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Over at Crossdreamers Joanna Santos argues that many older transgender people carry deep trauma from growing up in a rigid gender system that forced them to hide their identities and internalize shame.
She argues that this pain may remain buried for decades under work, parenting, substance use, or other distractions, only surfacing later in life when those distractions fade.
She describes self-reflection and metacognition as necessary, though painful, tools for uncovering inner truth and confronting suppressed identity.
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