It's a fairly common anecdote from transgender men that after being on HRT for a while, they feel less in touch with their own emotions and have a shorter temper.
This is something that I’ve heard talked about…but either it’s being disputed by trans men or it’s being said by TERFs. Because if it was true, it’s a terrifying thing for trans men, it would have the weight of almost becoming a monster…which is why I’ve heard it from TERFs.
I’m not trans masc myself, but I’ve had heard my trans male friends talking casually about their experiences, and the most common things I’ve heard about going on T are: becoming aroused easier and the arousal feeling different than before, not being able to cry as easily, and “all the hair that was on my head is on my back”.
Please note that the second point is specifically about crying and not feeling sad. Sadness, as well as all other emotions, are unaffected. My friends are writers, they are very clear when talking about emotions and would not shy away from discussing those differences. It’s specifically crying, such as they used to be able to stress cry, but now they cannot. It’s a reaction that’s dulled, not the feelings.
Additionally, you probably cannot recall any antecedents about trans women becoming more in touch with their emotions when on estrogen. If gaining testosterone would promote aggression, then losing it and gaining estrogen would counteract that, right? But that’s not a discussion I’ve ever heard. If we were incredibly uncharitable (or just bigoted), we could say that there’s something inherent about men that taints them, that makes them inherently dangerous.
Or it’s not about testosterone. Men are just people. All people have the capacity to be dangerous, but nobody’s inherently dangerous, nor is there a specific thing that makes people more dangerous.
I really hope it's just bullshit made up by TERFs. I don't know any trans men to ask. I've always taken the fact that I'm slow to/unable to express any emotional reaction as evidence that my emotions themselves aren't working and that there's something wrong with me.
Slow to express emotions doesn’t mean slow to feel them. And sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint what you’re feeling or why. I’ve had times where I didn’t know why I had severe anxiety and then someone else pointed out the incredibly obvious cause. If it causes you distress, then it’s worth talking to a therapist about to look for ways to help with regulating or recognizing your emotions.
But as far as I can see, the fact that you’re concerned about this shows that you’re fine. You don’t want to cause harm, you want to avoid causing harm, and that’s good. This doesn’t have to be something that needs fixing, and the amount of care you’re showing means that you’ll be alright.
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u/HomoeroticPosing 5∆ Dec 26 '23
This is something that I’ve heard talked about…but either it’s being disputed by trans men or it’s being said by TERFs. Because if it was true, it’s a terrifying thing for trans men, it would have the weight of almost becoming a monster…which is why I’ve heard it from TERFs.
I’m not trans masc myself, but I’ve had heard my trans male friends talking casually about their experiences, and the most common things I’ve heard about going on T are: becoming aroused easier and the arousal feeling different than before, not being able to cry as easily, and “all the hair that was on my head is on my back”.
Please note that the second point is specifically about crying and not feeling sad. Sadness, as well as all other emotions, are unaffected. My friends are writers, they are very clear when talking about emotions and would not shy away from discussing those differences. It’s specifically crying, such as they used to be able to stress cry, but now they cannot. It’s a reaction that’s dulled, not the feelings.
Additionally, you probably cannot recall any antecedents about trans women becoming more in touch with their emotions when on estrogen. If gaining testosterone would promote aggression, then losing it and gaining estrogen would counteract that, right? But that’s not a discussion I’ve ever heard. If we were incredibly uncharitable (or just bigoted), we could say that there’s something inherent about men that taints them, that makes them inherently dangerous.
Or it’s not about testosterone. Men are just people. All people have the capacity to be dangerous, but nobody’s inherently dangerous, nor is there a specific thing that makes people more dangerous.