They are terribly disturbed. They need our compassion.
Discussion
Be careful that compassion is not toxic compassion.
It used to be a well understood principle in the field of mental healthcare that you do not indulge a delusional patient in their delusions. It's counterproductive and handful.
Agree. They are captured by a destructive ideaology that says their identity is valid only when affirmed by others...hence the dramatic attention-seeking you mentioned.
We know their sex, and they know we know...even when some of us lie to them with the best of intentions...and so its a losing proposition from the start. Its so sad but completely logical that they have such high suicide rates regardless of "transition"