I sit down with Robynne Merguerdjan, who underwent medical “transition” surgeries in the 1990s, including top and bottom surgery, in what is colloquially known as the male-to-female direction.
I actually felt empathy for this man during this interview. No one should be in a position like him, unless they lived through some traumatic accident, and those problems were the result of saving the person’s life. I’m one of those strange birds that finds scalpels to be a something I’d only want contact with if I was dying, or in immediate danger of dying. In an industry where practitioners swear an oath to “first, do no harm,” how is it that we keep having surgical scandals? Should we somehow try to pass a national law that *forces* them to stop cutting up people’s bodies for cosmetic purposes? My Boomer friend lost her 30-year-old niece in 2013 from complications after liposuction. A 30 year old woman lost her life because she thought “a little bit of fat” could be surgically siphoned off of her body without risking her life, and she was wrong. People need to hear about/see pictures of what Robynne described, or they’ll not believe it. I’m glad he’s speaking out so at least some kids can be saved from this horror. Thanks for interviewing him, and yes, multiple interviews would be even more illuminating, as this one scratched the surface. ❤️
Wow. Just wow. Robynne should be giving first-hand testimony to medical and political bodies about what happened to his body. Nightmare doesn't begin to describe it. How many kids would opt for, well, I won't even say it. BTW, Robynne's last name is Armenian, no? If there is a follow-up interview, could he discuss reactions and relations from/with family and community? Acceptance or ostracism? Thanks for your courage and honesty, Robynne, and thanks for hitting it out of the park on this one, Exulansic.
PS to commenters ~~ I tried to "like" all of you but Substack won't let me.
Bravo to Robynne for the most honest and brave interview that I have seen and thank you , Exulansic for giving this platform the unbiased truth! This SHOULD be posted on EVERYWHERE- uncomfortable topics discussed with depth and understanding!👏👏👏
"Intimate partners grow tired of making love to plastic surgery."
I've wondered how long a woman would be willing to deal with a partially inflated skin-fruit-roll-up instead of an actual penis.
With a real man, there is a wonderful sensory cycle from arousal to completion, so many different sensations that just can't be duplicated artificially. The same goes with real women and our arousal to completion cycles.
I'm so grateful to those who are willing to come forward and speak honestly about the difficulties of these surgeries.
Thanks for this interview Exulansic and for this testimony Robynne - respect for sharing the tragedy of surgery with such straight-forward honesty, human dignity despite it all and in these strange times, courage.
On the topic of bowel disasters, is there any follow-up on the very personable young woman with the colostomy? The pineapple eater? I hope she recovers and sues the doctors to the moon & back.
Very interesting, albeit depressing... He's right, it will take decades to undo what has been done. The tavistock closing really was a small win. Thanks for posting this and doing the interview
Monkeypox *can* be transmitted via semen, apparently. This has been verified in the last few days, and British medics are corroborating it. Clearly, this explains why it is disproportionately affecting gay men. We shouldn't beat about the bush and walk on eggshells. In general, gay men are by far the most promiscuous of all demographics and the spread of monkeypox can be understood within this frame of reference.
Robynne was a charming, funny, urbane man with a tragic backstory and a heartbreaking air of resignation and acquiescence about him. It's terrible to think that as he was relating his tale, hundreds if not thousands of deluded young men are contemplating exactly the same trajectory. If only videos like this were obligatory viewing for anyone considering 'transitioning' or, in extremis, SRS. If only.
Another coup, Exulansic, and a great addition to your considerable body of work. You did indeed look a little detached during the first half of the video, but if you've been unwell, then that's understandable. I would imagine that the cumulative effect of months and months of research and content production is such that you're depleted of energy and zest. Please take care of yourself: you're an important asset in this fight against trans lunacy and we can't afford to have you jaded and spent. So eat well and sleep well and if it means doing fewer videos, then so be it.
I think I sat through the whole video, but if the question I'm going to ask was actually answered, then apologies. Does Robynne think of himself as a man, as a transwoman, or as a woman? How does he conceptualise himself? What is his opinion of gender identity in general? It would have been great to hear his opinions about the notion of 'being born in the wrong body', and how this is basically a niche religious belief - the belief in a unembodied, gendered soul hanging around in limbo before being embodied - only to be placed in the wrong shell. How does Robynne see these issues? And what was it that pushed him to take this particular route? I think a second discussion, taking in these subjects, would be a great idea. Is there any mileage in revisiting him, say, in a month or so?
Wow, such an interesting conversation - especially to hear from someone who started transition so long ago, they've seen the changes over decades first-hand.
I was particularly intrigued by the idea of people needing to keep going on transition, that's something I never really thought of before. But I do know people who are addicted to getting plastic surgery (a stylist in a salon I used to go to had one per year as a matter of course. She had "regular" cosmetic surgeries like face lifts, nose jobs, etc. I guess it was a hobby of sorts, rearranging her features), and others who can't stop getting tattoos, so why wouldn't this type of "body mod" be addictive as well?
That idea also falls in line with the research that says almost 100% of kids put on blockers transition, where it's a much lower percentage when there's no pharmaceutical intervention. That could be because the blockers actually block the mental and emotional development needed to make an informed decision, or because they've already invested so much time (and their parents' money), they don't feel like they can desist.
I guess you could call it the "sunk cost phallocy." ;) (apologies if you've already made that pun)
Exulansic, you have surpassed all in this painfully enlightening piece with this self declared man; he tells all as it is.
