#anyone who's a threat is suddenly transgender

[felucians]

white women who can't handle woc (especially black women) being better than them are so dangerous.

an entire hate campaign investigating if a woc is really a woman?

[contemplatingoutlander]

It has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to endorse Harris for president

Isn’t this what a newspaper is supposed to do?

I love that The Washington Post satirist Alexandra Petri took it upon herself to endorse Harris for her paper after Bezos pulled the plug on the editorial board doing so. This is a gift🎁link, so feel free to read the entire article. Below are some excerpts:

The Washington Post is not bothering to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. (Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin and the founder and executive chairman of Amazon and Amazon Web Services, also owns The Post.) We as a newspaper suddenly remembered, less than two weeks before the election, that we had a robust tradition 50 years ago of not telling anyone what to do with their vote for president. It is time we got back to those “roots,” I’m told! Roots are important, of course. As recently as the 1970s, The Post did not endorse a candidate for president. As recently as centuries ago, there was no Post and the country had a king! [...] But if I were the paper, I would be a little embarrassed that it has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to make our presidential endorsement. I will spare you the suspense: I am endorsing Kamala Harris for president, because I like elections and want to keep having them. Let me tell you something. I am having a baby (It’s a boy!), and he is expected on Jan. 6, 2025 (It’s a … Proud Boy?). This is either slightly funny or not at all funny.  [...] Well, that world [the baby will be born into] will look very different, depending on the outcome of November’s election, and I care which world my kid gets born into. I also live here myself. And I happen to care about the people who are already here, in this world. Come to think of it, I have a lot of reasons for caring how the election goes. I think it should be obvious that this is not an election for sitting out. The case for Donald Trump is “I erroneously think the economy used to be better? I know that he has made many ominous-sounding threats about mass deportations, going after his political enemies, shutting down the speech of those who disagree with him (especially media outlets), and that he wants to make things worse for almost every category of person — people with wombs, immigrants, transgender people, journalists, protesters, people of color — but … maybe he’ll forget.” “But maybe he’ll forget” is not enough to hang a country on! [...] I’m just a humor columnist. I only know what’s happening because our actual journalists are out there reporting, knowing that their editors have their backs, that there’s no one too powerful to report on, that we would never pull a punch out of fear. That’s what our readers deserve and expect: that we are saying what we really think, reporting what we really see; that if we think Trump should not return to the White House and Harris would make a fine president, we’re going to be able to say so. That’s why I, the humor columnist, am endorsing Kamala Harris by myself! [color/ emphasis added]

How far The Washington Post has fallen into the "darkness" it used to work so hard to ward off to help keep our democracy alive.

[edited]

[savthemusic]

i need to put this somewhere that someone might see is someday so a part of my story can be told.

a couple days ago, i was on the verge of taking my life.

i had the pills in my hand and nearly downed the rest of the bottle before calling it a night. i didnt tell anyone. i didnt have anyone to tell. didnt write a note or anything cuz i figured nobody would care about what i had to say, they never cared before. all my life ive lived in an abusive household, always looking over my shoulder wondering if id suddenly set my stepdad off, never knowing what would make him tick. threats on my life had been made many times for small things, i never knowing if getting a glass of water would be the last thing i do. ive also been struggling internally with my gender and my identity, who i wanna be, what i wanna do. ive made attempts to take my life before, none of them successful, but i didnt expect to make it past 20. i always told myself if i wasnt out by 20 id just get it over with. im about to be 21 soon and i didnt plan to even be here, i have no direction, i dont know who i want to be. ever since i was a child i've always had flickers in my mind of wanting to be a girl, wishing i was born a girl, maybe id fit in. all of my friends have always been girls and id get teased for it by the adults in my life. calling me a "ladies man" and stuff like that, i hated it. not only did i hate that i didnt fit in with them enough to just be friends, i hated being considered a man. i didnt find out what "transgender" was until middle school and soon the pieces all clicked together but i had to hide it. from friends, from family and eventually from myself. my stepdad has told me many times that if he were to find out i was gay or anything that he'd kill me on the spot. just the thought of what he'd do if i told him i was a girl made me feel sick, so i hid. all of this has built up until the other day i decided id rather no longer live than continue to live like this.

i remembered seeing online people talking about a movie that every trans person must see. I Saw the TV Glow. i decided to watch it, it'll be the last thing i do. cross off one last thing on my forever-incomplete bucket list.

the movie saved me. if it werent for this movie i wouldnt be here today typing this. i related with the MC in every way and it hurt to see her live the life i wanted to avoid. i cried. i cried for the rest of that night, i apologized to people in my life and let them know i appreciate them and i vowed that i wouldnt let myself fall down the path of hiding from my true self until its too late. "there is still time". that quote has been playing in my mind ever since that night. ive had regrets of not ending it that night, knowing that if i did i wouldnt be feeling this way anymore, but the quote is true. just a few more years and i'll be out of this house, out of this state that wants me dead, i'll be free.

my mind is drifting, starting to overthink, i'll cut the story here, but i just wanted it to be known that anyone that comes across this that even tho things are hard now you just need to keep holding out, patience will pay off in time. even if things change and i end up grabbing that bottle of pills again or if my stepdad does it instead i'll know that at least my story is out there.

there is still time.

[orkbutch]

So, I'm not really in the weeds of Transgender Discourse on the internet (I have a life and also care about my mental health) but I've seen something discussed here about trans masculinity and I wanna talk about it.

I'm very masculine. I'm butch, I'm trans masc, I've always wanted to be masculine and I feel most comfortable when I'm presenting as such. Without much effort or any intention on my part I am read as a cis man day to day. Because I don't present more fem, in queer spaces I am read and recieved as a man, maybe trans, probably into other men. People do not even consider if I'm a butch lesbian unless there's Significant context indicating it. Because of this I'm viewed through 'Man Lens'; It feels a different if I say 'bitch', if I talk about my attraction to women. I don't get smiled at, people put physical distance between me and them as much as possible.

This is familiar for a lot of trans masculine people and trans men that aren't androgynous/fem leaning in their style, and it is an upsetting change to happen. It makes us feel judged or misunderstood to suddenly be causing this wariness in others; it feels prejudiced. I've seen people putting words to this like transmisandry. This is something they want to lessen in their communities, so they don't have to experience this anymore.

Now, here's my opinion part: That's not going to happen. You cannot tackle the "problem" of people responding to your masculinity with wariness. They aren't controlling the wariness, they can't. More importantly, their wariness toward masculinity and what registers in their brain as "man-like" is well founded. It's based in lifetimes of experiences and trauma that has told them men can be very unsafe to be around, and that is true. Most men are cis, and cis men are the most threatening thing in this world to non-cis men. They are usually* socially privileged above others, more likely to inflict violence, more likely to abuse and murder others, are typically physically more powerful than others. Everyone thats not a cis man DEEPLY internalises a very rational wariness of men, and masculine presentation as an extension. Especially men that are strangers. (*This is of course different when we consider intersections of race, colonialism, classism, ect. But globally this generalisation is still pretty accurate.)

Honestly, I don't think this wariness towards masculine presentation is something thats useful or realistic to challenge. Like many internalised processes it's probably a good idea to examine it and consider its usefulness, but I think it'd be easy to conclude that it is a useful wariness for people to have. Women have lots of reasons to be wary around men, including the unique threats of transmisogyny. Queer and gender deviant men have lots of reasons to be wary around men. This is The Reality of patriarchy.

Personally, the place I've come to with how women and queer people react to my masculinity (which is not entirely negative btw, the wariness is just one aspect) is that... I understand their wariness. I have it too, toward those my brain assumes are cis men. I cannot control how they feel or what they think about me. I can only be respectful to others and to myself and live my life. I flag my butchness where I can, I make my gender clear to those it matters to, and the rest I accept as largely beyond my influence. All of us have to do this in some places in our lives.

Even though my masculinity makes other queers wary, I have lots of friends! I've had no real trouble dating or finding intimacy. Initial wariness is just that. Once you understand each other, break the barrier, its usually settled. For anyone who finds my masculinity so offputting that we can't break the barrier, I'm glad neither of us put each other through that discomfort. I understand where a fear like that comes from. I will still hold community with them because that's what solidarity entails.

Anyway thats my ramble about masculinity in queer community, good bye until another. who knows how long

[talisidekick]

My life is on Tumblr. Not all of it, but enough. Why? Because I finally broke out of the illusion I made for myself growing up. I felt like a monster because thats how I was told to feel for feeling what I felt, and so I lied to myself until I believed I didn't feel the things I did. It was a self-made, bunker thick, mysoginistic and misandristic shell of toxicity that made me miserable for the purposes of others convenience in upholding a fantasy world of simplicity. Upon rediscovering truth and having to face all I'd lost in making unappreciated sacrifices, I started to learn how to reclaim and rebuild myself. I want to show people it's okay to be yourself. That being transgender doesn't make you inherently evil. That I, at the end of today, am human, a person, like any of you.

