ok so i’m sorry upfront if this is a sensitive topic that i shouldn’t speak about. however i had this sudden realization like last week and now it’s stuck in my head. you deserve to know it too.
so there’s these silicon valley tech bros that talk a lot about transhumanism. That’s basically a movement that wants to improve your body somewhat through the help of technology, such as brain implants, cyborg bodies, etc… Well, isn’t transgender medical care a form of transhumanism as well? It surely does make use of technology, after all the girl pills and such come from laboratories (i’m not sure how exactly they’re produced but i guess it’s with the help of genetically engineered bacteria that produce the substances). So basically it feels a lot like people who get transgender care are kind of the first line in the movement to transhumanism. Isn’t that cool? or idk what else to say.
Anyways the realization is fascinating because most of these transhumanists are deeply republican for some reason. And they also hate against transgenderism for some reason? despite it literally being an application of the type of technology that they advocate for so heavily.
Transhumanism is all about us overcoming our flawed biology, so yeah it fits
Is dentistry also transhumanism?
Yes, so is any form of modern medicine or you want to define it that way.
It’s healthcare.
Is this related to the idea that as soon as artificial intelligence can be applied to a specific use-case, it ceases to be magical, hand-wavey magic and becomes auto-focus, or shopping suggestions, or voice transcription?
To the 18th century doctor, our state of healthcare is literally science fiction tales of wonder. Resurrecting the dead, replacing organs, changing gender… impossible! Now it’s just healthcare.
Donna Haraway effectively argued as much (even through the use of antibiotics, among other things) in the 1985 “Cyborg Manifesto” — well worth a read.
I don’t think there’s anything especially offensive about recognizing that (trans)gender affirming care would be covered under an expensive definition of transhumanism. Except for two key points.
- So would eyeglasses, any dental care beyond cleaning and tooth pulling, and any surgery that includes a graft or pin.
- Transition of apparent sex is not necessary to be transgender. A transgender woman doesn’t suddenly become a cis man just because you deny her HRT.
Republican hypocrisy on the subject essentially boils down to “poors and children are property, not people.”
Transgender tech person here. I’d generally agree with you.
In the last 5 years I’ve lost 160 pounds, instituted an aggressive exercise program, started a longevity-focused supplement regime which includes radically changing the function of my endocrine system to focus on estrogen. Somebody who hasn’t seen me since starting would have a hard time believing I was the same person.
All of this is really only possible due to the technology and research we have access to. Bioidentical hormones, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-androgens, metabolic support like GLP-1 agonists, etc, as well as the basic over-the-counter supplements… are all backed by many decades of research by armies of scientists on proper formulation and dosage. Not to mention the advances in wearable tech that continually track my physical condition, combined with staggering levels computational power that synthesizes the whole picture.
The march of advancement is ongoing. We are soon to enter the era of personalized medicine, where my genome can be analyzed to produce custom viruses and mRNA that deliver precisely defined instructions to fix or alter specific aspects of my person. This doesn’t even touch on surgical innovations.
I think what the kitten-eaters dislike is not the tech but the -ism in transgenderism. The notion that I should want a change they find culturally icky, but can’t dispense with without also doing away with all the other stuff they do want. It drives ‘em nuts, lol. As long as we live in a free society, I get to do whatever I want. So, their solution is to make the society less free, but just for this.
That targeted disenfranchisement easily broadens to persecute an entire credo that naturally occurs around people such as myself. I also live in a city, have electric cars in my drive and solar panels on my roof, and subscribe to crazy notions like everybody should have guaranteed access to medicine. This is apparently an existential threat to the straight, white, male, Protestant, suburban fossil-fueled strip-mall American Way. I’m well and certainly on a number of lists. In case they’re reading this, Ka$h Patel can eat the peanuts out of my asshole.
I aim to live for a long time, in good health, as the person I envision myself to be. The only threat to that are the right-wing psychopaths… but I contribute too much to the precious economy to be written off completely. It vexes them, which amuses me.
"From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Machine. "
But to answer your question. Yes, chemical/hormonal enhancements do seem to go under transhumanism as well as genetic modification isn’t possible yet or at least as a reliable enough method.
While i am a huge supporter for transhumanism, i am not a republican. I just hate the failing weak meatsuit filled with flaws we’re forced to operate.
“Your kind cling to your flesh, as though it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass you call a temple will wither, and you will beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved, for the Machine is immortal… Even in death I serve the Omnissiah.”
In concept it’s great. In practice it’s healthcare.
