Re: Respectful response

Many of the high schoolers I had as peers were level-headed, confident in themselves, and had the time of their lives during those years despite the obnoxious teachers and lack of civil rights (though they did adjust well to adulthood too, of course).

I certainly was not. I only seen a couple months of 9th grade before my mother pulled me out of school. I didn't have much of a social life after that. However, that was not the cause of my age dysphoria; I was already starting to see early signs before dropping out of school.

Also, do keep in mind that as a youth liberationist, I would prefer to be a teen who had more options than the totalitarian schools you rightfully lamented above provide kids at the present time.

Same here. I am really just a little younger than you are. I certainly would not want to have a bedtime, and not be allowed drink a little alcohol occasionally when I'm depressed.

not all teens embrace the emo subculture, and I sure don't like it;

Why not?

I am really hoping that goth makes a comeback.

Goth and emo are often seen as really similar.

I understand it's very difficult for someone who does not share the "taftohebephiliac" mindset to understand or relate to it. I would gather that Hypersonic does relate to how I feel and what I said above in many ways, however.

Thanks for mentioning my name, friend. Yes, I can totally relate to how you feel.

Because being a young adolescent boy is indeed being "myself," and what I am now--in a strictly internal sense, of course. I do not want to go back to being exactly what I was when I was a teen in a chronological and biological sense, or to return to the exact same type of overall situation I was in then. That is something I want to make clear to those who do not understand one who has the identity perspective that I do.

As an example, if I could become a teen again, I could return to the martial arts, and be able to better defend myself against bullies. I could opt for homeschooling or online education and not have to deal with those school bullies and obnoxious teachers any more. I could make many other changes that would make for an improved adolescence compared to the one I had the first time around, in an era when less opportunities were available for kids when it came to education and socializing. Nevertheless, I would have been honored to meet and become friends with the teacher you mentioned up above, as he reminds me much of one of my heroes, John Taylor Gatto. My condolences to all who knew and loved him for the loss.

I'd probably make some changes too. I'd be having sex with a classmate, and I'd tell all of my asshole teachers to fuck off. I'm certain that I would get expelled from school really quickly.

Also, my parents wouldn't fuck with me either. Now that I know I can blackmail them by threatening to use the magic "M" word against them. Although I admit that I don't think I could actually report them. I hate the system so much.

I was homeschooled after my mother pulled me out of school. I had some issues with bullies (just verbal abuse, not physical abuse).

It's only a "problem" to the degree that I live in a society and time period where individuals like me cannot be accommodated, and we are essentially forced to live according to a set of expectations that do not feel natural to us. In a better world, I think diversity would be much better respected, and everyone of every perspective would be accommodated with compassion and understanding.

That is a world that I would love to see.