I've shared my thoughts, my frustrations, some of my joys, my hardships. I've made statement pieces, analysis, and even science posts. I've, on occasion, written papers on here with citations/links to my sources. I've put a sizeable amount of time and energy into letting everyone on this site into my life in some small way to combat the idolization and demonization political actors on the local, provinicial/state/territorial, national, and global stage are doing to transgender people. Because the term "transgender" is not synonymous, a thesaurical equivalent, or a replacement for the words "predator", "pedophile", "rapist", "adulterer", "monster", "assaulter", "victim", or "survivor" to name a few. It means "to identify as any gender other than the one assigned at birth". Thats it. Someone could literally decide "I'm just not the gender the doctor said I was" or "I'm not just what the doctor said I was" or " I'm just me" and that's enough. Those are people you know, love, talked to, interact with, laughed with, but maybe also argued with, had a heated discussion with, fought with, or got mad at in traffic for not using a turn signal to change lanes (we've all done it by mistake). Transgender people are just people. Capable of making mistakes, helping others, needing help, and fucking up like everyone else. We all make bad calls, and stupid decisions. We learn, we correct, we hold eachother accountable.

Logging in today to see a long-standing transgender persons blog getting nuked for the either the stupidest idle threat ever made (or so thats the official reason by the Tumblr CEO) or for simply being transgender (as other and numerous members of the public claim) has made me personally a bit wary. The way I see it, it's both. An idle threat was made to a Tumblr executive and because of the prejudice thats become common place world wide, Tumblrs CEO felt vindicated in going to the excessive lengths of full account deactivation on a transgender persons blog. It's absolutely expected to have a zero-tolerance policy on issuing threats, especially to staff. It's not okay in an online forum of supposed neutrality to utterly silence a person completely without fair warning of a Terms of Service failure and a chance to remove, redact, or re-edit a response. We ALL get heated, even myself, and do stupid things in a reactionary moment of passion. What the issue here is, is the disproportionate response. Given I and numerous other transgender people have recieved threats, those on our very lives in fact, which have gone completely ignored, why is there suddenly a zero-tolerance immediate ban policy on a threat that was, in comparison, the kind of insult you'd expect from a grumpy five-year-old?

I see why this is blowing up, because it's a clear display of power privilege. And rather than going through the established review path, as far as anyone can tell, this was a direct response. This sends, whether intentional or not, a clear message: if you're transgender, you're on thin ice here. And it's not just transgender people and queer and cisgender allies who are getting the message. The transphobes, the so called 'gender critical' crowd, the terfs, are seeing it too. That is why I'm calling for Predesterone's account, all associate blogs, be reinstantiated.

The constant misgendering, libel, misinformation, verbal violence, abuse, and conjecture transgender people of all identities face on this site without any reprocussion to those responsible has, for a long while, helped set a clear standard that users of this platform are afforded the privilege of a degree of disrespect towards marginalized groups and minorities. Ableists attack the disabled and neurodivergent, Nazi's attack Jews, Transphobes attack Transgender people, homophobes attack the gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, and racists attack people of colour with -very- little the victims of such hate can do to make it stop. The bigots know this. And this ... this is going to make it worse. Bigots are going to try and instigate harsh responses from minority groups with the intent of forcing queer people and other minority groups off Tumblr. It has already begun in the reblogs of several posts like this one directed at transgender people. Predestrogen is already getting misgendered and disrespected outside the scope of the issue. Conjecture is already being made enmasse.

I'm on Tumblr because Reddit and Twitter were too unsafe. I'm not on any other blogging sites because Tumblr has, for the moment, a supportive queer community. That can change, given this whole situation has been done in such a way that it's being interpreted on all sides as an attack on transgender people.

Tumblr has no obligation to listen to me or others, but Tumblr has always struggled to get by, and I have to ask: is one persons dumb 'threat' really the spark you want to make to get people to leave. Is becoming a truly unprofitable cesspit and hate-haven like Twitter what's desired? Because this is the exact kind of rallying cry to make if you do.

I'm adding my voice to this. Bring back predesterone, this response is out of proportion. No, the CEO does not deserve to be threatened to have hammers thrown at his car until it explodes, or whatever. The point has been made: DO NOT THREATEN TUMBLR STAFF. But neither does a long-standing account deserve to be wiped off the face of Tumblr permanently for a blog post that is so benign compared to what the average transgender site user has to deal with on a regular basis with no recourse. Someone threatened to actually shoot me, kill me, if I was walking down the sidewalk and they saw me, and that post is still up and so is the account despite being reported. It's been 2-3 months or more. If I'm expected to stomach that, you can stomach someone saying they'll throw hammers at your car from a person who in all likelyhood is paying so much into transition she can't afford to buy one tiny kids-sized hammer. The person who threatened me actually openly admits to already owning guns.

[scriv3lloirl]

My personal Little Shop LGBT Headcanons (+ random shit lol) cus it's pride n I can do whatever t'hell I want.

There are tons of microlabels listed here cus I love givin representation t' the lesser known labels out there, includin my own!!

Also I don't wanna hear shit bout how they wouldn't know what half these labels even are. I'm well aware of that, I'm jus havin fun.

tw: f-slur

enjoy n feel free t' ask questions bout my headcanons if ya want ‼️

Seymour Krelborn | he/they

- transgender (ftm)

- biromantic (fluctuatin male-n-female preference)

- nebularomantic

- asexual

- in modern day, he'd probably use nature related xenogenders

- unlabeled Seymour also works tbh. He seems like the kinda guy who'd be overwhelmed by all these labels

Audrey Fulquard | she/her

- transgender (mtf)

- either hetero or panromantic

- demiromantic

- reciprosexual caedsexual

- she wouldn't say all of this if anyone asked, though. She'd probably say she's gay as a general term, y'know?

- Whenever pride comes round, she makes these beautiful bouquets t' sell that are discreet pride flags. It looks like a bunch'a pretty colors, but nope. Secret lesbian flag.

Orin Scrivello | he/him (maybe it/its too)

- transgender (ftm)

- biromantic (hella internalized homophobia)

- hypersexual.

- aegosexual n/or fraysexual

- he keeps his sexuality n all that locked t'fuck DOWN. He got lucky cus his top scars healed beautifully n ya can't tell he even had any surgeries done.

- If anyone even mentions being gay round him, he suddenly gets very defensive. "Who t'hell are ya callin a faggot?!"

- He has no issues with gay people, he'll tell ya that straight up. But he is not one of them, y' hear? (He is.)

Gravis Mushnik | he/him

- cisgender man

- hetroflexible (biromantic)

- heterosexual

- All gay customers get a discount on flowers. (He jus says that n has Seymour put up a sign in the window for it ...There's no discount btw.)

Twoey / Audrey II | she/it

- agender

- acearo REPULSED

- please do not fuck the plant

- triple a threat.

Crystal | she/her

- cisgender female

- sapphic

- asexual

- Random headcanon, but all the Urchins are aliens (cousin Twoey.) They jus spawned into Skid Row one day n nobody questioned it.

Ronnette | she/he/them (any)

- gender non conformin (gnc)

- neptunic

- aceflux

- fem presentin.

- Chat I've seen like three productions where they have Ronnie played by a dude n it altered my brain chemistry.

Chiffon | she/her

- cisgender female

- lesbian

- acespec

- she is a man hatin lesbian.

Frank Guest | he/him

- cisgender male

- mlm

- nebulasexual + graysexual

- def. has the hots for Seymour.

Arthur Denton | he/it (that/thats)

- cisgender male

- panromantic

- homosexual

- ambiamorous

- I saw someone headcanon that he has a wife n kids n that he's jus a big ol jokester who moans in the dental chair!! I think bout that all the time.

- Nobody wants his freaky ahh.

Mrs. Mack | she/her

- cisgender female

- lesbian

- dating Mrs. Luce cus fuck you guys

Mrs. Luce | she/her

- transgender (mtf)

- lesbian

- dysphorsexual

- in a lavender marriage with Mr. Luce (aka. the editor of Life Magazine (who's a gay man)) she's actually datin Mrs. Mack

Mr. Bernstein | he/him

- cisgender male

- polymantic

- homosexual

- "Seymour, sweetheart, dollface, bubalah..." Yea. Y'ur gay.

Skip Snip | he/him

- cisgender male

- aromantic

- homosexual

- "It's nice to meet me, the pleasure is yours!" Yeah. Welcome t' Homoville buddy.

Patrick Martin | he/him

- cisgender male

- heterosexual

- homophobic.

- I don't like Patrick Martin. so he's a cishet.

Wink Wilkinson | he/him

- cisgender male

- panromantic

- asexual

- He'd be the kinda guy who'd wear "Free Hugs!" shirt at pride n give out really cringy pride stickers like "I'm a Pan-da!!" N shit t' the people he interviews on the radio. He's great.

[drpepperhateblog]

The Hogwarts Legacy boycott is the most counterproductive internet activism I’ve ever witnessed

Note: I’m not playing Hogwarts Legacy because I think the author is overrated and hasn’t been good in years. And well, again, feeling concerned about some of her opinions on transgender people.

