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The question of the day is…. Can you be born in the wrong body, or is it a mental illness?
Today’s episode is my inevitably panty-wadding conversation with the first man to ever be legally recognized as “non-binary” un the United States, James (Formerly Jamie) Shupe.
James’ story is definitely a fascinating one. After being sexually abused as a child, serving in the military, being honorably discharged for medical reasons, suffering from PTSD, fighting depression and bipolar disorder, and undergoing hormone therapy for years, it’s truly a miracle that James is even alive to have this conversation today.
Transgenderism and gender identity is quite a touchy subject today. If you even bring the words “mental illness” into the conversation, you can be labeled a transphobe, a hateful bigot, or even a racist… somehow. But why? If you look in the mirror and don’t recognize the person staring back at you, is it more loving for me to say “hey that really sucks and I’m sorry you feel that way. Let’s find someone for you to talk to that can help you through these unwanted feelings”?…. or “You’re right. You should probably pay thousands of dollars to chop off your penis, get breast implants, and pump yourself full of harmful hormones, all of which, your body will likely reject”?…
As always, I’m open to being proven wrong, but I have a hard time believing that chopping your penis off is ever the answer to any question…
Thankfully, James didn’t take his transition to that extreme, but he definitely did some damage… to his body, his relationships, and his quality of life.
So what now? Once you realize that the identity that you’ve worked hard to make a name off of, actually isn’t the solution, how do you go back? Is that even possible? And how will the members of the community that you once helped lead, feel about your change of heart?
Find out now, on today’s episode of The System is Down Episode 106: Gender Identity is a Fraud w. Jamie (James) Shupe.
Question Everything. Stay Uncomfortable.
Let’s get weird!
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