I could go into academic research and stuff that shows that it is real, but honestly I wouldn’t find that convincing myself anyway. Research into mental health has historically been very slow and problematic.

Instead, nowadays I like to look at this through the angle of consent and agency.

If you look into trans communities like on Reddit and the fediverse, you find that a lot of them have positive personal experiences with going through surgeries. This is something as a community they talk about and recommend to each other as something that will help. I guess you might find people that don’t like it, or insist that there should be more nuance or whatever. I don’t know, I’m not trans and don’t want to speak for them. As outsiders, we have no right to say what they can and can’t do with their bodies if it doesn’t cause anyone else harm.

Female hysteria, however, has always been a possessive thing. It’s always been my wife must have hysteria because she wants to vote. My wife must have something wrong with her because she refuses to do the dishes. The women themselves don’t really have a say, and if they do they only get listened to if they are good little wives.

I’d be highly skeptical if doctors were able to manipulate trans people into having surgeries. For starters, in many nationstates trans awareness and support is non-existent at best and genocidal at worst. Doctors absolutely would not want to force an unnecessary treatment that is also frowned upon by the state. Trans people have to fight so hard to get all the diagnosis and paperwork that they need to feel happy, and they sure as hell wouldn’t do that if they didn’t know it was helpful.

And, of course, with the rise of the internet and easy communication, if any medical practice is considered unethical or unhelpful, the community would turn on it super fast. Look at how badly conversion therapy for LGBT and autistic folks is seen nowadays.