With that said, finding it very interesting how everyone are harrassing anyone who dares to touch the game, whether by purchasing it or by playing a free copy or by pirating, due to the transphobic views of the author... On Twitter. Which is ran by Elon Musk. A transphobe. 

Not just that, but Twitter most certainly on the regular hosts and spreads more antisemitic and transphobic views on their site than Hogwarts Legacy ever will...

I especially find it fascinating when tweets show they were sent from iPhones. You know, iPhones, primarily made in China, likely helping fund the genocide of Uighur Muslims.

If you choose to boycott the game for concerns over transphobia or antisemitism, then I do commend you for that. I’m a big proponent of the idea that people need to show their opinion with their wallets more often. Rejecting something you could’ve enjoyed because you don’t want to contribute to making the world a less safe to live is commendable. For the same reason I have a lot of respect for vegetarians and vegans. I could never do it. More power to you.

With that said, no one consumes cruelty-free in reality. You’ve probably eaten meat. Or used Twitter. Or had an iPhone. All things that you didn’t actually need to do in order to survive, but things you chose to do anyway.

Why did you? Likely because it’s impossible to care about all causes at once. No one is capable of doing so. 

When deciding what to focus on, it’s likely a competition between what is easiest to give up and what cause you care the most about. Hogwarts Legacy is probably to most very easy to give up. To others, not so much. Which may sound silly, but then again, so is choosing Twitter (created by a transphobe) over going outside and touching some grass (created by Mother Earth who is likely not a transphobe). We all have something we’re attached to that we don’t actually need.

There’s an additional angle to this, though. Not only is it hypocritical to shame others for consuming in a way that could potentially fund something you consider harmful, but it’s also ineffective.

An aggressive approach is counterproductive.

Similarly to how you’re probably not going to make someone stop smoking by putting a cigarette out on their skin and yelling at them how they’re going to get cancer, sending death threats to people for playing a video game is unlikely to be effective either. Chances are they’ll double down. Note how some responses to this organized bullying has been “well then, I’m going to buy two copies”? Congratulations, the hydra grew two more heads and now the game earned even more money. Odd how you’d want to contribute to that if your concern is genuinely that buying the game could cause transgender people to die en masse.

Hogwarts Legacy became the best-selling game on Steam before even being released. Not just in spite of the boycott, but also in spite of the bad reputation of early access game releases.

Perhaps the biggest irony of it all is J.K. Rowling’s fear of transgender women surpressing cis women are now as a result of the boycott suddenly not looking so unwarranted. Women streamers have been pushed to tears. Girlfriend Reviews being an especially sad case, where a Jewish woman received a free copy of the game, donated any money earned from it to transgender charity, and yet was harrassed, threatened, blacklisted, and even had some accounts on social media shut down due to said boycotters making deliberately false reports of hate speech. I guess it wasn’t enough that J.K. Rowling herself got death threats and had a book written about her in which she dies a gruesome death. No, instead activists doubled down on the misogyny. 

And it’s sad. It’s genuinely sad. A movement that should be about the freedom of loving and respecting people for who they are and who they choose to be has now instead become an authoritarian movement against wrongthink and a breeding ground for bullies and oppressors.

[cxparadisi]

i feel like a lot of transmascs feel on some level that admitting that they are fundamentally different than cis men is an invalidation of their masculinity and it makes them go to bat for cis dudes as if they face the same pressures and societal expectations as trans men which ends up in them being very stupid and transmisogynistic because they come into conversations where transfems are talking about transfem eggs and the way that amab people interact with masculinity and transmascs join the conversation with "let men be masculine".

because trans men do in fact face transphobia for being masculine. masculine transmascs are constantly scrutinized and attacked for being ruined women who will never truly be men, with our masculinity being held up as a prize we will never earn no matter what we do and which we are arrogant and destructive of our natural female bodies in our urge to reach. that joke about how if bathrooms are enforced by agab the trans dudes who look like kratos are gonna have to be in the ladies' room ends before the punchline which is that those trans men either piss at home or are forced to invade womens' spaces which has very real social consequences including threats to their safety. trans men with full beards and male pattern baldness cannot pass as women to most people, so to anyone who knows or finds out your agab immediately knows that you're transgender, which means that situations where a trans person might closet themselves for their safety(visiting transphobic relatives, not having to come out to people who knew you pre-transition, trying to access gender-locked healthcare) are unavailable to you, so the non-op ftm with a lumberjack beard still has that while he's trying to get a pap smear and that joke about mom insisting that the trans guy wear a dress to the family reunion only for him to show up looking like hulk hogan ends before they tell you what happens after that. chasers who expect every transmasc to be an androgynous twink happy to perform femininity for their sexual gratification absolutely punish trans men who don't fit that standard, and your current partner preventing you from transitioning because you won't be their girl on command anymore is a well-known issue. masculine transmascs also get a lot of shit from other afab queer people, often even other transmascs, who also expect trans men to fall neatly under "women and trans men who i consider women" so they consider you a bad ending for a cute tboy who transitions too much, which makes swimming in a toxic pit lake preferable to existing in some transmasc communities as everyone politely informs you that they wish you didn't exist.

so like yeah, trans men do face discrimination for being masculine. that discrimination is called transphobia, and is why it is politically necessary for them to advocate for themselves in a way that cis men do not need to.

so why do so many annoying transmasc people add "and cis men!" into any posts they make about transphobia? why attribute this to an attack on masculinity generally as if cis men are also told by their boyfriends that getting bottom surgery would render them sexual pariahs? probably most of it is extending "trans men, being men, are closer to cis men than cis women", which is true, past its logical limit into "therefore cis and trans mens' experiences are interchangeable", which is not true, and they know it's not true because when they're called out for being misogynistic a lot of them will suddenly understand that they're a politically separate category from cis men. i am sympathetic to the overextending thing because spending your entire life being told that you will always be a woman often leads to an urge to frantically dig your claws into the only men you've been told are Real men and associate yourself entirely with them. wanting to be cis is a form of internalized transphobia almost every trans person experiences and not examining that can make you say some real dumb shit. i am not so sympathetic to them derailing transfem conversations that operate with the correct assumption that some "cis men" are actually women because, having staked the validity of their masculinity on being just like cis men, the idea that they might actually be women and especially the idea of having someone try to convince them to be a woman is painful and triggering.

counterarguments:

some trans men consider themselves closer to cis women than cis men or find the idea of forcefem hot: yeah that's why i said "a lot of transmascs" and not "every transmasc in existence", but also trans people can have complicated or contradictory feelings on their assigned gender which is why transandro bros who talk about androphobia like they're considered cis men will still understand that many trans men are considered women outside of just failing to beat the transmisogyny allegations.

a lot of that sounds similar to transmisogyny: that's because transphobia is a part of transmisogyny! tma people are also simultaneously held to the standards of masculinity and femininity and punished for a percieved failure to achieve either, and of course some of this is misdirected transmisogyny from percieving masculine trans men as trans women who don't pass. this is misdirected both because what works for trans women often is not helpful to trans men and vice versa so analyzing it as the same issue leads to suggesting solutions that only work for one group and are useless or harmful to the other, and because even if you're attacked for being a dude who looks like a chick, a lot of that transphobia can be avoided by proving you're not a trans woman. if an afab person gets accused of being a trans woman the main thing people do to defend them is cite their assigned gender, not argue that trans women shouldn't be barred from the olympics. this doesn't mean that transphobia against trans men, masculine trans men included, isn't real, traumatizing, dangerous, and often life-threatening.

medically transitioning doesn't automatically make a trans man masculine and is not interchangeable with passing: yeah i know but "transmascs who present as and are generally percieved as male" is really long to type and a lot of stigma against medical transition is based on its masculinizing effects. this is itself transphobic because it relies on the assumption that beards and penises are masculine while boobs and vaginas are feminine, but that is unfortunately what is systemically accepted and enforced.

are you saying that being forced to closet yourself is a privilege: not in any systemic sense or outside of the most general definition of "being beneficial in some specific circumstances with heavy caveats and downsides". like yeah being able to get into a women's shelter is better than not having that option but also being forced into the closet makes people kill themselves so it evens out.

feminine trans men experience a lot of this too: yeah "feminine" and "masculine" are socially constructed categories that in practice no transmasc 100% falls into one binary side of, and transphobia against trans men affects all trans men.

what about the assumption that transmascs face less oppression than transfems?: dude trans girls aren't saying that oppression is a quantifiable resource you are allotted a measurable amount of they're just saying that there is an extra axis of oppression you're not experiencing. a disabled trans man living in bhutan experiences more axes of oppression than an abled trans woman living in canada but that doesn't mean either of their oppressions aren't real, just that in comparison to a disabled trans woman living in bhutan they are systemically less oppressed. it's also possible that despite belonging to more or less systemically oppressed groups they as individuals could have any range of experiences from a pretty good life with a supportive social network to being killed in a hate crime at age 14. nobody in existence is on every axis of oppression, and TME means that you aren't on this particular exact one and nothing else.

but cis men shouldn't be forced to be trans women if they don't want to: and people who like astronomy shouldn't be forced to become astronauts, a trans girl asking a cis guy if he's ever thought about why he's more comfortable playing games as a girl applies exactly as much societal pressure to transition as asking a kid who's obsessed with space if they want to be an astronaut when they grow up. most of the time feminine cis guys aren't going to end up transitioning, as most people into space aren't going to become astronauts, but just posing the hypothetical isn't harmful and at absolute worst might be a little annoying if you get that question a lot.

