Any other conservative/Republican trans men?

[Kylo]

Freedom of speech is paramount to a healthy society and keeping tyranny at bay.

We know we're getting sick as a society when we have people being prosecuted for making jokes, or planned laws of prosecution for using the "wrong" words (including pronouns), having careers ruined for disapproving of something someone or some group, or even that the public no longer seems to think freedom is more valuable to them than a "hate speech" law that is said to protect their feelings. Speech is not, and never will be, equal to violence and to insinuate that it is is highly problematic to me. It is speech that enables us to do anything in a society - when speech is paralyzed, so it its society.

In other words the leftist establishment of the West is ceasing to be liberal at all and is becoming more authoritarian in its single-minded pursuit of what it believes will bring peace and equality. But it is not bringing us peace, as we can all see.

I used to consider myself on the left and still consider myself a classical liberal. But because of the above I can no longer abide what is happening on principle. This is why many people are leaving the left and seeking either new political affiliations or just one that stands in opposition. The more the left doubles down and does not admit these faults and work to change them, the more I'm afraid the authoritarian right will arise in immune response to it.

I don't want either of those things. I'd like a nice balance of the best parts of both left and right political offerings where they are useful. But the left is going off the deep end in some ways, and we are all going to pay the price I fear.

So my own political leaning is in flux right now. I am watching with a sharp eye what is going on and will have to tailor my response to it as best I can with a view to countering the problems that are arising.

[HappyMoni]

Viktor,
   I can't speak to how things are where you are. I know there is a raging anti political correctness in the US. I do not believe it is right to limit the voices of groups that one disagrees  with, like on the college campuses here. What I see is that people are increasingly angry that they have to give rights or consideration to minorities or people different than themselves. Here is a ridiculous  example. People are screaming victimhood that they see others saying 'happy holiday's' instead of 'merry Christmas.' (Silly issue! ) I see it as people who say 'happy holidays' are being more inclusive perhaps, not everyone believes in Christmas. The thing is, no one forces anyone to do it.  The victimhood seekers scream about the left wing conspiracy to eliminate Christianity. The war on Christmas is a favorite topic for many on the right. Now let me offer a thought that I think is both conservative and liberal, politeness. Being polite, being respectful to those you disagree with is so much more simple than worrying about political correctness or its opposite. I know the world doesn't work that way. But maybe I will hear a little of what you say and you will hear a little of what I say and we each go off into the world a tiny bit more polite to those with different views. Friends?
Moni

[Kylo]

The same thing has been happening here in the UK.

For example, a few years back there was a case of a school which decided to cancel the annual nativity play for fear of "upsetting" the parents of non-Christian kids, I guess. Then this became a case of others jumping on this idea - we must not potentially offend with our traditional customs. Nobody is persecuting anybody here in the UK who chooses to celebrate Hannukah or Eid or whatever else, but now the annual Christian stuff is being persecuted in a sense by people who want to appear in support of muticulturalism. Which I suppose is fine if you happen to be a Muslim or Hindu or someone else who doesn't care for Christian culture. Even I don't especially care for it, but it is part of our national history and I'm not happy to see people apologizing for its existence and thinking we need to sweep it under the carpet. Very few people actually complained about Christmas and "Merry Christmas" being said, but there's an increasing push by some who think it's best if we just get rid of Christian-themed anything.

So in that sense there's been a "war" on the use of Christian themed phrases and activities, while at the same time there's been no such censoring of other religions' traditions in our country. This is why people think there's a war on Christmas here, at least. And it's all needless, too. It's not like minorities here have been clamouring for an end to Christmas. It's some interfering busybodies somewhere trying to signal how accepting they are of other cultures by denigrating our own. We're generally not as religious a nation as the US but the same thing is being felt here... 

I'm not disagreeing with anyone here though. Just trying to explain why this is happening. I've been watching the last 5 years, the media, the news, the activists, the internet... and I can see exactly where it seems to be coming from and why. People do jump on anything that can serve their cause if they're inclined, yeah. There's a lot of smoke, but there are also fires burning.

[amandam]

It's because of people. If we could just get rid of all of the people. 

[rmaddy]

I have, over a 32 year voting career, helped elect politicians on both sides of the aisle.  That said, I cannot in good conscience vote for anyone who gets the tolerance question wrong, whether on matters of gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

I wish we had a parliamentary system which encouraged development of new parties and new priorities.  Our Constitution was brilliant in its day, but is woefully in need of repair or possibly even replacement.  Unfortunately we're too busy worshiping it to even consider the possibility.

[Dena]

I wish we had a parliamentary system which encouraged development of new parties and new priorities.  Our Constitution was brilliant in its day, but is woefully in need of repair or possibly even replacement.  Unfortunately we're too busy worshiping it to even consider the possibility.

It's not so much the constitution that the problem but our drifting away from it. Most states are trying to eliminate 3rd party candidates because the parties are just large enough shift the vote but not large enough to win an election. California has taken it one step farther with rules where only the two top vote getters from the primary run in the general election. This means in many places in California you could end up with two democrats running against each other. Add to that the fact primary system is a popularity vote instead of a selection of a skilled individual results in poor options in the general election. If you doubt me, look at our selection in the last presidential election. It came down to holding your nose and selecting one. For me, the election came down to who would they select for the supreme court. Otherwise I could see little difference between the two.

[rmaddy]

For me, the election came down to who would they select for the supreme court. Otherwise I could see little difference between the two.

How about now?

