All excellent points and I don't disagree with you fundamentally. You're right too - studies in general are lacking. Especially long term understanding of the therapy and effects. Studies can also be influenced by orchestrators as well and swayed in certain directions absolutely. Yes, I used some all or nothing words and I shouldn't have made such affirmative sweeping statements. My apologies.
I can only speak from my experience as a trans woman (I was 30 when I started and have been undergoing therapy for 4 years). All I can say is hormones changed my life. I am a proven case. Every single individual I have met who also have begun hormone treatments stated it saved their lives. Childhood was an absolute hell for me. I had no idea why but I knew something was wrong with me early on. Cutting started quickly for me which spurned two suicide attempts before making it to high school. Now imagine instead a world that has accepted thousands of documented cases of hormone therapy as legitimate and doesn't question the efficacy of treatment. What would happen? Absolutely nothing at all. People would live as they truly are without being stigmatized. Conversely, think of this. What if we lived in a world where having cancer was stigmatized. Those inflicted would be ostracized and excluded from social groups and told how terrible they are because they contracted cancer. And care that had shown to work was banned because, well, we don't understand it so we don't like it.
I get that unknown things are scary. I get that a "normal" person will never ever truly know the pain inflicted by gender dysphoria. And honestly I am ok if people don't take the time to educate themselves about a disease that affects less than 1% of the population. I don't do it for the myriad of other 1% diseases personally so why would others? But unless it directly impacts your life, then you don't have any skin in the game. I don't make comments or shout my opinions on things that I do not know or have not experienced. And honestly I don't care to either. I just don't get why people think it's ok to do that in this case.
For thank you for the kind words hopefully you'll see in my earlier posts I was trying to add levity and make you laugh while making a point. I rarely have these conversations with any malice. For me it is interesting fun and a good place to learn.
In terms of yourself and those you know I am glad that you are doing well. Again I don't wish harm on anyone. I just go where the science goes. I'm sorry childhood and your young adulthood was hell.
That said when deciding on treatments and whether or not something works anecdotal studies matter in that it is a person. But when deciding on general treatment modalities especially ones with life long impacts you can't use those are your guide posts. You need studies, research, and data. Those studies research and data are at best again unless robust studies have surfaced of late unproven. But generally the research has shown improvement for up to 5 years before it declines to levels at the beginning or no benefit at all. Studies have even shown that in terms of feeling like they are being misgendered it actually doesn't have an impact. In fact iirc they actually while not statistically significant did worse.
The current field as well seeks to steer away from some of the incredibly salient pieces of the equation like the very large social component. For instance 6x the normal rate of the trans population is autistic.
Look personally I go where the research and data goes. Because if the data doesn't say there is benefit and there's huge money in the field. Combined with the interaction in the social sphere. It seems unless the data real soon doesn't return screaming then the alternative answer is a lot of people are being lied to and lifes being destroyed because of money and politics.
To use your number if you say thousands have benefitted. Okay great. But what happens if significantly more had to die for that benefit? There's also in medicine the placebo aspect. Where if people think they are going to benefit you dont need to actually have a benefit to see some benefit. But it is almost impossible to discern where benefit comes from as the studies are rarely double blind. Or for instance in studies on brains. The researcher knew who was who going in so they could say oh that persons such and such gender.
The bottom line is and I guess you did get me to talk about it is. A lot of people have an agenda on this topic. I care about the science and what the science says. I mean i spent a good amount of my adult life in medicine and another good amount studying for my psychology degree. Like this prevailing notion you need personal experience to feel a certain type of way is preposterous. I've never been a slave or experienced it but I am of the opinion slavery is wrong. Should I have no opinion on the matter? I dont have cancer but I can have the opinion fuck cancer. Should I have no opinion on the matter? Like i said I go to where the studies, the facts, and the science are at. While scientists can lie the data doesnt especially if the study is done with as little confounding factors as possible.
Alright I'm going to sleep this was way too long. I do hope you have a response. Again i do respect your opinions and I enjoy hearing them.