[throawaymeowmeow]

Frustrated

Hey, I made this account because I need somewhere to speak my mind. Having looked at how radfems are treated, I am not quite ready to be open about my beliefs on my main blog just yet. I would lose friends and most likely get hate, and I am not ready for that. I just would like to find people who won’t ostracize me for how I’m feeling. I made this account to vent my feelings and speak from the heart.

I am a detrans lesbian woman. Since I was a kid, I have felt wrong to be female. I thought this was because I was trans, or non-binary, so I called myself a man and went by he/him. I thought I had it all figured out, and had found my people, yet simultaneously felt at unease around “fellow” trans people at the time. It was like an echo chamber. Everyone’s on the defensive, constantly, there’s no openings for new beliefs, and everyone’s scared of the big Terf boogeyman. I fell for this schtick as a silly young teen, including the JKR hate, despite the fact I had not actually read up on her views — Given, I did not hate her myself, I disagreed with her yes, but even when I was knee deep in the BS I still thought the harassment was awful (though I didn’t speak up about it, which was wrong.) One day my mother and I struck up a conversation at the start of this year (I think? Idk, I didn’t jot down the exact date lol) concerning that very subject.

My mother has been a lifelong feminist, and she is an amazing woman who has been a great influence on me. She allowed me to have a safe space where I could come to terms with my true opinions and not feel pressured & trapped in the echo chamber. She expressed that she felt frustrated with how the trans community was treating JKR and Posie Parker. She has always admired JKR, and while she didn’t wholly agree with her views, she felt very shocked and horrified at the vitriolic hatred being hurled at her. I admitted I felt the same. JKR had expressed her views in an educated and informed manner, and had been met with threats of rape and other terrible violence, as well as misogynistic insults and ostracization… Yet, men with far more violent and unempathetic views toward trans people were not met with nearly as much vitriol. I was beginning to see a pattern. Posie Parker, an activist who had come to New Zealand, was hit over the head with a bottle by a trans activist when she was speaking at a rally. People cheered the assailant on, and called Parker a ‘terf b*tch’, a fascist, a c word, so and so forth. My mother and I were shocked when we read this. Once again, a woman had dared express her opinion and was met with violence and vitriol. That, I think, marked the beginning of my second guessing as I realized the kinds of people I was aligning myself with.

Then came the whole “transmisogyny” thing. This really fucking frustrated me, even when I still identified as transgender. I have lived my whole life as female, I have been raised with patriarchal and misogynistic ideals hammered into me, told I have been inadequate, brushed off, sexualised, dehumanized, used as a scapegoat and a target, and that’s just scratching the surface. I have been taught to hate my body, and hate my mind, and mold everything in my life around whether or not it appeals to the male’s leer. And yet, these transwomen “transbians” who have lived their WHOLE FUCKING LIVES as heterosexual men (often white heterosexual men) up until recently suddenly are the real victims of misogyny, and women are the perpetrators of it. What! Are you fucking deluded???? That fucking infuriated me.

Everything in the trans community revolved around males. Transwomen, to be exact. We had to revere them like saints, seriously. Female born trans people such as trans men and various non binary people were treated as villains when they didn’t fall for the narrative. Seem familiar, ladies? Yeah, it’s the same anti female shit repackaged in a fresh new woke, blue pink and white coat of paint. Anyone who mentions the hypocrisy and the illogical nature of it all gets called a TERF - and by Jove, you don’t want to be an EEEVIL TERF!!!

Then there’s the genital thing. I have seen borderline rapey shut (actually no, not borderline, straight up rapey shit) come from the trans community (T.W mostly let’s be real it’s always them) regarding “genital preferences”. Hell rains down when they discover a lesbian doesnt like ‘girldick’. You can’t force people to be fucking attracted to you!!!! This is just REPURPOSED HOMOPHOBIA! My fucking God! Like, conversion therapy logic!!!! Oh, we can make her like dick, oh we can make him like pussy. How are you SO BLIND???????

I am honestly ANGRY at myself that I ever fucking believed this shit. I wanted to be part of a group and feel like I belonged, and the hatred I had for my body was taken advantage of and I stupidly went along with it. I don’t know why I didn’t realize this shit sooner. I am angry I am frustrated and I feel stuck. Like, I am stuck in a dark, muddy pit, but if I try to get out I’ll be shot by gunmen waiting just outside.

Okay, sorry, I got a bit angry there. Back to my point. Ever since I have distanced myself from transgenderism, and tried to accept my female body, I’ve felt a lot freer. I know that’s contradictory to what I just said, but it’s sort of two sides of a coin type deal. I’ve been looking at lesbian communities, butch women, engaging with strong females in my life that have broken free from the gnarled hands of the male agenda, and I feel seen. I’ve been reading up on the views of radfems online, and I realized how much of it I actually agreed with for so long but was too afraid to come to terms with it. I’m trying to make peace with my female body. I am not this warped idea of what society wants a woman to be. I am not some pornographic caricature. I am a woman - a female human. I am a person and an animal. I am loud, I am passionate, I am intelligent, I am prickly and hairy and problematic, I am independent I am my own person and my life doesnt need to revolve around MEN and whether I need to pretend to be a man or appeal to men. Men don’t need to feature in my life. They aren’t necessary. Hell, they’re a burden. They’re stupid, violent and emotionally handicapped creatures and I’ve had enough of putting up with them in my life. I’ve stopped engaging with male media and embraced the female world.

Okay, I’m done. I still have a lot of stuff I need to unlearn, and I’m at the foot of a long, tall mountain. I hope you didn’t mind my very long, somewhat personal rant. I may get hate for this (though I’m probably not gonna log into this account again), but I need an outlet.

[theabstruseone]

BTW if this sounds confusing considering the megachurches and giant mansions and private planes for evangelical preachers, it's because evangelicals often also follow something called Prosperity Gospel.

It's a religious belief that if you a Good Christian™, you will be rewarded with material benefits in this life. This includes riches and physical health.

Therefore if you are poor or sick, you are therefore obviously NOT a Good Christian™ and God is punishing you and therefore you deserve your suffering. If you suffer enough, it will force you to become a Good Christian™ because it's the only way to stop being poor and/or sick.

This is also why you see Christians bootlicking at billionaires who embody the exact opposite of what Jesus preached at every single level because, if they weren't Good Christians™, they wouldn't have been rewarded with their material wealth.

So what about all the people who are poor and/or sick but still follow this brand of Christianity? Ah, see what's happening is they're being punished not for their own transgressions but for allowing OTHERS to transgress. We have laws that allow homosexuals and transgender people and people of other religions (like Muslims or Jewish people who aren't in Israel where they belong to start the prophecy of Revelations). There are social programs that feed and house the poor and heal the sick - remember, poverty and ill health are punishments from God so circumventing them through charity or social programs is to go against the will of God. And because we live in a country that allows such things to happen, we're being punished for not doing more to stop it. This is also what causes hurricanes and floods and earthquakes BTW.

So how does one be a Good Christian™? First you must give money to the Church. If you donate money to the Chruch, you will be rewarded with material wealth for being a Good Christian™ and if you're still poor, it's because you haven't given the Church enough yet and you should work harder to donate more money. Also, you must actively oppose anyone who is not a Good Christian™ because they are a threat as they bring down God's wrath. This means you absolutely cannot tolerate anyone who is not a Good Christian™ in any way whatsoever. You also cannot help anyone who is poor or sick because that would mean you are going against God's plan for them to suffer until they finally see the light and become Good Christians™ themselves.

"But this is completely obvious and horribly inconsistent!" I hear you say. "How can they believe this?" Because it's a cult. Not only is it a cult, it's so large of a cult that you can't call it a "cult" in most situations. People are born into it and brainwashed their entire lives to believe it. They prey on people who are vulnerable to convert them - the Salvation Army preaches to victims of hurricanes and other natural disasters as a condition of their aid, for example. And as someone who's evacuated from a hurricane, you're willing to put up with a lot for a hot meal, even if it is just a shitty sausage link slathered in crappy barbecue sauce on a single slice of plain white bread and the smallest bottle of water you've ever seen in your life. And while it didn't work on me, I kept my mouth shut because I was sick of eating cold canned food and completely emotionally shut down from the stress and I wouldn't be surprised if it worked on more than a few people who were also there.

