The Silencing of the Transkids, Part 3

Or, Empathy Target Location Error

For a number of people, the plight of gender atypical and dysphoric children and teens is so alien to their understanding and experience that they quite literally can’t see the world from the point of view of transkids.  The ability to empathize, to place one’s self into the shoes of another, is of utmost importance in life.  Without it, we all would be sociopaths without a conscience, willing to allow untold suffering in others without making any effort to alleviate it.  But because many people can’t do that with transkids, they substitute an over-simplification of the Golden Rule… instead of treating others as those others would see us do, they treat transkids as they would like themselves to be treated.  That is to say, instead of walking a mile in transkids shoes, they put their own shoes onto transkids; And when they see them in their imaginations, stumble with their illfitting shoes as their parents and caregivers attempt to help alleviate their dysphoria and lead a fulfilling life, cry,

“Child abuse!“

Further Reading:

Advice to Parents of Transkids – a source of knowledge useful to gaining a true understanding and empathy for transkids.

Op-Ed by Dawn Foster