German trans girl Alex (Photo: Taz.de)
THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — “Professor Udo smoked meat from the University of Basel” says the google translation of the original German Taz article from which the few English news report have based their stories on. Other translation engines have not produced much better results.
While this story is making the rounds on the internet, I’m looking to find something a little bit more solid. This may be a case of ‘lost in translation’ — or perhaps there is more to the story than we’re being told. Then there’s the source itself — is Taz.de a tabloid of sort, exploiting a family squabble over trans issues and twisting the truthfulness of it into an international story? I would not source a story from The National Enquirer or FOX News — if Taz belongs in their company, it would be nice to know.
We need a liberal, who knows German, knows transgender issues and knows a bit of German government and law to set us straight.
That said, it’s perfectly prudent for the international trans community to raise concerns about the German trans girl Alex in the event the story, badly translated or not, is factual.
Original article “Transsexualism in childhood, Who wanted the pink unicorn?”: http://www.taz.de/Transsexualitaet-im-Kindesalter/!85899/
Translated version: Google Translate
German trans girl Alex (Photo: Taz.de)
———-
You’re welcome to share this entire article!
Follow this topic and others on Lexie Cannes’ Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/lexiecannes
Get the transgender-themed feature film “Lexie Cannes“ here:
http://www.LexieCannes.com
Categories: Transgender, Transsexual, Trans
LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS 
Lexie, Keep us posted. If the Country that gave us Kim Petras turns around and institutionalizes another transgirl, we have to know what this is about!
Someone on Reddit was kind enough to give us this translation:
His last name, Rauchfleisch, just happens to translate to “smoked meat”… taz is “die tageszeitung”, a leftist/alternative daily newspaper, gender-neutral language and all. IMhO it’s not nearly deliberately dumb enough to be a tabloid, although it’s not likely to be especially neutral either. (It’s been about 15 years since I last read it.)
I do speak German fluently, but legal and medical jargon is hardly my forte in any language. Even so, here’s my attempt at a summary:
11 year old Alex lives as a girl with her mom’s support. taz.de says that nothing about her or her painted pink room says “boy”. Her hobbies include breakdancing, swimming, Harry Potter. Alex: “So since when did you know you’re a girl? Forever!” She’s on the brink of puberty and wants to be treated with estrogens. She’d rather die than turn into a man.
A Dutch study indicates that biological boys who claim to be girls become transsexuals whereas boys who merely wish they were girls tend to become homosexuals instead. In clear-cut cases the Dutch do start hormone treatment at puberty.
This is done in Switzerland as well. Transsexual expert Prof Rauchfleisch from the University of Basel, Switzerland, wants to see Alex weekly for half a year for a proper diagnosis, then possibly start hormones early so she won’t look like a man in a dress later on.
Alex has never been assessed by a neutral party. 6 years ago a large Berlin clinic told her she’d be unhappy as a girl later on and confronted her with pink princesses and toy cars. She thought this was ridiculous and ended up doing a jigsaw puzzle. The head physician talked to her father for a long time, to her mother for an hour, and to Alex not at all.
Alex’s father claims his ex-wife is the real problem, that she’s mentally ill, that she’s talked Alex into it.
Klaus Beier, sexual medicine guy at the university hospital Charité, Berlin, says Gender Identity Disorder can be induced by the parents, for example if the mother has a problem with men. He says we don’t have clear criteria as to which children with gender identity issues turn out to be tanssexuals — so it would be irresponsible to administer puberty-blocking medication.
Alex’s mother saw a therapist; the therapist couldn’t find anything wrong (with her, the mother). She says a relative of her ex-husband’s was a (repressed, secretive) transsexual; she thinks he doesn’t want Alex to go through this.
But Alex’ new nurse (caseworker?) from the Jugendamt (Youth Welfare Office?) believes the father. She, the father, or both (it’s not entirely clear) believe(s) Alex is suicidal, needs to be institutionalised, and shouldn’t get hormones. He/she/they hope(s) puberty will make Alex want to be a boy. No more girl stuff, exposure to football (soccer) and cars, a foster family away from the mother.
Prof Rauchfleisch thinks this kind of treatment would be harmful bullshit.
Even though there are no professional opinions, the Youth Welfare Office got the Amtsgericht (local/county/district/magistrates court) to decide in favour of having Alex committed. Alex’ mother is shocked at the decision. The case is now before the superior Court of Justice, but the Youth Welfare Office seeks a preliminary injunction to have Alex committed right away.
Note: Alex isn’t really called Alex; name was changed.
Your Reddit translator did a good job, Lexie. Particularly in sorting out Prof. Smoked Meat’s name.
This seems to be basically a fight by the father to prevent the child from having blockers and delaying puberty to prevent huge changes. He wants a son. The mother is willing to allow the girl to do what she wishes due to the time and extent of her wishes and knowledge.
The juvenile authority in Berlin appears to be clueless which is kinda strange that such a thing would occur in a major capital city in Europe. But perhaps it’s run by the Christian Democrats these days, any idiocy is likely when the Catholics rule.
It’s kinda a Kenneth Zucker (the juvie authority) vs. Peggy Cohen-Kettenis fight over whether to or not to allow a transsexual child to define herself. The “commitment” will be to the care of the State rather than the parents, which will likely mean that she will become he and require immense expense to transition after some Zucker clone attempts to “repair” her into a gay male.
I would just like to add that this isn’t a proper translation so much as a summary (an accurate one, I hope).
~the Reddit translator