There is also an intense social pressure to conform or at least tolerate the evangelicals in rural areas. Admitting that you're not a Good Christian™ is a good way to get fired or suddenly see your rent double or find yourself having problems getting served in restaurants and while technically illegal, who are you going to report it to? The local government and the governments of several states are packed with evangelical workers who will blatantly violate the law (because it's only man's law after all and they serve God's law). You can't move to escape because the only places that are safe are major cities which are prohibitively expensive, so you have to play along just so you're not completely shut out or else you have to do what I did and divorce yourself entirely from the local community (I work online, do my shopping online and have it delivered, and basically never go out or interact with anyone except on the internet).

And that's the reality of life in a huge part of America. Either you're a part of this death cult full of grifters who actively promote hate and discrimination, or you're completely cut off from society.

[justinforprez]

I’m frustrated by people that swallow bullshit from the left and right

Trauma is a real thing and affects your brain

It affects how you think

Nature vs nurture shit

Your culture affects how you think and act

Boys will grow up to be men who are stronger than women and so are punished physically for their physical actions that could lead to uncivilized behavior

Women are punished non-physically for behavior that might put them at risk of being hurt by men, abandoned or unable to live safe/stable lives

This isn’t controversial to say

Girls see this difference growing up

Any 12 year old girl can beat up any 12 year old boy

But by 14/15 this has reversed

Girls experience this and it trains their brains/traumatizes them

Trans people will never experience this

The punishment boys and girls get cannot change because sue patterns of behavior are fairly universal

Whether its nature or nurture women seek stability and safety for children

All the women I know talk about how women have to protect children from men. It’s instinctual as far as I can tell

Transwomen CANNOT be women but that doesn’t mean gender isn’t a spectrum

Asexuality or being transgender isn’t evil but most of the time its a trauma response. Half the kids in foster care are “trans” but if you believe that I have a submarine to sell you

The submarine identifies as being rated to 4000 meters and if you don’t accept that your a transphobe

What makes a woman or a man is the experience of growing up. The experiences, traumas, hormones, and cultural norms etch your brain permanently. Calling yourself trans will not copy this magically.

If it did you would die. Literally. If your brain changed that much suddenly then you wouldn’t be you.

Its okay to be you. Even f it doesn’t fit norms

As long as you are a good person that does not bring harm to others directly or indirectly no one has any right to tell you how to live

Asexuals don’t hurt anyone but its probably (not always) a treatable disorder

Countries that ofer transitions as part of their govt healthcare only see 0.25% of people being trans and yet we are to believe that 10x are trans in the USA? Bullshit. These people are traumatized by their upbringing, our culture, and their experiences. Their brain cannot accept their reality.

It’s not “transphobic” its a fact.

You might be a feminine brianed person in a male body but you aren’t a woman. Accept your position on the gender spectrum you purport to believe in

If you believe that a person cannot choose where they are on this spectrum then you can’t disagree with this

When they say science supports trans rights they leave this out. Trauma is supported by science. Women having particular, universally shared trauma is accepted by science

All you need to do is combine those things and use your fucking brain

We cannot change culture norms of 0.25% of people

Those boys WILL become men that CAN hurt women, badly. They need to stopped from doing that and thus trained via punishments as rewards aren’t possible.

If we want women to succeed in the workplace they must be punished for gossip and shunning behavior. Its a herd mentallity/child safety thing that no longer applies as we aren’t tribal anymore.

We have to accept that people are different and that what you identify as is meaningless. Your brain and behavior determine what you are. Whether you are a subsentient NPC that parrots what the TV tells you or you accept that some men are effeminate but are not a threat to humanity (unless they act in a way that is) and some women are masculine. Some people like people of their own gender. It is a mental illness. It has no evolutionary function and WE ARE ANIMALS THAT EVOLVE (sorry catholics, not really). But its not harmful, hell with overpopulation issues its arguably a good thing. In the same way, autism, schizophrenia, ADHD, depression are mental illnesses but these people aren’t existential threats to society (shoutout to Big Ted K). Disabilities like autism (yes again), ADHD, blindness, paralysis, and others are not useful to society. They are, by definition, detrimental to the individual’s life. They are an abnormal function of the brain that is not a function we evolved to do. Its a defect. A flaw. And that’s okay so long as they don’t harm others. Make a definition of homosexuality and transgender that wouldn’t affect your function as a biological organism. An animal. We are sentient so we know that it doesn’t matter but something in your brain is defective. Like paint colors that don’t match it does not affect your function in our society but denial is wrong.

Just be who you are and accept that you aren’t normal and that trying to define what you are is silly.

Pretending to be something you CANNOT is wrong. Not morally or because its a sin but because lying to yourself is bad for your mental health.

People are raised differently. People do think differently and exist on a spectrum. But because of your brain and real science a man and a woman are on different spectrums. There are two spectrums. You can’t switch no matter how hard you try. You can perfect female movement, speech, and imitate their behavior but women think differently. Their neurons route their thoughts differently. Even if we perfected CRISPR and cloned womb transplants were possible you would be something else and THATS OKAY. Thats the hard part. Almost everyone reading this will either recoil because trans=evil or OMG so transphobic.

BOTH SIDES DENY REALITY in some way.

It’s okay to just be whatever and love whoever. Don’t indoctrinate kids but let them know to just live. Not the 2 different ways they could live. NOT the spectrum they are assigned to live on. Just live and love and contribute to mankind. They will figure it out.

And remember, pedophiles get the woodchipper

[kcrabb88]

Queer Movies/Books/TV Shows for Pride Month!

Happy Pride everyone!! For your viewing/reading pleasure I have made a (non-exhaustive) list of queer media that I have enjoyed! 

Movies/Documentaries

Pride (2014): An old tried and true favorite, which meets at the intersection of queer and workers’ rights. A group of queer activists support the 1985 miners’ strike in Wales (complete with a sing-through of Bread and Roses + Power in a Union)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman (or, two young lesbians fall in love by the sea, and you cry)

God’s Own Country: Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path (Seriously this movie is GREAT and doesn’t get enough love, watch it! It’s rough but ends happily)

The Half of It:  When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush (as in she falls for his crush who is another girl. This movie was so good, and really friendship focused!) 

Saving Face:  A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations (this is an oldie and a goodie, with a happy ending!)

Moonlight:  A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood (featuring gay men of color!)

Carol:  An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York (everyone’s seen this I think, but I couldn’t not have it here)

Milk: The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official (the speech at the end of this made me cry. Warning, of course, for death, if you don’t know about Harvey Milk)

Pride (Hulu Documentary):  A six-part documentary series chronicling the fight for LGBTQ civil rights in America (they go by decade from the 50s-2000s, and there is a lot of great trans inclusion in this)

Paris is Burning (Documentary): A 1990s documentary about the African American and Latinx ballroom scene. Available on Youtube!

A New York Christmas Wedding:  As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, Jennifer is visited by an angel and shown what could have been if she hadn't denied her true feelings for her childhood best friend (this movie is SO CUTE. It’s really only nominally a Christmas movie and easily watched anytime. Features an interracial sapphic couple!) 

TV Shows 

Love, Victor: Victor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation (this is a spin-off of Love, Simon, and it’s very sweet and well done! Featuring a young gay man of color)

Sex Education:  A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school (this has multiple queer characters, including a featured young Black gay man and also in season 2 there is a side ace character!) 

Black Sails: I mean, do I even need to put a summary here? If you follow me you know that Black Sails is full of queer pirates, just queers everywhere.

Gentleman Jack:  A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister, who returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home Shibden Hall (Period drama lesbians!!! A title sequence  that will make you gay just by watching!) 

Tales of the City (2019):  A middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she is haunted by something from her past that has long been too painful to share (this is based on a book series and it’s got lots of great inter-generational queer relationships!) 

The Haunting of Bly Manor:  After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry hires a young American nanny to care for his orphaned niece and nephew who reside at Bly Manor with the chef Owen, groundskeeper Jamie and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (sweet, tender, wonderful lesbians. A bittersweet ending but this show is so so wonderful)

Sense8: A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order (queers just EVERYWHERE in this show, of all kinds)

Books

Loveless by Alice Oseman:  Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance (don’t be turned off by this title, it’s tongue-in-cheek. This is a book about an aroace college girl discovering herself and centers the importance and power of platonic relationships! I have it on my TBR and have heard great things)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel (again, don’t be thrown off by the title, it too, is tongue-in-cheek. This book was GREAT, and written by a trans women with a queer-and especially trans--audience in mind)

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein: A gay Christopher Marlowe, at Cambridge and trying to become England’s best new playwright, finds himself wrapped up in royal espionage schemes while also falling in love (this book is by a Twitter friend of mine, and it is a wonderful historical thriller with a gay man at the center).

