> It is also impossible to know without a doubt whether someone is clinically transgender, which makes identifying false positives very difficult.

You know those things that the transgender community is always railing against? Requiring therapists, letters from therapists, requiring certain amounts of time on HRT, certain amounts of time living in the desired gender role, changing name, documentation, etc?

That's what they were for. To put the transgender 'candidate' through a series of real life 'rubber meets the road' experiences that would make them experience to some degree that life being trans isn't a princess fantasy, and to let them get a limited taste of what life was might be like, before embarking on any changes that were for-all-intents-and-purposes, permanent.

Now we've got everything within arm's reach, sign an informed consent document and you can get some pills that will most likely sterilize you, that could potentially force you into social situations you were never prepared for, kill your sex drive, and all of a sudden we've got some people for whom.. maybe.. just maybe, they should have gone through some kind of therapy to sort their preconceptions out first.

Now, I'm not saying that we all should be forced into therapy, far from it. But there was some reasoning to why is was a requirement, and it wasn't because of malpractice insurance, it was to try and catch those people who wouldn't be able to cope, should they make a permanent decision that in the long term, isn't right for them.

Was it handled right back then? no. Did we all game the system and play into their expectations by regurgitating a rehearsed narrative? yes.

But even though it's not a strict requirement now, I do think transgender people SHOULD talk things over with a counselor of some variety, with knowledge and experiences of transgender stuff.. especially the teenagers for whom it's often quite easy to fall into magical thinking, expecting coming out and transitioning to solve all their dissatisfaction with life. (which as most of us learn the hard way.. it creates almost as many new problems as it resolves).

And when they do go through transition.. and they run into hardships, they'll already have a therapist they can call up and say "hey, things aren't going so well, I think I need to talk about it"... before they slide off the edge.

Honestly I also think that there's a problem with 'all or nothing' thinking concerning transition. We've so oversold the idea that transgender = transsexual, and transgender = transition, that anyone who's transgender enough to need to dress up once in a while, but who can stay sane without transitioning full time, feels like they're not even allowed to call themselves Transgender if they're going to keep their old name and keep it a part time thing. .. even if it's just for a few years while they get their lives sorted out first.

As a community, we've pushed a narrative of our own that basically says that 'crossdressers are gross'... and we force people who really are in similiar emotional situations to us, but who could perhaps be fine with a different solution, into a sort of 'the only thing that works is hormones and transition and facial feminization surgery' kind of thing.

I think there's a LOT of room in this community for a lot more shades of grey, and a big need for it too.

And once we have room for all trans people.. whatever their path, to just 'be themselves and sort out what they need'.. then I think we'll start seeing a reduction of people getting on a train to places they never should have gone.