lydy
Nowhere GirlIt has been repeated many times, but the idea that cis het men would go to any bother whatsoever pretending to be trans women in order to sexually assault someone when they do so all the time already and are rarely and barely punished for it is patently absurd, and yet we are constantly forced to address this nonexistent, made-up problem by people who just want trans people to disappear and die.
Essentially, every anti-trans narrative and talking point is rooted in a hysterical overreaction to something transphobes made up themselves, which have no basis in reality, and which fall apart under any common sense examination, and yet it is trans people who are constantly accused of being deluded or in denial or out of touch with reality.
If you're concerned about cis teens transitioning by mistake, well, don't, it's vanishingly rare, and the solution isn't loading teens up with even more hang-ups and anxieties about their appearance, behavior, interests, and sexuality by straightjacketing them with "traditional" gender norms or hiding information from them or refusing them access to care, putting them through an ordeal just to obtain advice and answers to very basic questions.
Good decisions don't happen under duress.
If you're really, really worried about it then you should want the process to be as painless as possible, for there to be an abundance of information and counseling, and a lack of pressure to make decisions quickly because of limited time and access to care, taking full advantage of puberty blockers, and for young people to feel accepted no matter what path they take.
Frankly, it's none of your business anyway.
No one benefits from making this process fraught with stress, fear, and threats of violence, nor from denying people access to basic and often life-saving information, support, and care.
No one except fascists who hate trans people and want us to die and who not so coincidentally want to subjugate women and protect rapists and abusers from accountability.
You really have to be a sucker to fall for their scapegoating of trans people.
silverhorseman@gwynnion
Trans people fundamentally tap into the two motivating factors on the right.
First, fear of people who are different.
Second, the assumption that success can only come at the expense of others.
These are the unspoken foundations of right wing thinking, and explains why they hate blacks, Jews, immigrants, gays, etc, etc.
Trans people fundamentally tap into the two motivating factors on the right.
First, fear of people who are different.
Second, the assumption that success can only come at the expense of others.
These are the unspoken foundations of right wing thinking, and explains why they hate blacks, Jews, immigrants, gays, etc, etc.
Kaila@gwynnion As a woman that hasn't questioned my gender identity (just gotten super annoyed and frustrated with the cultural norms of expressing it), it seems to me like a healthy atmosphere where kids CAN safely explore their identities can only be helpful to everyone. We might even end up with a less militantly gendered society as a result - oh wait - THAT'S maybe what they're afraid of.
@gwynnion Gradual is the approach I've tried to take with my son. I'll confess that sometimes have doubts -- I know I changed a lot from teenage to adult; and I sometimes still wish a non-traditional gender role would be comfortable for him instead of masculinity (which is a mixed bag, IMO). But the process has been gradual, and that helps.
coffeespots™
🔜 Fur Eh!@gwynnion it's such bad faith arguments too. They act like the second a kid of any age questions their gender, they automatically get sent to a surgical suite that afternoon.
Seeing what my trans friends have to go through and how long it can take to access gender-affirming surgery, I wish it really was half that easy and quick for those who want it.
But the people spreading that lie know it's a lie. And the people hearing it just want to hear things that affirm their bigotry.
Jeff Fecke@gwynnion Honestly, I'd be totally fine if people said that we should do puberty blockers and social transition only during teen years, with decisions on permanent body mods made as adult. Seems pretty reasonable, and there's nothing permanent done either way. But puberty blockers are also evil because reasons.
Bluedotmo@gwynnion I find it best to be simple. I ask myself this question- "Does it affect my life in any way?"
If my answer is "No", my response is always, leave people the fuck alone. Let everyone live how they want. It's none of our business.
Like I said- simple.
Gio@bluedotmo @gwynnion it’s a very simple philosophy I follow as well. I wish more people would follow it.
Dustin D. Wind@bluedotmo @gwynnion Always glad to meet a fellow Latter-Day Nunyatarian*. 😏
* - With a not-unlikely end or at least steep decline to human civilization right around the corner thanks to climate catastrophe also feeding rapid development of deadly pandemics among starving refugees, not to mention idiotic billionaire war profiteers playing chicken with nuclear war... if your biggest problem is with someone who's not hurting you in any way, then not only is it "Nunya", I have only one question:
MaxI used to think this way too, but then I realised it led to an unwanted situation: A small group of people wanting to live their lives, a large group of people who actively hate the first group, and everyone else looking the other way saying 'not my problem'.