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer: a very very queer remix of The Picture of Dorian Gray (which was already quite queer), featuring amazing female characters, a gay Basil, and a much happier ending than the original. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: The gay prince of England and the bisexual, biracial first son of the president fall in love (think an AU of 2016 where a woman becomes president). Featuring a fantastic discovery of bisexuality, ruminations on grief, and just a truly astonishing book. One of my favorites!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston:  For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train (This is Casey McQuiston’s brand new novel featuring time-travel, queer women, and I absolutely cannot WAIT to read it)

The Heiress by Molly Greely: Set in the Pride and Prejudice universe, this takes on Anne de Bourg (Lady Catherine’s daughter), and makes her queer! 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters:  Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins (Sarah Waters is the queen of historical lesbians. All of her books are good, and they’re all gay! The Paying Guests is another great one)

(On a side note re: queer books, there are MANY, these are just ones I’ve read more recently. Also there are a lot of indie/self-published writers doing great work writing queer books, so definitely support your local indie authors!) 

[spookymultimedia]

I have to infodump my life depends on it. So here's Dwight's gender/sexuality timeline. CW: general transphobia and religious bigotry.

As a toddler Dwight spent a ton of time outside. He played with other kids in the woods for hours. He wore shorts and shirts alot. There was no pressure for him to act in a gendered role yet. While some cis kids might have felt a huge distinction between the boys and the girls he felt like there wasn't a difference. He was happy with his body and he kind of assumed he would just grow up to look like his Dad. He wasn't sure how but he was like 5 he had bigger issues in his head like capturing this really cool bug. No gender yet, just dirt and bugs for this like boy.

When he reached the age of 6 he started to get forced into binary gender roles. He was told how to dress and how to sit and how to take care of babies and how to cook and how to be a good a god fearing wife to his future husband. Yes at 9 he was already being told how to act as a wife. He started to few uncomfortable with things. Cooking was fun but he wasn't allowed to learn how to hunt. He liked taking care of babies but felt terrified at having one someday. The idea of carrying a baby made him feel gross. He didn't want to be mother but he wanted to have sons someday, and it confused him alot. He started to have these feelings for girls. He wanted to touch them. Hold their hands. Kiss their cheeks. Play with their pretty hair. It felt scary at the time. Boys like girls and girls like boys. But . . .was he even a girl?

At puberty things got more uncomfortable. His body was suddenly changing and he didn't like it. He felt gross, he wasn't supposed to look like this, why was his chest so damn big. His behavior that was innocent when he was a little kid was suddenly wrong. He started to push around and bully girls. He was especially mean to the sensitive girly ones. His sexuality started to feel more like a threat than something natural. Boys called him gross and shamed him for looking fat and sweaty. How he dressed was a nightmare. Most of the clothes his mother forced him to wear made him highly dysphoric but when he started to wear what he wanted other teens would call him slurs and treat him like shit because he was obviously a lesbian and they believed lesbians where dirty dirty people.

In his late teens he got into fandoms and clubs that where outside the culture of his amish oriented home. He found other people who liked girls and where proud of it. He found people who where social outcasts. At a local Trekkie/therian/dnd meet up he found an a transgender guy who was his age. After learning the word transgender and what it meant alot of his feelings started to make sense. He was a straight boy, not a lesbian girl. He managed to get a binder and would wear it often. He told his family he was a boy. . . and he was met with backlash by his parents.

As a young adult he self diagnosed himself with testosterone he bought from a dealer. He had never been to the doctors. He never even has an official check up until Michael forced him to be set up with one when he got his first job at Dunder Mifflin and discussed insurance plans. He was very very careful with hormones. He was scared but he was desperate too so he had to be brave. After he got rid of his breasts that was it for his parents. It didn't matter how much Dwight physically transitioned or how much he corrected them on his name and pronouns. They only saw him as this mental and confused gay girl who didn't understand who he was. So they disowned him. The classic Shrute Shunning. He was forced to move out one night and ended up living with more accepting Aunt. His parents grew farther and farther away from the farm and moved out to California with his siblings only to leave him behind. Dwight didn't tell anyone about this for years. He only told Angela this when they where ENGAGED. So now he was living with Mose and Zeke.

Sure, his Aunt called him Dwight and she accepted that he was a boy but she absolutely forbid him to talk about it to anyone. Not his friends. Not his wife. Nobody. He felt comfortable being stealth but it got lonely. Friends where kept at arms length and he was scared to talk to other girls he liked. He became significantly closer to Mose and Zeke. He didn't need to perform hypermasculinity around them or act careful of being outed. He was a black sheep. His transness was treated as a dirty secret. Something to be ashamed of.

Angela and Oscar where some of the first people outside of his family who learned he was transgender. When he was first dating Angela, he accidentally revealed his chest scars to her. She was confused at first. It made her question everything she believed in, but she loved Dwight so looked past her prejudices and accepted him. It wasn't a romantic love yet but she did love him. She unlearned her ignorance as the years went by. When Dwight discovered Oscar was gay [the episode where Oscar skipped work and it ended up being for gay reasons] he kept it too himself and decided to out himself as transgender to Oscar to keep it even. Oscar respected Dwight's desire to be socially stealth. They weren't exactly friends yet but it did cause Oscar to feel more respectful to Dwight. At some point Dwight felt comfortable telling Michael he's transgender and Michael was completely accepting. He learned about nonbinary gender when Pam confessed she wanted to use they/them pronouns and told him they where nonbinary. He accepted Pam completely and respected their experience.

Then he met Nellie, who was the first trans woman he had met. It was refreshing to be openly transgender around another trans person. He loved sharing his experience with her [regarding his physical transition not his family situation] and was very sympathetic to her experience with being trans in the UK why she felt the need to get out of that place. They both feel solidarity in the stress of being stealth and their relationship with sexuality. They experimented with intamcy as a couple. It didn't work out sense Nellie wasn't attracted to him but was a experience they both feel like they benefitted from. Dwight had no clue how much voice training most trans girls went through and how low she could talk.

As he got older he was still stealth but felt less and less stress to perform gender roles less strictly and felt less scared to tell close friends about his transness and his experience and even some of the truamas he had growing up trans. He was very very very slow to telling Oscar about his experiences. Not all at once but little by little. It's too stressful for Dwight to unpack in one setting. He has major truama over the word dyke being used to misgender him. Oscar is an extremely curios guy so he had to remind him to be patient and respectful to Dwight. Oscars homosexuality was accepted and celebrated by his family so he can't relate to Dwight much. Dwight is overjoyed that he's a father and a husband now. He never thought that could be a reality for him and it suddenly was.

Damn I practically wrote a whole novel Im getting all emotional over this 😳

[comrade-meow]

The male-centered progressive left has successfully made woman-hating trendy.

Today, yet another “Karen” video went viral online. This time, it seems a woman flipped off a male driver, one Karlos Dillard, who then followed her home and filmed her as she melted down into hysterics, posting the video online, which included her home address and license plate. Over eight million views later (sure to be more by the time you read this), and Dillard is selling t-shirts based on the incident.

It seems this is a hobby for Dillard, who has posted other similarly antagonistic videos, accusing women of “racism” (despite no evidence of racism) in an attempt turn Karen virality into profit. Other t-shirts for sale on his Instagram profile include one with the words, “Karen… Are you OK?” and another reading, “Keep that same energy, Karen.”

The Karen meme has been misogynist from the getgo, originating from an anonymous male Reddit user, Fuck_You_Karen, who was angry at his ex-wife, named Karen, for taking custody of his children. In 2017, his misogynist rants became a subreddit, r/FuckYouKaren.

Recently, the meaning of “Karen” was said to refer specifically to middle class, middle aged white women who are so entitled they ask to speak to the manager when perturbed, but has since morphed into a specifically racist white woman, who “weaponizes” white, female fragility against largely black men. This connects to sexist tropes that claim women use their emotions, vulnerability, and tears to manipulate men.

What began as a joke has become more than that, and has moved into explicitly misogynist (and, in my opinion, dangerous) territory.

“Becky,” which originated as a means to refer to basic white women — the Uggs-wearing, Starbucks-buying, pumpkin spice-loving kind — probably young, probably blonde, probably not working class. Like “Karen,” I never found this to be particularly offensive, as I had little desire to defend boring people who love Starbucks, but what was once a joke has become something much more egregious.Following someone to their home, doxxing, filming, and harassing them because they gave you the finger is unhinged. People are going to act like assholes in this world, and you need to learn to deal with that. Moreover, these viral videos, like the Amy Cooper/Christian Cooper bird watching/dog-off-the-leash incident, are always decontextualized. No one really knows what happened preceding the video, nor do they know why either party reacted as they did. We all know social media leaves little room for nuance, and far too many people enjoy a rage reaction over asking questions or considering they may not know the full story. The truth is that, today, people’s lives can be destroyed in an instant, via a viral post. And our culture is wielding that power with very little care.

While those participating in the mobs targeting the subjects of these currently popular Karen videos claim some form of racial justice, this is not an accurate representation.

This has little to do with race, and everything to do with a progressive left that has adopted woman-hating as political virtue signalling.

Last week, journalist and editor Jonathan Kay tweeted a “Wanted” poster he’d come across in Toronto, depicting a young, blonde, white woman. The text below her face mocked her as a “Basic Bitch” — privileged, entitled, and unwoke. The image and text presents “Becky” as dangerous — the new enemy. The A.C.A.B. (All Cops Are Bastards) logo on the poster implies it likely was produced and distributed by young anarchist men. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they were white men, considering the face of groups (or non-groups, depending on who you ask) like Antifa.

