By now, folks have heard of transgender, transsexual, transracial, and transable, but have you heard of transage? Transage is the term being used to describe individuals who no longer “act their age” because they feel a different age internally. It’s the latest development in a modern trend that continues to play into identity segregation politics and fuel the fire of society’s culture wars.

Transage individuals act, dress, and behave as a particular age, different from their own. In a country where freedom rings, the results are a segment of humans who choose an artificial identity over their natural identities. Now, age is a choice, the same as sexuality, gender, or race.

Advanced medicine was once reserved for literally saving lives. Now, advanced medicine is also used to figuratively save lives by means of changing one’s gender, their racial appearance, or, their age. Dr. Sherman Fielgüt, the owner of Elevate Cosmetic Center (ECC), believes these attitudes will lead to a never-ending utopian society. “Humanity is experiencing a renaissance in the way we present ourselves,” he said. “We now have a choice to act on our innate feelings and psyche. If a person feels a certain way, then this person has access to technology and treatments to fulfill their life’s journey.”

While Dr. Fielgüt confirms he has not operated to physically change someone’s biological age, he says his team of researchers is testing safe, humane ways to perform procedures where age is accelerated and where age is rewound. “Our mission at the ECC is for our patients to safely pursue their personal appearance should it differ from their internal make up.”

With the permission of the ECC and their patients, the Chorus interviewed a few patients from the ECC to find out what is driving this new segment of the ever-growing identity choice movement. None of the interviewees allowed us to use their name.

The first patient is a 13 year old boy who says he feels like a senior citizen, “I’m old. I know I’ve just been alive for 13 years but I feel as though I’m in my 60s or 70s. I like to eat early, sleep early, and wake up early. I don’t like school work because I feel like I should be retired. I’m constantly nodding off in class after our lunch period. Which causes my teachers to discriminate against me with bad grades. But, it’s not my fault. My biological age simply is not a fit for my habits and I deserve to be heard and classified as a senior citizen, along with all the perks that are provided to senior citizens. I want cheaper movie tickets and discounts that are afforded to seniors everywhere. I deserve that,” he said.

Another patient was feeling the opposite. We spoke to an 80 year old who is younger than ever, according to her. “Well, I’ve always had an overabundance of energy. I haven’t sat still my entire life. I’m intrigued and very curious about the world around me. I want to be medically cleared to return to elementary school as a student and learn what children are learning today. I feel forever young and I want to be classified that way. It’s my right as an American.”

The last patient we spoke to had a more defiant reason. This 32 year old man is convinced he is a toddler at heart. “I never had a traditional upbringing, so to speak. My parents often ignored me for their booze and drugs. They died when I was 11. My grandparents became my guardians but they spoke very little English and I feel as though I never developed past the mindset of a toddler. The family structure failed me, the educational institutions failed me, and I want to act how I feel. Sometimes, I don’t feel like getting up and going to the bathroom. I want to just go where I am and be cleaned up. I deserve that lifestyle after putting up with a miserable childhood. I want to be a toddler because I was blissfully unaware of the darkness all around me. I’m pursuing a procedure to alter my brain activity to match a toddler’s brain activity.”

As with other trans identities, there is a portion of society that may suffer mentally until they match their outward identity with their internal identity. And, the ones truly suffering are likely to go about their transformation quietly and privately, with the support of their family, friends, and medical professionals. But, their admirable journeys open up certain procedures, therapies, and other forms of treatment to be taken advantage of by a larger portion of society that may not understand what it truly feels like to have a mis-matched body and identity. Instead, they use the idea of becoming trans as a crutch and excuse to blame their malcontent onto others rather than being personally accountable for their life’s efforts and results.