I question the utility of transorientation. It feels like it’s based on a misframing of what orientation is and how it works. I certainly understand the desire to change the sort of sex you can emotionally handle, but we already have a very excellent model for this from regular queers: internalized phobia. Your orientation is already “the direction you move towards.” That’s what the word means completely out of the context of sex, and it’s used to describe sexual desire because you generally spend your life “moving towards” the sexual partners you want. Unless, of course, you hate yourself for it, because God said don’t fuck that way. You don’t have to think of it as God; if there’s something stopping you, I promise that’s what it is, because the fake bullshit anglocapitalist protestant God is ultimately source of all modern mind control.
With that said, I also don’t hate it? I can see how maybe saying it this way could be a sort of shorthand? I just want you to be aware of the sort of things psychs would be likely to say about this idea. With more cussing and criticism of the status quo.
An important reason why I don’t think it’s a great idea though is that it strongly implies that a desire to reduce one’s range of attraction would also be valid. You know, the whole “I wish I didn’t want this illegal thing.” This is how you get to the normie framing of treating it like an addiction. This would be paramisia!
Sorry it has taken me a long time to respond but I was dealing with the hurricane and looking back, I felt like we were misunderstanding each other in this conversation. The way I am understanding sexual orientation is different from your definition. For me, transitioning would mean putting my physiology in concordance with what my mind desires. So not really changing what my mind wants in any way. Not that I think that is necessarily bad, as people can be of different minds.
I do want to clear up some things you mentioned in the last reply, but I don’t want to come off as hostile. In my case, my transorientation would not make me more “Christian-passing”. I am straight to gay and allo to demi(?best descriptor I know of) because I want to be aroused only by my partners, and we have trauma regarding heterosexuality. I DON’T think being straight is wrong, it’s simply uncomfortable for me to deal with straight sexual content as it triggers memories of my abuse. I also have additive transorientation regarding wanting to be aroused by certain kinks (farts, scat, vore).
I still disagree that harm is inevitably done by reducing desires on purpose. Some desires can be objectively dangerous. It doesn’t even have to be in the realm of sexual desire. Some people find it hard to leave abusers because they love them even though they beat them. If I were attracted to people who were abusing me, I might want to stop feeling attracted to them so that I can leave the situation.
People have conflicting feelings about what they want all the time, and deciding which desires are more important to you is something everyone does.
I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that internalized phobia is not always the reason for wanting to transition. There can also be other reasons, such as trauma, which I don’t think should be condemned but people should always introspect about why they want certain things.
Again, respectfully I disagree. Transracial people sometimes use medications and undergo surgical procedures. Transabled and transsevere people can use pills and other medical treatments.
I don’t want to think about it at all because it is an intrusive thought, not a desire. I want to get rid of my intrusive thoughts to be in concordance with what I actually desire.
I wrote a response to this a bit ago and had to abandon it when I was almost done. -_-;
Have been a bit overtaxed lately, but I do want to get back to this soon. Just wanted to say that I’m glad you’re well after the hurricane.