🏳️‍⚧️ what is 'transhausen-by-proxy'? 🏳️‍⚧️

QUEER WORD
TRANSHAUSEN-BY-PROXY

What It Means:

An anti-trans conspiracy theory used by transphobes to accuse parents of trans children of fabricating or imposing a trans identity on their kids for attention, sympathy, or ideological reasons. It's a weaponised bastardisation of the medical term ‘Munchausen syndrome by proxy’ (now called Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another), which is used to describe caregivers who deliberately make their children sick.

Let’s Use It In A Sentence:

I knew it was finally time to leave the family group chat when my cousin Sharon shared an article about a ‘new condition’ she’d heard about, transhausen-by-proxy. How am I related to these people?

A little bit of history:

There seems to be no end to the cruel and vicious culture wars we find ourselves embroiled in at this moment in time.

So, before we explore this term some more, I think it’s important to remind you:

• These times WILL pass. Though I can’t say when or how, there have been moral panics and culture wars at many points throughout history, and they do not last forever (SIDE NOTE: if you enjoy a good podcast I would absolutely recommend Jon Ronson’s Things Fell Apart, which explores the absurdity of some of recent history’s culture wars, like that time when heavy metal was supposed to turn us all into satanists?)

• The best way to make it through is by arming yourself with enough knowledge about the tactics they're using so you can fight back should you need to

• But also make sure that you save space and time to preserve your sanity

Ok, now that we’ve got that little PSA out of the way, I wanted to take a closer look at one of the phrases that I’ve noticed seems to be popping up more and more in comment sections. And this one is aimed at parents of trans kids who affirm and support their children.

But what does it actually mean? And why is it so oily and insidious?

A Medical Diagnosis, Hijacked

First, let’s go back a step to give us some context.

Transhausen-by-proxy comes from the medical diagnosis ‘Munchausen syndrome by proxy’, a term coined in 1977 by British paediatrician Roy Meadow. It describes a rare form of abuse where a caregiver deliberately makes their child sick (through poisoning, tampering with medical equipment, or fabricating symptoms) to gain attention, sympathy, or a sense of importance from medical professionals and those around them.

The most famous example of this that I can think of is the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose mother Dee Dee subjected her to unnecessary surgeries, medications, and a wheelchair she didn't need for years. And the reason this case is so well known is because Gypsy eventually murdered her mother to escape the abuse (and is now a social media influencer, it seems?).

How Transphobes Weaponised It

So, taking this concept and twisting it through a transphobic lens, anti-trans activists have co-opted the term to falsely label parents who support their trans kids as unwell, abusive, and simply seeking attention or social clout.

The term seems to have first emerged around 2018-2019 on anti-trans forums and within right-wing social media. From here it gained traction as the broader moral panic gathered momentum and the rise of other sounds-kind-of-medical-but-is-utter-garbage terms like ‘rapid onset gender dysphoria’ (another debunked concept) started peppering conversations.

By 2020-2021, transhausen-by-proxy was being used regularly in comment sections, parenting forums, and even by some conservative commentators to demonise supportive parents.

By using this term they’re reinforcing this narrative that no child is trans. And, therefore, if your child is trans and you affirm them, the only reason that you are doing this is to make them sick for your own benefit. You're either brainwashing them with ‘woke-gender ideology’ or exploiting them for some kind of progressive clout.

Why it’s Harmful and Inaccurate

Well, firstly, (and, I guess, most obviously), it further normalises transphobia. It legitimises the oft-spouted concept that queer people are ‘just doing it for attention’ or have been somehow manipulated into their identity.

But it’s also likely to silence people. It creates situations where parents won’t seek support for their trans kid for fear of being labelled abusive, further isolating them and potentially having a negative impact on their child’s wellbeing and mental health.

And perhaps most insidiously, it provides a pseudo-medical justification for removing trans children from supportive homes. If you can frame affirming parents as abusers, you can justify taking their kids away from them.

What The Actual Evidence Shows…

So you probably already know that I don’t condone wading into the comments section and trying to argue with accounts that are posting these types of poisonous comments (especially because most of them are just bots), but if you find yourself in a situation where you simply must put someone in their place then here are some facts and stats you might find useful:

• Trans youth with supportive families have significantly better mental health outcomes. A 2016 study published in Pediatrics found that trans children who were supported in their identity had depression and anxiety levels comparable to their cisgender peers, while unsupported trans kids had dramatically higher rates of both. Hmm…. I wonder why that could be?

• Parental support is the single biggest protective factor against suicide in trans youth. Research from The Trevor Project shows that trans young people who reported having at least one accepting adult in their life were 40% less likely to attempt suicide in the past year. Yup, you read that correctly. 4-0.

• There is no evidence of parents ‘making’ their children trans. Many, many studies have shown that gender identity emerges early in childhood and is not influenced by parental attitudes. Kids with supportive parents don't ‘become’ trans. They just feel safer being themselves.

  

  Recently, a British newspaper ran an article framing transness among celebrities’ children as a kind of ‘contagion’. Oh, and, for some reason, Sylvester Stallone’s wife waded in to the conversation too?

• The ‘social contagion’ myth has been debunked. The theory that trans identity spreads through peer influence (often called ‘rapid onset gender dysphoria’) has been thoroughly discredited by researchers and rejected by major medical organisations. And, remember, they used to (and still are, in some states) use the very same argument about gay teachers, gay classmates, or books featuring gay characters.

• Medical interventions for trans youth are evidence-based and cautious. Puberty blockers are reversible, and no one is performing surgeries on young children despite what your uncle Johnny might claim. The actual process involves extensive evaluation, therapy, and informed consent. Kids don’t show up at the doctor’s office one day and leave with a bag of hormones. That’s not how it works.

And, to boil all of that down in to a couple of sentences:

Supporting your trans child isn't abuse. It's the opposite. It's listening to them, believing them, and helping them access the care they need not only to survive, but to thrive.

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