if they can’t change that regardless of what their bodies look like then what’s the point of altering their bodies then?
Because they have dysphoria about what their body actually looks like. And they also have social dysphoria when people don't see them as the gender they are. But transitioning does not look the same for every trans person... some do not get any surgeries at all... it depends on the specific needs of the individual.
That's why I said that if gender roles/stereotypes are reduced, there would probably be a reduction in the more serious aspects of transitioning because transgender people's social dysphoria would probably be reduced at least somewhat.. But their body dysphoria would still be there and they would still want to transition in some way. Even just changing their name and pronouns is a form of transitioning. For some people that's enough but for others it isn't.
I’m fairly confident a lot of them are confused about their gender because they didn’t fit the mold of what society deemed appropriate for their sex.
Plenty of people don't fit the mold but they might call themselves a "feminine man" or a "masculine woman"... most don't think that they are in the wrong body because they don't actually have a problem with their body, they have a problem with how society is trying to push them into a box based on their sex. But actual transgender people, regardless of gender roles, don't feel comfortable with the way their body reflects their biological sex.
Even if super strict gender roles were completely removed, trans people would still be trans because something in their brain is telling them that they should be the opposite sex. Regardless of what society says it means to be a man or a woman, they still feel like they should be on the other side.
I've heard transgender people say that they actually only felt comfortable enough to break gender stereotypes after they transitioned because they feel more secure in their own self/identity and they no longer feel the need to overcompensate.
Also the premise between being trans and having an ED is pretty similar if not the same.
You would think that because they appear to be similar externally, but the methods used to treat eating disorders don't actually work to alleviate gender dysphoria in transgender people.
Being dependent upon hormones your whole life doesn’t seem safe to me.
It is safe, you have to be evaluated beforehand for any abnormal conditions you might have that can be worsened by taking hormones... and those people who are unable to take it because it would hurt them just have to find other ways to cope. But the rest of the people who are able to take hormones actually take them because they need them. The benefits of taking hormones greatly outweighs any risk that it might have for them. It improves their lives and helps them function... if they didn't take them, they would have a lower quality of life.
They are actively making an effort to make it legal for children under 16 to start hormone therapy to make their transition seamless even though the majority of gender confused children change their mind.
That's a difficult topic because it is hard for children who have gender dysphoria to simply wait for over 10 years to start transitioning... but the actual process of determining if a child is transgender is a very involved one and the ones who would just change their minds aren't going on hormones. If a child seems to be transgender, they don't start off with giving them hormones. They do still have to wait a number of years to accurately determine if the child will stay that way. Only when medical professionals are certain that a child is actually trans will they actually start recommending transitioning. And the transitioning process for young people doesn't get to any irreversible aspects until they are older.
there’s a growing amount of people who do it not because they hate their bodies but because they “feel more positively” about being the opposite sex....they just want boobs or a penis, they’re using body parts like accessories
Well I don't think that's beneficial and I think people should make sure that they are serious about transitioning before they do it. If you have no dysphoria about your body and no real need or desire to change your body, then I don't see why you would transition at all. If transitioning would be unnecessary for a fulfilling life, I would not consider it to be the best choice for someone.
I do want to point out that truly believing your life would be much better if you were living as the opposite sex is a form of dysphoria... but if it is not intense dysphoria and it doesn't make you feel wrong about your body, then I personally think those people could do without transitioning. But ultimately if someone is certain that transitioning will be beneficial to them, I can't bar them from doing that.
