Here’s a controversial suggestion
By Fleur
@Fleura (31006)
United Kingdom
December 1, 2022 3:28am CST
I’m sure this is going to be contentious, but I thought I would just throw this out there…
In this country, and I believe in other ‘western’ countries, there has been a massive increase in people claiming to be transgender.
Why could this be?
I have seen a variety of suggestions, for example:
simply increased awareness and acceptance of this state;
better and more readily-available surgery to transition;
social media spreading the idea and perhaps even ‘pushing’ people into believing they are trans;
changes in the law giving people the option of choosing to claim they are trans;
criminals and other undesirables exploiting the above changes to access their victims;
the medical establishment being too ready to accept this self-diagnosis from teenagers with other issues such as autism;
Probably others I’ve neglected to mention as well.
But one thing I haven’t seen even discussed is this – could there be some chemical/ hormonal basis to this trend?
There have been numerous studies showing that environmental pollutants, in particular hormone-disrupting chemicals, cause sex changes or the development of ‘intersex’ in sensitive organisms such as shellfish and amphibians.
Is there any reason to think that mammals, including humans, may not be affected as well?
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2022.
18 people like this
17 responses
@andriaperry (118227)
• Anniston, Alabama
1 Dec 22
I have no clue. Hormonal imbalance could be there.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (472476)
• Switzerland
1 Dec 22
I have read that in the United States the transgender youth population has doubled during the past 5 years. Experts said that young people have social acceptance to explore their gender identities, while older adults may feel more constrained. They have the fasted and sharper increase in their country. I wonder if the hormones they add to their meats play a role on this.
2 people like this
@WorDazza (15830)
• Manchester, England
3 Dec 22
While I do think that this is more prevalent due to societal acceptance these days it's also well-documented that sperm counts and testosterone levels have plummeted in the last 30 or so years and male to female transition seems to be far more common than female to male.
It's also known that oestrogen levels in our water supply have increased mainly due to the excretions of livestock with a very small amount due to the urine of women taking oral contraceptives.
My concern is that their does seem to be a certain amount of pressure exerted on children, from certain quarters, who may just be confused regarding their sexuality and gender and can be pressured into making irreversible changes to their bodies and lives.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31006)
• United Kingdom
3 Dec 22
I know that oestrogen in the water has increased and that it was partly due to oral contraceptives - I actually thought this was the main contributing factor, I didn't think oestrogens in livestock had changed that much over the past 50 years?
Like you I am concerned that people are persuaded to make major changes for no good reason and potentially ruining their lives. And I have other concerns regarding equality as well, but that's a subject for a whole other post!
1 person likes this
@WorDazza (15830)
• Manchester, England
4 Dec 22
@Fleura Apparently it was thought that oral contraceptives was the main cause until very recently.
It isn't just equality concerns I have, it's also safety concerns but if you say too much on those subjects these days you're in danger of being labelled something that ends in 'phobe'.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346007)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 Dec 22
There is no reason at all to think that chemicals may not be contributing to this change in statistics but you never hear much about it. The statement about 'self-diagnosis' worries me. Young people are keen to explore all sorts of alternatives in many areas but surely, as regards transgender issues, a certain period needs to pass before any definitive action is taken.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (36068)
•
3 Dec 22
Perhaps, but I tend to think it is another cool fad to be different and stand out from the crowd. Seems some of our youths of today are lacking in self-esteem. They are easily manipulated by social media into accepting other points of view and not having a mind of their own. So, I'll go with your social media spreading the idea and perhaps even ‘pushing’ people into believing they are trans suggestion. Immature minds of adolescents react in an emotional manner rather than taking a rational approach in researching the consequences of their decision. When one mutilates their body through transition there is no turning back!
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31006)
• United Kingdom
3 Dec 22
I think there's a lot of truth in this and no doubt there are many young people who can be persuaded to think that their lives would be better/ all their problems would be solved if they were a different gender. Maybe we would have been some of them, if it had been a possibility years ago! But it is certainly an exaggeration, most problems are unrelated.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (36068)
•
4 Dec 22
@Fleura Yes, I agree with your comment. To me it seems the world has become a place of extreme viewpoints. It has given new meaning to the phrase "taking it to the extreme."
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (162111)
• United States
2 Dec 22
In the US I know that many of the things that are in soaps and laundry products and shampoos have been shown to be hormone disrupters. Probably there are many factors. As someone else mentioned hormones if food production might be a factory.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16845)
• China
2 Dec 22
I have read that some people have psychological problems of gender dysphoria,gender identity disorder or gender cognitive impairment,so shouldn't lump them together under the transgender.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (122656)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 22
You bring up a very good point. It is entirely plausible that there is an environmental cause of this trend. We can't escape pollution no matter where we go or what we do. Microplastics in our air and water; hormones, pesticides and chemicals in our foods; and who knows what other kinds of chemicals and pollutants are out there that we don't even know about. It's already been well-documented that the testosterone levels in males has been decreasing for decades.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31006)
• United Kingdom
1 Dec 22
It was a rare thing, but it was a thing. Think of Jan Morris.
But I think the definition has also changed. We used to consider a transgender person one who had gone through a full conversion, so to speak (and they were not all that effective either). Nowadays a transgender person seems to be someone who just says they are whatever they want (and it can change from day to day) so it's much easier.
2 people like this
@oahuwriter (26777)
• United States
2 Dec 22
Well, it's nothing new. During Alexander the Great, travels, books would discuss his travels and there were transgender people back then written about. Today, they strive for equality, marriage, adoption if children, thus much more visible. To me I believe to each their own happiness and Elton John and his partner surely can care wonderfully for children who wouldn't have any money problems. Being only hetero, it doesn't bother me, if others aren't hetero. NCIS Hawaii in has 2 lesbian characters, Lucy Tara &
Kate Whistler.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (224946)
• Chile
1 Dec 22
I have wondered about that too, but I have no answers.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (111446)
• Marion, Ohio
1 Dec 22
For teens and such I think part is the normal growing up process and they are exploring what they are. But chemicals could be part of the problem too.
1 person likes this
