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So here's my blog. Until I get a more official website up, here's a padlet for your tasteful reading on appetizing subjects. I will color-code things. So red is announcements, black is my controversial posts, green is what I've been listening to/watching, blue is my general thoughts, and purple is important news out in the world.

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I came across this 2018 article, titled “Transgender Ideology Hurts Kids”.

Here’s what I have to say about it.

First off, the article begins by introducing the ideas of sex, gender, and gender dysphoria as ‘pressing concerns’ in 2018. To be clear, all of these things have different meanings. Sex is the biological category of male or female one is assigned at birth. Gender is the cultural category, that doesn’t always equal sex. And gender dysphoria occurs when someone’s gender doesn’t line up with their assigned sex. This can cause depression, insecurity, and discomfort in one’s body.

The article goes on to describe how promoting transgender identities will confuse children and make them more likely to commit suicide. A few more statistics in this article claim that transgender individuals will often commit suicide after a sex-reassignment surgery and that most children grow out of their dysphoria.

To begin, this article is very poorly written. The paragraphs are all over the place, and the topics often do not line up. It gives the impression that the author was just putting out random statistics to support their opinion. There are little to no links or quotes for these statistics. This makes them seem much less believable.

Now, the wording of this article can be very harmful to kids that fall under the transgender umbrella. It encourages parents to prevent their child from taking any kind of medical hormones or having transition surgeries because the rate of suicide is 19 times higher than average with medically transitioned individuals. Not letting someone be themselves is much more harmful than a medical transition. The Stonewall Website gives us a few statistics. 27 percent of all transgender individuals have attempted suicide and 35 percent have thought about it. Fenway Health says that trans people with one or more medical sex-reassignment procedures are 44% less likely to have suicidal ideation than trans people with no procedures. I failed to find any article stating that medically transitioned individuals are more likely to think about or attempt suicide.

When it comes to ‘growing out of dysphoria’, KQED did a study with 127 kids. 63% of the kids had desisted their identity by 15 or 16. However, these numbers were also determined by families who did not send back their questionnaires. 38 of the children were likely to have Gender Identity Disorder. The rest of the kids were still transgender.

This article also talks about the ‘dangers of normalizing transgender identities’. The real danger is spreading so much hate for a group of people. By normalizing LGBT+ influencers, media, and education, it can make queer youth feel much safer. It helps teens and young adults learn about the labels beyond ‘boy’ and ‘girl’, ‘gay’ and ‘straight’. There’s so much more to find, which people will never know unless we educate them. Normalizing transgender identities is normalizing natural human feelings. Why take away someone’s rights and voice because they don’t fit the ‘normal’ society has created?

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As someone who has struggled with their gender identity, dysphoria is a word I've grown familiar with. And this word used to float around in my head a lot. I used to look at myself in makeup and dresses and hate myself. Now I like eyeliner and lipstick, dresses and fishnets. But I've felt disconnected to my masculine identity. Am I really a boy? Or did I convince myself that...?
I'd never look at a masculine person with a skirt on and think those things about them, but I think about it with myself. Self criticism is something I've struggled with. Especially as an artist and dancer. Everything I create could have been better. It's never good enough because I never allow it to be. But it's difficult to allow yourself to accept your art, or your identity. I think I'm still in that awkward phase of still not being able to process being trans. It's different. Humans fear change, and I am nothing but human. I've been stuck in a familiar and comfortable identity for all of my life. Discovering new comfort in a transgender label also brings a certain discomfort. It's not what I know. Acknowledging this new and uncomfortable identity will eventually either change or stick and be comfortable. And all any of us can do when this happens is just wait, I suppose. We can't speed up the process of human development.
So, perhaps the dysphoria fades because I've discovered more personality, and a comfortable identity. But for now, I must wait and see. For now, I'm Asher, Trans Demiboy. Will that change? Maybe. But this identity is comfortable.

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Okay I just finished watching Rick and Morty and I'm so obsessed with it haha.
I've also been getting back into Nine Inch Nails, and Every Day Is Exactly The Same is amazing.

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A few days ago, I texted a Crisis Hotline. I was followed by an automatic message asking what I needed. I answered, and was messaged by a woman. She read my worries, my pain, and my problems. Later established a safe coping mechanism for me.
A Crisis Hotline is scary. I mean, look at the name. Am I in a crisis right now? Have I hit rock bottom? I don't think so...
Seeking help feels very taboo. Especially when it comes to dire situations. A lot of people tend to make calling for help something bad, like suffering in silence is better than getting help.
If you are feeling low and have no one else, to talk to, go ahead. Add the number to your phone, and text TALK.

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I spoke at my schools board meeting today. This is what I wrote, although the text style is a bit informal as this speech was written on my phone notes.

Hello. My name’s (Ashtonn) Schaffer, im a student at Plainwell High School. and as an open member of the lgbtq+ community, i find this topic very important.  as a student, i get a close-up of my peers. how they act, and what they do when teachers aren’t looking. and i’m disappointed to say that the hate that plagues our school is extremely present in the system. everyday, i hear and see blatant racism and homophobia. it does not feel safe. i get referred to as slurs, some from communities i’m not even part of. all of this happens, and people speak up, but nothing ever changes. i feel as if the environment of Plainwell High School is hostile, and the staff aren’t very open about the hate that revolves around minorities. it’s not fair to the students to be scared to come to school. school should be a safe place for students of any race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. there are kids who aren’t safe expressing themselves at home. they need a place to be able to be their authentic selves. if it’s not at home, and it’s not at school, where is it? we spend roughly seven hours at school. that means seven hours of bullying and threats if something doesn’t change.

regarding a facebotok group PCS parents have made…in the description, this group describes taking down the pride flag and anything lgbtq+ related. i strongly disagree with this. not only is school meant to be a safe space, it is also a place of education. being educated is a powerful thing. it helps to prevent the hate and violence. i feel that people say things they shouldn’t sometimes because they aren’t properly educated and it makes them confused. teaching students about different gender identities and sexual orientation doesn’t need to be a part of the curriculum, but it should be open for discussion if asked. if someone can be open to learning about lives that are different than their own, it will make them a more rounded adult.

i see PHS as a small fraction of what it will be like in the real world. and i want to do my best to keep the world one myself and generations after that want to live in. but in order to do that, we need to have compassion for our fellow humans. and that starts with keeping the pride flags up.