Quote from: Midnightstar on May 25, 2016, 11:36:52 PM
You should come out when you're comfortable don't get me wrong but i have came out and so far
i haven't gotten that much negativity besides a couple smart remarks form people.

Exactly... I'm not comfortable coming out right now because there is so much stigma and drama regarding trans people. Imagine your neighbor's house is on fire and you say to them, "Oh, just thought I should let you know, I own seven hundred lighters."... whilst lighters in themselves are not bad, the neighbor not going to think good thoughts about them while their house is on fire. I think it's best to wait until the neighbor's house is rebuilt and fixed to bring up that you have 700 lighters. They might look at you weirdly and say "Okay?" but they won't try and attack you.

Another reason that I am not comfortable coming out right now is because I am 15 and vulnerable to any forms of potential abuse. I don't think my parents would abuse me for being trans, they're not bad people, but I think they would be disappointed in me and feel like they've failed raising me, and overall that would wreck our relationship. My classmates could bully me for being trans if they found out, nobody here is openly queer due to the danger of being jumped/attack. Rural 'murica for you...

Quotethink the term when hell freezes over when applied to a certain sector of society.

I agree for the most part. I'm not saying transphobia will completely go away, that's just silly. There will always be transphobia, like there will always be racism, sexism, and homophobia. However, back in the 50's/60's, for example, POC rights were a huge issue, but of course, it passed. If a white person in 2016 were to share a public bathroom with a POC, then they usually wouldn't care. In 1950, however, bathrooms were race-segregated; if a POC entered a white bathroom then the white person would most likely be upset. There was huge stigma surrounding POC in the mid 20th century, but now there isn't. Trans stigma is no different. Here, in the early 21st century, there is controversy surrounding trans people. It will pass, that's for certain, I just personally don't know when. Of course there will be the occasional transphobe or transphobic group here and there, but trans panic/anti-trans panic will pass one day. I'd think "when hell freezes over" is a bit over the top, but to each their own.   

QuoteI've seen interest and hostility come and go, but interestingly, in America at least, it is now far worse than it was in the 1960's 1970's and 1980's.

The reason why America is becoming so hostile now is because the majority had no idea transgender people existed until recent years, and now that they learned that we're real, they're scared and reacting with hostility.

Quotehere are some sections of society who will never accept it, and hence the issue will never really go away.

Yes, it will never completely go away, hence why I used the term 'calm down' in the title instead of 'go away'. Like I said before there will always be transphobia, just like racism, sexism, etc, etc, the list goes on.

" I'd think "when hell freezes over" is a bit over the top, but to each their own." Well for most of society it might just go the way of the Hula Hoop, but for that certain section that will remain nameless it will literally  be when Hell freezes over.

Quote from: veritatemfurto on May 25, 2016, 10:58:56 PM
It really all depends on who wins the Presidential election. If Bernie Sanders or that other democratic candidate wins, things will be solidified for the better...

LOL I find it too funny some cannot even say "her" name!! I'd love to see Bernie chosen as Trump's VP and then perhaps we can finally put all this 'two party' hypocrisy to rest!!

The term 'useful idiocy' comes to mind.

Nobody is losing sleep over where gay & trans people pee this is really about State's rights VS Federal power ya'll can stuff 'federal funding' we'll keep yer 'tax dollars' in the first place!!!

QuoteAustin-area schools say they already accommodate transgender students

Was wondering the same thing. I was planning on starting HRT by the end of this year, but after seeing how bad things are getting I'm considering trying to hold off a little longer.

Sent from my SM-S902L using Tapatalk

I can't speak for all areas, but in my area there are almost no problems. The news makes it sound like the end of the world, but it's rare I run into anything that would actually scare me. I'm in the northeast though. I wouldn't want to be in the south right now.

I honestly hope it will not calm down too quickly. Stigma comes before acceptance but after denial. At least the media are talking about it, many people don't even know the definition of transgender.