If everyone would let people be themselves then it would be great, but until then we need to actively stand with these oppressed and persecuted folk, and push back against the hate and intolerance of the ignorant ❤️💛💚💜
scf@gwynnion Assume it's projection, because it almost always is, so it tells you a lot about the people pushing that idea.
Don Melton@gwynnion This. 💯
Mark R. Stoneman@gwynnion Ditto the whole child molestation thing. But transphobes throw everything they fear into the same pot with everything that is objectively wrong (rape, child abuse, etc) and use the resultant brew to feed their own fears, projections, and hatred.
Skyler (Star Group)@gwynnion i mean fuck, given how badly trans women are oppressed, a cis man would probably be way more likely to get actually charged with a crime if he pretended to be a trans woman than if he simply wielded cis male privilege
Nick 'The Viking'Opinion from a cis het male.
Cis het rapist will not pretend to be a trans anything, would be absolutely offended by the suggestion. Cis het guy may pretend to be a woman for stalking/ID concealment purposes but IMO not going to be used beyond that.
Male would be likely to pretend to be a trans woman only to creep on women. Vanishingly small percentage to be sure.
Vambomarbleye@gwynnion evidence from 7 years of similar legislation in Ireland backs your understanding 100%.
This intervention is nothing to do with the Equality Act and everything to do with defenestration of the Scottish Parliament.
Biggest losers, apart from those the Act aims to help and support, are Labour, who have spent 25 years telling us a U.K. govt would never do this.
They now either back Tory stance or stand up for Scotland. Do nothing and they’ll face further electoral damage.
Susan 
@gwynnion THIS! This is what I don’t understand. HOW do people still not understand this?!?!
I’m not threatened by a trans woman in my vicinity walking late at night (or bathroom or anywhere), I’m VERY worried about the drunk group of cis bros that have just stumbled off the train and are ambling in the same direction as me.
I’m not threatened by a trans woman in my vicinity walking late at night (or bathroom or anywhere), I’m VERY worried about the drunk group of cis bros that have just stumbled off the train and are ambling in the same direction as me.
Simon 🪗@gwynnion useful article, if you haven't seen it... https://www.openlynews.com/i/?id=21757767-4909-4844-922f-41903ff042f8
b_parkes@gwynnion As a cis het man myself, I couldn't agree more. I think this is another Section 28, a desire by the right to whip up their reactionary base by making up an enemy; sadly, basis in fact is not a pre-requisite.
Carol Warady@gwynnion I think what the intent is is to make trans women appear as predators. I don’t think they are saying that heterosexual men are dressing up as women in order to gain access to a woman’s bathroom to assault women. They seem to be framing trans women as the ones assaulting women.
Alanisland@gwynnion the idea that a man bent on sexual assault would be deterred by the "Ladies" sign on the door is frankly hilarious.
@gwynnion cis het men do it all the time without any disguise. It's a bullshit fear tactic.
Andrew Ross@gwynnion Exactly.
NothingToSeeHere@gwynnion The reality is, and there's plenty of data to back this up...
Children are safer with trans folks and drag queens than they are with pastors and priests. People just can't seem to admit the facts, or square the logic because they're not using any.
le kendall 
Nobody: I sure would like to assault someone right now but that sign says I’m not allowed in so I guess I won’t do that today!
mike@gwynnion People who mean trans people harm can’t help imagining the feeling is returned. That sort of projection is basic human behaviour.
Shuvo of the Left@gwynnion
It’s the most mindbogglingly disingenuous argument I’ve ever heard (and I’ve heard many). It’s ludicrous. Absurd. Yet people fall for it. I cannot understand how anyone believes such nonsense!
It’s the most mindbogglingly disingenuous argument I’ve ever heard (and I’ve heard many). It’s ludicrous. Absurd. Yet people fall for it. I cannot understand how anyone believes such nonsense!
@gwynnion
Yeah, it's sad that people willingly accept a nonexistent problem to avoid thinking about unexpected problem.
It really doesn't take a lot of mental work to realize everyone needs to pee and probably will try not to look at anyone between walking in and washing your hands, just like you do. But then rather seeing the obvious humanity of the situation, you choose to be worried about a problem that doesn't exist.
That can't be healthy.
Marty Party@gwynnion YES! It's maddening to me that people think it requires a ridiculous ruse to access women to abuse them when an abuser simple has to become a policeman instead, or just be a nakedly horrendous POS and suffer no consequences whatsoever.