supporting the community this way. It's really the best way for people like me to learn and grow and become more in tune with other people's experiences. 🩵

[u/Creativered4 → u/K_S_M28]

That's awesome! Never too late to transition. But you are among family. (there are of course, always bad apples x.x)
I always try to encourage open and honest communication. It's how I've only had a single argument with my fiance in our almost 10 years together. (And even then the argument was just a big lapse in communication mixed with heat, exhaustion, and hunger. We were mad for half an hour, hour tops, before we made up lol)

[u/K_S_M28 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, definitely not my intent, as I replied above. And definitely not privileged or mocking? I'm really sad to see you somehow reach that conclusion. In case it wasn't clear from my message, I am the dysphoric person who struggles with gender expression when dysphoria hits. Experiencing that dysphoria and being unable to express my gender freely can also pull up separate issues like past trauma, shame, and internalized transphobia. I definitely was not implying that dysphoria itself is transphobic. And no part of my experience is a mockery.

[u/Creativered4 → u/[deleted]]

I wouldn't say OP is mocking us, just not informed. I got a really nice response from them, and they didn't mean to imply that dysphoria is internalized transphobia. I'm really glad that there are people willing to listen and just have open conversations. It's how we heal as a community.

[u/Creativered4 → u/[deleted]]

We are that epic handshake meme with the middle being "sensitive when it comes to being stealth" lol

[u/mothmadness19 → u/Creativered4]

It also supports the idea that enough therapy and self love would cure us, and therefore medical and social transition isn't necessary and is just born of too much self hatred