I just also remembered this video (https://youtu.be/uyp0nBY_lBs) which is aimed specifically at parents, from the perspective of a detransitioned woman who was diagnosed with autism.
I just also remembered this video (https://youtu.be/uyp0nBY_lBs) which is aimed specifically at parents, from the perspective of a detransitioned woman who was diagnosed with autism.
Steve, thank you for your compassionate and generous response and the two links you shared. I will look at them and forward them to my husband.
Yes, I agree that being supportive of my son rather than oppositional is important here. I am working to get clarity in my own mind and to work through my anxiety and fears so that I can settle myself and continue to be a safe and understanding resource to him. We’ve always been close and I will continue to be his biggest champion.
I agree with you on limiting internet use. It is a must given all the potential pitfalls and dangers of the internet, and my husband and I already do this. We are also clear that medicalization is an absolute no for all the reasons that you list. He will be able to make more informed choices as an adult. Our job is to get him there as whole and healthy as possible.
Finally, I appreciate your comment about my son perhaps taking some of these ideas literally. It’s quite possible. One inquiry we want to open with him is around gender stereotypes and how breaking gender norms might mean accepting that both men and women can be anything they want to be. It’s what we genuinely believe and we would love for him to feel that he can be fully himself, as he is.
Thanks again for sharing your insights and resources with me!
"One inquiry we want to open with him is around gender stereotypes and how breaking gender norms might mean accepting that both men and women can be anything they want to be. It’s what we genuinely believe and we would love for him to feel that he can be fully himself, as he is."
This is a mindset I desperately want to see adopted more widely. The idea that a boy becomes a girl simply because he likes stereotypically feminine things reinforces the exact gender stereotypes and limitations we should be breaking down.
I hope this, especially, is a useful way for him to think through these issues. I'm sure he won't get this perspective very often from the other influences around him. Best of luck navigating this. Let me know if any other questions come up that you think I might be able to help with.
I just also remembered this video (https://youtu.be/uyp0nBY_lBs) which is aimed specifically at parents, from the perspective of a detransitioned woman who was diagnosed with autism.
Steve, thank you for your compassionate and generous response and the two links you shared. I will look at them and forward them to my husband.
Yes, I agree that being supportive of my son rather than oppositional is important here. I am working to get clarity in my own mind and to work through my anxiety and fears so that I can settle myself and continue to be a safe and understanding resource to him. We’ve always been close and I will continue to be his biggest champion.
I agree with you on limiting internet use. It is a must given all the potential pitfalls and dangers of the internet, and my husband and I already do this. We are also clear that medicalization is an absolute no for all the reasons that you list. He will be able to make more informed choices as an adult. Our job is to get him there as whole and healthy as possible.
Finally, I appreciate your comment about my son perhaps taking some of these ideas literally. It’s quite possible. One inquiry we want to open with him is around gender stereotypes and how breaking gender norms might mean accepting that both men and women can be anything they want to be. It’s what we genuinely believe and we would love for him to feel that he can be fully himself, as he is.
Thanks again for sharing your insights and resources with me!
"One inquiry we want to open with him is around gender stereotypes and how breaking gender norms might mean accepting that both men and women can be anything they want to be. It’s what we genuinely believe and we would love for him to feel that he can be fully himself, as he is."
This is a mindset I desperately want to see adopted more widely. The idea that a boy becomes a girl simply because he likes stereotypically feminine things reinforces the exact gender stereotypes and limitations we should be breaking down.
I hope this, especially, is a useful way for him to think through these issues. I'm sure he won't get this perspective very often from the other influences around him. Best of luck navigating this. Let me know if any other questions come up that you think I might be able to help with.
Seems to me we got over these Ward & June gender stereotypes fifty years ago.