In a time when personal identity and the freedom to express it are ever-increasingly recognized and accepted, Garrett finds himself struggling with an intricate situation. His younger sister now identifies as transgender. This is the story of Garrett’s struggle as he questioned the legitimacy of his sister’s transformation. Let’s take a look.
Garrett’s Sister Identifying as Transgender
Garrett, a 25-year-old man, was grappling with a difficult situation. His sister, who was 21, had always been quite girly.
This Was a Lot for Him to Handle
But in recent years, she had started identifying as transgender. This was a lot for Garrett to handle, especially because the change in her seemed to come out of nowhere.
Girly Traits and Tomboyish Tendencies
When they were kids, his sister loved girly stuff. She played with dolls, always wore dresses, and showed a real knack for all things traditionally feminine.
Sure, she had some tomboy traits, too. But they didn’t stand out as anything major.
A Surge of Transgender Friends
Then, around the age of 13, his sister’s friends started saying they were transgender. It seemed really early to Garrett. It wasn’t just one or two friends, either. It was practically all of them.
Pretending to Be Someone She’s Not?
Their mom was understandably worried at first. But as the years went by, this pattern continued. His sister didn’t really start dressing in a more boyish way until her junior year of high school.
It Felt More Like She Was a Tomboy
And even then, it didn’t seem like a big change to Garrett. It felt more like she was a tomboy than anything else.
A Surprising Trend
Growing up, Garrett’s sister also liked to act like she was different from who she really was. For instance, she was really good at Spanish and liked to pretend her Hispanic friends thought she was Hispanic, too.
This really pleased her. As they got older, she started saying she didn’t like white people, even though she was white herself.
The Gap Between Garrett and His Sister
Garrett started to feel a gap growing between him and his sister as they got older. When they were younger, they used to make a lot of jokes together and were really close.
But as she found this new group of friends and started to change, he didn’t feel as close to her.
Growing Apart
He didn’t talk to her as much, especially after she went off to college.
Challenges and Changes
Since she started transitioning, she couldn’t hold down a job. She said it was because of transphobia.
Struggles With Employment and Mental Health
She also started taking antidepressants, which made her seem like a zombie to Garrett. Now she was even planning to move to Canada to be with an online friend who was also trans.
Sibling Support
Garrett had argued about this a lot with his mom. His mom, of course, wanted to support her daughter.
A Clash of Perspectives
Garrett wasn’t against transgender people. But he thought his sister was just part of a confused and struggling younger generation.
A Controversial View
He believed that mental health professionals were too quick to affirm people’s gender changes without question.
His Sister Would Get Lost in This Lifestyle
He worried that his sister would get lost in this lifestyle or have a hard time trying to go back to who she used to be.
Garrett’s Inner Conflicts and Doubts
Garrett felt bad about feeling this way. But he also doubted that every one of her sister’s friends identifying as trans was really transgender. He wondered if he was wrong for feeling this way.
A Nuanced Perspective
Redditors offered a nuanced point of view, with people on both sides of the debate offering an opinion.
The Complexity of Gender Identity
One user said, “There is quite a bit of therapy that goes on before the transition can occur. It could be that your sibling subjected themselves to the norm when they were younger but found that it wasn’t who they were.”
Understanding and Empathy
Another user commented, “You can feel however you want.. this doesn’t seem like a right or wrong scenario. She can do what she wants. You do what you want. You’re both grown.”
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The post “Trans Ideology Altered My Sister’s Path” – Brother’s Unconventional Journey Through His Sister’s Transition first appeared on Fistful of Dollars.
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Source: Reddit