[HappyMoni]

The same thing has been happening here in the UK.

For example, a few years back there was a case of a school which decided to cancel the annual nativity play for fear of "upsetting" the parents of non-Christian kids, I guess. Then this became a case of others jumping on this idea - we must not potentially offend with our traditional customs. Nobody is persecuting anybody here in the UK who chooses to celebrate Hannukah or Eid or whatever else, but now the annual Christian stuff is being persecuted in a sense by people who want to appear in support of muticulturalism. Which I suppose is fine if you happen to be a Muslim or Hindu or someone else who doesn't care for Christian culture. Even I don't especially care for it, but it is part of our national history and I'm not happy to see people apologizing for its existence and thinking we need to sweep it under the carpet. Very few people actually complained about Christmas and "Merry Christmas" being said, but there's an increasing push by some who think it's best if we just get rid of Christian-themed anything.

So in that sense there's been a "war" on the use of Christian themed phrases and activities, while at the same time there's been no such censoring of other religions' traditions in our country. This is why people think there's a war on Christmas here, at least. And it's all needless, too. It's not like minorities here have been clamouring for an end to Christmas. It's some interfering busybodies somewhere trying to signal how accepting they are of other cultures by denigrating our own. We're generally not as religious a nation as the US but the same thing is being felt here... 

I'm not disagreeing with anyone here though. Just trying to explain why this is happening. I've been watching the last 5 years, the media, the news, the activists, the internet... and I can see exactly where it seems to be coming from and why. People do jump on anything that can serve their cause if they're inclined, yeah. There's a lot of smoke, but there are also fires burning.

If the school was private they can do as they see fit. If the school is public (at least in the US) and receives public funds that is a different story. Freedom of religion doesn't mean one group gets its way and the heck with the rest. There is a difference between a Christian country and a country with a majority of Christians. There is room for everyone in my opinion.

[HappyMoni]

I will back off this conversation since it was for F to M and I don't mean to intrude.
Moni

[AquaWhatever]

I am independent but I sometimes get called a libertarian or classical liberal.
Economically I lean conservative, hell I agree with some of trumps policy. (Doesn't mean I like him as a president exactly)

My family is very liberal. Even though socially some are conservative.
I get weird looks when I tell people that as a Puerto Rican trans man, I am not against stronger boarders
Or that I believe in 2 genders..
I left the left because of how radical it became. Word policing doesn't sit well with me one bit.
Especially when a white cis female liberal is trying to tell me I can't use certain slurs as a trans poc because of "oppression" when it doesn't concern nor affect her personally as it would me.
No thank you.

[November Fox]

so yeah...I am trans and I am a Republican. They're not mutually exclusive.
Am I the only one?

I view myself as a moderate. But I´ve been asking myself this very question.
I think the Trump phenomenon has created a lot of divisiveness - I recently saw a graph that indicated there used to be far more people in center/moderate, whereas now far more people are on opposite sides.

Before Trump I was more liberal. But there has been a lot of negative sentiment towards the conservative side, which has actually effectively pushed me more towards conservative thought, because I feel people should be critical not just of their opponents views, but of their own views as well.

Politics should not be an echo chamber, and we should be able to have a mature, honest discussion where we try to understand each others point of view (both republican and democrat, liberal and conservative). However I feel much of this discussion has been missing. I know a lot of people who see themselves as liberal and yet they do not want a discussion.

I´ve been very careful in expressing my political views especially in front of friends who have very negative sentiment indeed towards conservative voters. I don´t want to ruin my friendship with them over politics.

I can't use certain slurs as a trans poc because of "oppression" when it doesn't concern nor affect her personally as it would me. No thank you.

My sentiment is similar to this. I understand that some people are marginalized, but I do not believe in general victimhood due to transgender (or any) status. Sure, Trump can work against us. But we can work against him too, while remaining calm and open to dialogue with Trump supporters.

I know there is a raging anti political correctness in the US. I do not believe it is right to limit the voices of groups that one disagrees  with, like on the college campuses here. What I see is that people are increasingly angry that they have to give rights or consideration to minorities or people different than themselves.

This is true for both left and right. Instead of having a civil conversation, we try to silence each other. Conservative speakers have been banned from campuses just for having an opinion. Civil people who wanted to talk about men´s rights have been silenced and screamed at. I wish political discussion went back to normalcy, to be honest.

[SeptagonScars]

I don't consider myself a republican as I'm not American, but I'm a centrist with a mix of conservative and liberal views. But on a lot of issues I don't have an opinion at all. I used to think I was quite far left leaning but over time and reflecting and learning more about the political climate as it is today, my views shifted a bit.

I'm mostly conservative on issues like family values, traditions, environment, etc but like Bacon it's more like a world view, or perspective, thing for me as well. But then the same goes for my liberal views. However those views are more like the classical liberal ones like freedom of expression, egalitarianism (which does include lgbt rights, excludes racism etc) and I don't agree with newer version of liberalism that often is portrayed in media these days.

I think similarly to Viktor, that I prioritise the future and my country before what's more important to me personally. And I do intend to vote more conservative than how my views actually are, by next election, for that reason. The situation is a bit worse in Europe even though I'm aware that America has a lot to deal with too, but my Sweden is not exactly becoming safer by the day. Quite the opposite.

I'm not saying anyone should do as I or change their views, I'm just sharing my a part of my path. But I think it is important to discuss these things, even if they are uncomfortable.

[King Malachite]

I am not a Republican, but I do hold some conservative views, although I lean liberal.