So much to untangle with the knotted dominance of ultra rich males--- thought provocating with a plus - thank you--
I actually felt empathy for this man during this interview. No one should be in a position like him, unless they lived through some traumatic accident, and those problems were the result of saving the person’s life. I’m one of those strange birds that finds scalpels to be a something I’d only want contact with if I was dying, or in immediate danger of dying. In an industry where practitioners swear an oath to “first, do no harm,” how is it that we keep having surgical scandals? Should we somehow try to pass a national law that *forces* them to stop cutting up people’s bodies for cosmetic purposes? My Boomer friend lost her 30-year-old niece in 2013 from complications after liposuction. A 30 year old woman lost her life because she thought “a little bit of fat” could be surgically siphoned off of her body without risking her life, and she was wrong. People need to hear about/see pictures of what Robynne described, or they’ll not believe it. I’m glad he’s speaking out so at least some kids can be saved from this horror. Thanks for interviewing him, and yes, multiple interviews would be even more illuminating, as this one scratched the surface. ❤️
Extraordinary interview.
Wow. Just wow. Robynne should be giving first-hand testimony to medical and political bodies about what happened to his body. Nightmare doesn't begin to describe it. How many kids would opt for, well, I won't even say it. BTW, Robynne's last name is Armenian, no? If there is a follow-up interview, could he discuss reactions and relations from/with family and community? Acceptance or ostracism? Thanks for your courage and honesty, Robynne, and thanks for hitting it out of the park on this one, Exulansic.
PS to commenters ~~ I tried to "like" all of you but Substack won't let me.
I believe the spelling of the name is still Armenian, and I had the same question in mind!
I cannot even imagine being born in an Armenian family and telling them that you want to do this to yourself.
Armenians are very Christian, and are all about marriage, children and the joys of becoming a grandparent.
Whoops, I take it back. I was seeing -ian ending, not -jan. New bifocals. Sorry, Robbyne.
The counter to Dobby, aka David Hayton aka Debbie Hayton.
Bravo to Robynne for the most honest and brave interview that I have seen and thank you , Exulansic for giving this platform the unbiased truth! This SHOULD be posted on EVERYWHERE- uncomfortable topics discussed with depth and understanding!👏👏👏
"Intimate partners grow tired of making love to plastic surgery."
I've wondered how long a woman would be willing to deal with a partially inflated skin-fruit-roll-up instead of an actual penis.
With a real man, there is a wonderful sensory cycle from arousal to completion, so many different sensations that just can't be duplicated artificially. The same goes with real women and our arousal to completion cycles.
I'm so grateful to those who are willing to come forward and speak honestly about the difficulties of these surgeries.
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thanks for this interview Exulansic and for this testimony Robynne - respect for sharing the tragedy of surgery with such straight-forward honesty, human dignity despite it all and in these strange times, courage.
On the topic of bowel disasters, is there any follow-up on the very personable young woman with the colostomy? The pineapple eater? I hope she recovers and sues the doctors to the moon & back.
Very interesting, albeit depressing... He's right, it will take decades to undo what has been done. The tavistock closing really was a small win. Thanks for posting this and doing the interview
Monkeypox *can* be transmitted via semen, apparently. This has been verified in the last few days, and British medics are corroborating it. Clearly, this explains why it is disproportionately affecting gay men. We shouldn't beat about the bush and walk on eggshells. In general, gay men are by far the most promiscuous of all demographics and the spread of monkeypox can be understood within this frame of reference.
Robynne was a charming, funny, urbane man with a tragic backstory and a heartbreaking air of resignation and acquiescence about him. It's terrible to think that as he was relating his tale, hundreds if not thousands of deluded young men are contemplating exactly the same trajectory. If only videos like this were obligatory viewing for anyone considering 'transitioning' or, in extremis, SRS. If only.
Another coup, Exulansic, and a great addition to your considerable body of work. You did indeed look a little detached during the first half of the video, but if you've been unwell, then that's understandable. I would imagine that the cumulative effect of months and months of research and content production is such that you're depleted of energy and zest. Please take care of yourself: you're an important asset in this fight against trans lunacy and we can't afford to have you jaded and spent. So eat well and sleep well and if it means doing fewer videos, then so be it.
I think I sat through the whole video, but if the question I'm going to ask was actually answered, then apologies. Does Robynne think of himself as a man, as a transwoman, or as a woman? How does he conceptualise himself? What is his opinion of gender identity in general? It would have been great to hear his opinions about the notion of 'being born in the wrong body', and how this is basically a niche religious belief - the belief in a unembodied, gendered soul hanging around in limbo before being embodied - only to be placed in the wrong shell. How does Robynne see these issues? And what was it that pushed him to take this particular route? I think a second discussion, taking in these subjects, would be a great idea. Is there any mileage in revisiting him, say, in a month or so?
Wow, such an interesting conversation - especially to hear from someone who started transition so long ago, they've seen the changes over decades first-hand.
I was particularly intrigued by the idea of people needing to keep going on transition, that's something I never really thought of before. But I do know people who are addicted to getting plastic surgery (a stylist in a salon I used to go to had one per year as a matter of course. She had "regular" cosmetic surgeries like face lifts, nose jobs, etc. I guess it was a hobby of sorts, rearranging her features), and others who can't stop getting tattoos, so why wouldn't this type of "body mod" be addictive as well?
That idea also falls in line with the research that says almost 100% of kids put on blockers transition, where it's a much lower percentage when there's no pharmaceutical intervention. That could be because the blockers actually block the mental and emotional development needed to make an informed decision, or because they've already invested so much time (and their parents' money), they don't feel like they can desist.
I guess you could call it the "sunk cost phallocy." ;) (apologies if you've already made that pun)