The trend of presenting women as a threat extends beyond Becky and Karen. In recent years, Antifa, anarchists, trans activists, and leftists have targeted feminists who question the impact of gender identity ideology on women’s rights as dangerous — even more so than male predators. Rhetoric that claims “TERFs kill” intentionally erases the fact that it is men who are overwhelmingly responsible for violence against both women and men (including trans-identified males). As a result, reversing this claim to say “Kill TERFs” or to show up at events discussing gender identity with cardboard guillotines with the words “TERFs and SWERFs step right up” written on them has become an acceptable form of “activism.”

This has all happened within a left that has consistently ignored and even defended the misogyny, racism, and violence of prostitution and pornography, painting women who fight the sex trade as “whorephobic” and as causing harm to “sex workers.” Everyone knows who is responsible for the abuse that happens to women in porn and prostitution. We can see it on PornHub or we can read about it in the news. Yet the left consistently fails to hold those men accountable for the harm they cause. No, no. The real problem is women. Terms like “TERF” (which means “trans exclusionary radical feminist,” but, in practice, is used to smear anyone who questions gender identity legislation or ideology) and “SWERF” (which means “sex worker exclusionary radical feminist,” but is used to smear women — even women who have worked in the sex trade — who wish to stop the universal violence and exploitation inherent to prostitution) exist to misrepresent, vilify, and end conversation. One cannot defend a “TERF” or “SWERF” any more than one can defend a “Karen” or “Becky,” unless they would like to be pilloried as unwoke and bigoted themselves.

A few years ago, trans activists and their progressive allies adopted the term “cis” to refer to those whose “gender identity matches their sex.” Putting aside the fact that no one’s “gender identity” matches their sex, as whether or not a person is male or female has nothing to do with whether or not they identify with a list of sexist gender stereotypes, the term “cis” is said to denote “privilege.” This means that a woman who understands she is female is, as per trans ideology, “privileged” over a man who desires to be viewed as a woman or who does not feel connected to masculine stereotypes. This is ridiculous, of course, as women are impacted by sexism on account of being born female, and are vulnerable to male violence regardless of how they identify. Understanding one is female does not make a woman “privileged,” it makes her a sane human being. In other words, “cis” or “cisprivilege” completely erases the reality of sexism and male violence against women. Suddenly, we are to believe women pose a threat to males who identify as transgender. Just as we are now to believe “Becky” and “Karen” are so dangerous they deserve to be hated, harassed, and destroyed. Maybe punched. Maybe worse.

This is, I’m afraid, woman-hating. And it is dangerous. The popularity of the Karen meme has led people to seek out and invent Karens in order to gain followers and profit, as evidenced by Dillard’s racket. And rhetoric that positions feminists as dangerous, harmful “TERFs” has led to the acceptance of open violent threats against women, simply for speaking out in defence of women’s rights and spaces. Karen, Becky, SWERF, and TERF are nothing more than excuses to hate women. And I am tired of people participating and defending this misogyny simply because it is on trend, and because it results in applause from the male centred left.

Yes, women can be assholes. Yes, women can be racist. No, women are not all innocent victims. But this has become about much more than calling out annoying, racist, or entitled behaviour. And, in fact, I think it was always about more than that. Let’s stop this before someone gets (literally) hurt.

[8-evil-annoying-catboys]

hmm. ive been thinking about this for a while. but i would like yall to understand that all transphobia is connected to misogyny. and not just in a “t/er/fs are misogynist” way, although that is true. but i need you to understand this: all trans people will be seen as inferior to cis people, and particularly cis men, by transphobes because of our connection to womanhood, whether it’s because of actually being women or because of being perceived as women by transphobes. for perisex transgender people (i know that intersex trans people face totally different struggles and i won’t try to do that justice here because i’m perisex and im posting about my experiences), it’s either going to be “you were born as what we perceive as the superior sex and have decided to identify wholly or in part with what we perceive as the inferior sex, which i see as disgusting and your intentions must be violent because why else would you choose to shed this privilege, therefore i am going to commit violence against you to protect myself/my loved ones from a nonexistent threat” or “you were born as what we perceive as the inferior sex and have decided to identify wholly or in part with what we perceive as the superior sex, which i see as disgusting but your intentions must be simply related to gaining more rights by being part of the superior sex, therefore i am going to be condescending and/or intimidating and commit violence against you to prove that you are still and will always be inferior.” and, for nonbinary people who have had access to hormones in a way where our AGAB is sort of debatable, sometimes the reaction to our existence will not even always be consistent with our actual AGAB; for example, i’ve been on T, and sometimes i like to wear dresses and skirts in public, and i have long hair. i get reactions that indicate that people think i’m a trans woman because my voice is low (and i have some facial hair and a strong jawline, but these are usually hidden by my mask), but i’m actually a transmasculine genderfluid person. i used to be uncomfortable with using public bathrooms EVER before T, and i still am usually uncomfortable in the men’s bathroom, but i’m completely terrified of using the restroom in public now if i’m dressing in a feminine manner, so i just don’t.

transmisogyny is real and i dont discount that. i know as well as anyone can without being transfem, that transfems are more likely to be seen by any transphobe as a threat and are therefore more likely to suffer violence because of it. but like…. transmasculine people aren’t suddenly exempt from misogyny the second we come out, either. ive seen a post defining transmisogyny as “where transphobia and misogyny intersect” and idk i just think that definition is moot because all transphobia boils down to is just misogyny. idk how i would define transmisogyny, maybe something like “the increased amount of violence in transphobia targeted towards transfeminine people and people perceived by transphobes as transfeminine,” but i know i wouldn’t define it as “where transphobia intersects with misogyny” because transphobia IS misogyny. it is ALWAYS misogyny. just because when it’s directed at transmascs it usually takes the form of “you’re inferior and will never be a REAL man like us superior folk (cis, white, het, abled men)” does not mean it’s not still literally misogyny. and i think that defining transmisogyny as transphobia that intersects with misogyny is giving it sort of a non-definition and harming the legitimacy of it more than it helps.

idk. like i said, transmisogyny is definitely real and there is a stark difference in how trans people are treated based on what their perceived AGAB is, and that’s something that all TME people need to recognise. but i think it does us all a disservice if we fail to recognise that transphobia and misogyny are intertwined at every point and are practically the same beast altogether. you cannot be transphobic without being misogynist. they go hand in unlovable hand.

[griffelkinn]

All the Transwomen I Met

I've felt the need to write this and share it, for a few years.

About 5 years ago, I moved to San Francisco. I didn't know anyone in the entire state, so I spent a lot of time and effort meeting new people, and going to social events, and accepting invitations from most everybody who invited me to anything. I met a ton of people.

When I moved out there, I didn't really know anything at all about transgender people. I was told about that idea pretty quick once I got there. I thought it was really great that people were comfortable being themselves. The idea that men who enjoyed wearing stereotypically "women's" clothes, were becoming more comfortable doing that. And the idea that men were rejecting stereotypes of men that were forced onto them from childhood, so they could be themselves without shame. And the reverse... women rejecting uncomfortable stereotypes of women so they could be happy. It was an exciting idea that if more and more people started doing this, it would become more and more obvious that none of the stereotypes about what women are like and men are like are actually real. Sexism would be almost completely done away with!

I wish that was what happened. I was really excited to see it happen.

But that isn't what happened. Something bad happened.

In San Francisco, there were a LOT of transwomen. And so while I was meeting all of those people, and doing all that socializing, I ended up meeting and becoming acquaintances with a lot of transwomen. I have written a brief description of literally every single transwoman who I became friends with or got to know at all. I left none out. There are nine. I have felt like this was very important for me to share.

The first transwoman (man who likes to be called a woman) I knew, rubbed his penis on me when he thought I was sleeping. This was shortly after I told him I didn't return his romantic feelings for me, which I had told him many times already.

That same man had previously told me that he'd spent most of his young adult life pressuring girls to have sex with him.

The second transwoman I knew, became enraged when I casually commented on sexism in commercials. I thought what I said would be met with obvious agreement. I hadn't known many transwomen yet, and I thought that they would understand sexism and feminism a little more than men on average do. I learned that I was very wrong. I'd commented on how a string of commercials we watched featured men speaking with intelligence, confidence, and authority, and they featured women speaking in forced baby voices, sounding insecure, dumb, giggly, and weak.

This man advanced on me physically to where I was sitting, with another angry transwoman, very loud and mad, and was very upset with my comment. He said women like talking like that, and also their vocal cords physically are only able to talk like that. Then he said my comment could be compared to women who really want to wear high heels to work, but people don't let them. Which is obviously ridiculous, because that is exactly the opposite of reality... women are being forced by their workplaces to wear high heels, which most women hate and which injure feet. That is still a sexist reality in many places that women are fighting to end. He was somehow saying I was like the fantasy people who don't let these fantasy women wear high heels to work, because of my comment.

