Thread by @RoisinMichaux

Here's @elizamondegreen: Have to thank @EuropeanPATH because they closed out their conference by blasting the song "Don't stop believin'" lol - she says it would have been a great title for her talk. 1/ #GenspectBiggerPicture

Eliza will be talking about the internet (*the cause of, and solution to, all of our problems, to paraphrase Homer Simpson). 2/

She trawled and analysed Reddit communities set up for "trans" girls/women. She says there is a lot of helping to prep for the medical visits to make sure they get what they want. Doubt is not welcome. Same at @EuropeanPATH. 3/

The exam room is not the only place where you must not demonstrate doubt. On the online communities:
Questioning identities - not allowed
Questioning the ideology - not allowed
...but you are allowed to question your *own* situation (what if I'm just a lesbian?) 4/

@elizamondegreen shows excerpts of posts on Reddit where women express doubt. They's constantly asking whether others have had the same questions and experiences. "I feel like a faker - is this internalised transphobia?" Overcoming internalised transphobia is "doing the work" 5/

Imposter syndrome, says @elizamondegreen, is usually reserved for people who are *not* imposters - that's why it's called a syndrome and not just "being an imposter". Things are different in trans land. 6/

There are also examples of intrusive thoughts, or "brain worms" and "TERF thoughts". Thoughts like "I'll never not feel female", or worries that dysphoria is caused by a hyper-fixation. 7/ #GenspectBiggerPicture

@elizamondegreen; one woman on Reddit posts: when people use her preferred pronouns she has intrusive thoughts that they are either humouring her or laughing at her. 8/

When people on these forums ask admin or practical questions, demonstrating doubt about taking the next step, the advice is always: take the next step. 9/ #GenspectBiggerPicture

@elizamondegreen wraps up with words from detrans women: they talk about the feeling of living a lie. They talk too about intrusive thoughts, and how transing *gave* them dysphoria. Once you start to hate your body, you fixate on it. "Transition was a kind of escape route." 10/

Others: transition will never be enough. I will always be female. "I wanted to be a biological male so bad, and it would never happen." Finally they realise that transness will never deliver on the promises it makes. 11/