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[quote=Anonymous]And about those suicide statistics that transgender proponents cite as facts...

They are based on a 2014 survey of 27 young trans people in UK (NOT 2000, which is the reported figure):

13 had previously attempted suicide

8 attempted suicide in the last year

"With no adjustment for co-morbid mental health issues or the fact that the respondents may well have found out about or been attracted to completing the survey because of their interaction with mental health services or history of suicide attempts, these figures should really not be extrapolated to apply to the entire transgender population.

Whether or not you think a sample size of 27 people is representative of an entire group and justifies the entire group being labelled according to the findings of such a small study, there is a glaring issue here.  Mermaids, the support group for transgender children and their families, effectively lied in its presentation to a roomful of legal professionals.   The survey was not of 2,000 trans people at all.  Saying it was lends credence to a trope that is already incredibly emotive and potentially dangerous.

Bandying around these doctored statistics as facts does a good job of garnering support for the cause and strikes fear into people who might otherwise be less than supportive of certain demands by and on behalf of transgender people but at what cost?  Are there not enough genuine arguments to further the cause for equal treatment of transgender people without resorting to exaggeration and obfuscation of the truth?  Presenting this trope to families of transgender children and young people is nothing short of emotional blackmail.  “Allow your child to transition or you will have their suicide on your hands.”  In any other context threatening suicide in order to force others to accept your demands is emotional abuse, in the context of transition it is positively encouraged as a way to dismiss concerns of friends and family.

By announcing that trans people are an unmitigated suicide risk we are telling them and their families that they are likely to commit suicide.  People are very suggestible.  If you are told 50% of people like you will be suicidal, when you are having a dark day, instead of thinking tomorrow will be better, are you not more likely to worry that you’re going the way of all those suicidal folks and therefore spiral downwards?  Parents who think their child is suicidal may treat them differently and make different decisions based on that information.

Suicide is contagious.  Suicidal ideation is incredibly dangerous, especially for young people.  There are guidelines in place for reporting of suicide for a reason and, in the main, the press seem to follow them with one glaring exception – transgender people. Surely transgender people would be better served with a positive movement like It Gets Better rather than seeing their advocates and support organisations constantly telling people that they are a danger to themselves."

You can read the entire scientific analysis for yourself here: https://www.transgendertrend.com/a-scientist-reviews-transgender-suicide-stats/
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