This same man told me that he was really respected in China, which is where he was born, because he's a woman and in China women are dominant and considered superior to men. That is true, isn't it. Yes, very accurate. Not at all incorrect or literally opposite of reality.

The third transwoman I knew got upset with me at Halloween season, when I commented that women should be offered normal costumes just like men are, rather than only "sexy" versions of costumes in most places. There should be the same options for girls and boys, and women and men. He immediately disagreed and would only repeat that "Women like wearing sexy costumes!" I repeated that girls and boys should both be offered normal costumes, and obviously if anyone, man or woman, wanted to wear a "sexy" version of a costume they should wear whatever they want. He still disagreed. He said that "women have very little opportunity to dress femininely and sexy, and Halloween is a chance they can do it." I explained that was the opposite of reality. Women have tons of times when they are allowed, encouraged, and pushed to dress femininely and "sexy". That includes work, after work, weekends, and... all other times I would say. I'm pretty sure he was thinking of men, for whom his comment would have been accurate.

That same man got very angry when I said women were made to feel they have to wear makeup, and that is bad. He became very angry. Not just a little. Very angry. He kept saying (angrily) "Women like wearing makeup!"

That same man told me he was a pedophile, and had to keep himself away from children.

That same man told me that "sexism is good for some women".

That same man supported Gamergate. That same man told me that the separation of women's and men's sports are not at all related to people's biological sex, and that men who want to be called women should compete in women's sports.

That same man told me that sexism doesn't exist at all in America, and people are treated exactly the same their whole lives whether they're female or male. (I know, it contradicts his other statement that "sexism is good for some women"). I said that I had a lifetime of many many instances where I experienced sexism. From when I was very little until the present. He mockingly told me to name just one. I was so horrified that he honestly thought I would be unable to think of a single experience of sexism, and that he was mocking me about it, that I told him that it would demean me to answer to his demand of one example. It would obviously be lowering myself too far.

That same man told me that sexism in countries outside America don't have any effect on me.

The fourth transwoman I knew, I saw a movie with. It was good, but I noticed some very obvious sexism in the portrayal of female characters and male characters, which I later learned most everybody noticed. And while most everybody including me agreed it was a great movie, the extreme sexism was obvious. After the movie I said so, how I loved it - but it was very sexist in these examples. And this man started insulting me and being very annoyed. He said venomously that the portrayals of female and male characters was "realistic", and then just as venomously asked me "What are you, a FEMinist?" Clearly he felt the only acceptable view of feminists is to hate them. Somehow he expected me to want to insist to him that I wasn't a feminist. Obviously I loudly said "Yeah. I am a feminist. Aren't you a feminist?"

I never saw him again. We had been casual friends for a few months, but apparently that interaction made us both lose the desire to try and meet up again.

That same man, weeks previously at a fast food joint, told me ever since he started taking estrogen that he's become extremely physically weak. He was grinning while describing to me how wonderfully weak he was, and clearly that was an idea that made him very happy. A personal fantasy. He said how now his arms are so weak, he can barely throw a frisbee! I asked him to arm wrestle and he beat me with no effort in one second. I'd assumed that would happen.

The fifth transwoman I knew, was a very nice person. He was kind, and fun, and not a misogynist, and didn't get angry if anyone criticized anything sexist. He also didn't mind going into men's public bathrooms. I really liked him. We were friends.

The sixth transwoman I knew was over six feet tall, and had a fantasy that men would rape him. He would only ever dress in cartoonishly sexual stripper-style outfits. He described multiple times to me how he was worried that men would rape him when he walked around in public. In a voice and level of description that made it obvious this was his personal sexual fantasy. He suggested that he and I are both equally in danger from sexual assault. I'm 5'1 and just trying to live my life. He was over 6 feet and that was his sexual fantasy. We were very different in our experiences of the threat of sexual assault.

The seventh transwoman I knew, I went to the movies with and he put his hand in my crotch area. I said "WHOA I am not comfortable with that." And I physically took his arm and returned it to his own seat. He immediately put his arm around my neck and shoulders and said in an annoyed whiny voice "Well can I at least do this?" And I had to say no again. We barely knew each other, and were not at all romantic. I had zero romantic thought of him. He clearly didn't care or consider if I did or not. It didn't affect his feelings that he should be allowed to do things like that for his pleasure.

The eighth transwoman I knew was over six feet tall and white. He came up to me suddenly and told me that he is twice as oppressed as me, because he has sexism, as a woman, like I do, and he also has "transmisogyny". I was so shocked that he would say he experiences sexism like women that I was speechless. Obviously he was a man and so he did not. He was also gigantic. I don't really know why he wanted to come up to me and tell me that he had "twice as much oppression as me". After he said it he just kind of looked at me waiting to see what I would say. That was the first instance I learned about the "oppression olympics". I had never used the word "oppression" before and very rarely heard it used in person. But I was disgusted by his competitive declaration of victimhood. Since then, of course the word "oppression" has become extremely popularly used in conversation, and that's usually a good thing, but there is definitely this unsavory world of people like him who build their identities around having the "most" oppression, like an impressive commodity, who have no basis in reality.

That same man, after my lack of response, then told me that he also doesn't have white privilege because he grew up poor.

That same man told me that he'd spent much of his life pressuring women to have sex with him.

The ninth transwoman I knew, told me he would only ever date women who shave their bodies. I know that men have no idea the level of pain and insecurity that teenage girls go through because of the forced shaving culture, so I gave him a break and replied with a kind of friendly comment that even though shaving their bodies for women is an extremely torturous social norm, everyone has preferences about their romantic partners and that's fine. Though I felt like that particular preference is specifically a preference for women suffering an unhealthy lifelong ritual born completely out of insecurity. I figured I'd just write this guy off, and there was no point in saying so. But I couldn't help poking the misogynist bear a little. He was trying to get me to hang out with him. So I asked if he just won't have a relationship with a woman who doesn't shave her body, or if he can't even stand to see them at all in any setting. Because it was summer and I love going to the beach in shorts, and I needed to know if I shouldn't invite him to to beach. I actually thought I was being funny and that he would know that, but he answered seriously that he "would feel grossed out if he looked at me." Imagine one person feeling comfortable telling someone that they would feel grossed out to look at you. That man sure felt comfortable saying it to me.

I have also known some transmen. They are usually very kind, thoughtful people. I have known some very closely for years before they decided to be transmen. Most of them, years after that decision, still fight internally against the feeling that they have to wear makeup every day or else be ugly and worthless. Most of them still mentally fight to nurture any sense of self-confidence to speak their opinions, or take up space in a group as a full person, who deserves as much free immediate respect as any other.

Those are things that women experience.

Almost all transwomen are now saying that they are not men breaking social expectations. They are women. And women are sexist stereotypes.

Men breaking social expectations would deserve respect and props for being themselves despite social pressure. That would be a cool move. But they are instead insulting women, supporting sexist stereotypes religiously, closing down women's shelters, women's rape trauma centers, and women's festivals. They are taking women's government positions, women's scholarships, and women's awards.

**CONTENT WARNING for below **

Transwomen have made it so now any and all men are allowed to go into women's bathrooms, women's changing rooms, and women's shelters. And MANY of them have been raping and murdering children and women. They've been kidnapping, videotaping, and sexually harassing women and children.

There are many myths that transgender activists send around social networking sites. There's one that is very popularly shared that says transwomen in America are in danger of being murdered. That is a lie. White transwomen in America are less likely to be murdered than white men who don't identify as a transwomen.

Even if they were in danger, that would be a separate issue from women completely, and they would deserve their own safe places to be and escape violence. They should not take away all resources to help women, and allow all men into women's changing rooms and bathrooms and prisons.

I'm pretty sure most people know that women are not allowed to talk about this. We are not allowed to speak our discomfort. If a woman says she is uncomfortable with any of that, transwomen (men) bombard her with rape threats, very descriptive rape threats involving their own penises. They also do this to any lesbian who says lesbians don't want to have sex with penises. Any woman who is a feminist. Any woman who wouldn't even call herself a feminist because that word takes a lot of courage to use, but who still speaks of helping women and ending sexist beliefs, or describes reality without pandering to make these men feel good.

I used to think the transgender social movement would bring us all leaps and bounds into a brighter future, but I really think it has dragged us all back far in time and rolled back women's rights and safety and respect many decades into the past. I used to think all those violent women-hating transwomen were just the rare bad apple, and most are good people who don't want to hurt women. But that list of transwomen that I described is every single one I've known in person. 8 out of 9 were extreme examples of the most misogynist of men. My experiences have made me wary now, and I can barely even picture in my imagination a transwoman saying the words "It's impossible to feel like a woman", or "Women deserve to be allowed to get together and talk about women's issues".

The misogynist slur TERF means: Dyke. Feminazi. Cunt. They all know this.

It pains me to see women being caught up in this social movement, clearly just trying to be polite and "politically correct", or seeking male approval. Most of them are insecure. I understand. But I wish they would speak up and be honest about the truth, and not just do whatever these men tell them they must do and say to avoid being called a TERF.