Prude Posting (Helena)
Lacroicsz is the account name of a Substack newsletter titled prude posting. The writer, Helena, describes herself as a detransitioned woman in her twenties. She writes from that personal experience.
What you will find
According to its own description, the newsletter covers the phenomenon of gender identity among young people, the related social justice ideology, and emotional and physical well-being. It includes reflections on her own detransition, advice for parents of teenagers who identify as trans, and criticism of mental health care and the medical sector.
Why it is included on this list
This is a personal account of experience and a collection of opinions, not research. As a first-hand account, the newsletter offers insight into how transitioning at a young age and later reversing that decision can be experienced. One person’s experience says nothing about how common this is; for that, see the topic of young people.
Period and topics
The newsletter is no longer active. The archive runs from April 2022 to February 23, 2023, when the final post appeared. In July 2022, Helena wrote that she had stepped back from Twitter. Most of the pieces were published during the first six months. Among other things, she wrote about the BITE model for behavioral control in groups, limerence, how teachers can support a teenager who identifies as trans, and a chest binder manufacturer that sends binders to young people through charities without their parents’ knowledge. A piece from October 2022 explains why, in her view, taking away a phone is not a solution.
The writer’s background
Helena writes that she was once a committed supporter of both the gender identity movement and the social justice movement. The newsletter’s title refers to the word prudish, which she says is used to describe people who criticize these ideas and which she adopts as a badge of honor. She describes her approach as publicly dissecting her own psychology. A paid subscription cost seven dollars a month; paying readers could suggest questions and topics. Some of the pieces are structured as responses to a parent’s question.
How to assess this source
The pieces are now several years old and are no longer updated. They offer a coherent insider’s view of online communities in which young people develop a trans identity, a subject that also arises in discussions of rapid-onset gender dysphoria. It remains one person’s interpretation. Comparable personal accounts on this list include those of Michelle Alleva and Maia Poet.