Let's not be alarmist either and scare people when they don't need to be scared. There are vast swaths of this country that are not North Carolina, Mississippi or Texas. Even if you head to the major cities in those states, you will find an immense amount of support for human rights.

Much of the division in this nation is between rural people and urban people. It's complex and there is manipulation of everyone.

Civil rights struggles always have struggles, regressions and moments of violence even. We are an oligarchy leaning democracy by and large and diversity is important for business. Too many problems and the corporations step in as we have seen.

The summer of 1968 saw riots at the Democratic convention. We are probably in another one of those years. Don't be afraid, we are on the moral side and we will prevail.

Quote from: MisterQueer on May 25, 2016, 05:52:41 PM
Title's question. Anyways, I'm getting kind of sick of it. I'm always hearing stuff about bathrooms on the news, discussions about trans people, etc. I plan on coming out in a few years time, but I don't want to do it during the climax of trans-panic/anti trans-panic, that's just asking for trouble. How many years will it take for trans people to not be such a hot topic in the media? Five years? Ten years? Even more than that? What do you think?

Society will give all transgender people the same respect everyone else gets....about two years after the transgender community gives all transgender people the same respect they want.

Hugs, Devlyn

I think it's gonna take about a decade for trans people to be truly accepted, but it's within reach. I wouldn't hold off on transitioning because of the social and political climate though. You do what you gotta do for you.

Attention in the media?

I think that things will subside after the Supreme Court rules on a case. That won't happen until after the election. If the conservatives win, we will lose because the court will get a spanking new fundamentalist judge. It could take another election cycle at the very least to change that, assuming only one judge gets assigned to the bench. The thing is, there are some old judges currently serving. It is possible that the next president could put three justices on the court. That could set our cause back by a generation.

Equal rights for us depend greatly on this election, far more so than in any other election. So please, vote.

As far as society in general is concerned, religious fundamentalism is currently on the rise around the world. It spans Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It isn't about religion. It is about proud ignorance, hubris, and power. This is a cyclic thing... sort of like a pendulum that swings back and forth. But I can't think of a time when the whole world seems to have entered into the fray at once like this. I watch the news and am fascinated at how witliessness is on the rise everywhere. Why are people so proud to be stupid?

Religious fundamentalism is the reaction of people who cannot come to terms with the fact that "God is Dead."  They are trying to reanimate the corpse left by the exponential expansion of knowledge that has occurred since the mid 19th century.


Sapere Aude

It's unfortunate that people find time in their lives to hate, but people are people. I am not exempt from this. My older brother represents hate at its purest with statements such as, "The youth of this country is destroying the nation." He represents the 'older' hateful generation and when legislation is passed it takes people to change the world we live in. Time will fix the problem and people are becoming more accepting. We have to take time to educate people and let than know that we are no more sexually deviant then they are.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on May 26, 2016, 12:16:46 PM
Society will give all transgender people the same respect everyone else gets....about two years after the transgender community gives all transgender people the same respect they want.

Hugs, Devlyn

Thanks, Devlyn.  Yeah, I've noticed that...    Equal means equal for everyone.

Coincidentally enough, I woke up this morning to find the newspaper on my table. The main article? "The ignorance of transgender jokes" along with several bathroom signs on top of the heading. While it is a pro-trans rights article, it just goes to prove my point about how we're such a hot topic in the media right now. The amount of unnecessary drama that taking place is very frustrating.

Quote from: Kiera on May 26, 2016, 04:33:13 AM
LOL I find it too funny some cannot even say "her" name!! I'd love to see Bernie chosen as Trump's VP and then perhaps we can finally put all this 'two party' hypocrisy to rest!!

HAH! nooo, I can say Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton all day, I just don't think she is the best choice for my party if we want progress for the trans community sooner rather than later. I'll still vote for her if she does get the nomination, but given all the political crap on and off the record that's happened involving her since Bill's run for president in 1992, including support for and defense of DADT and DOMA, I am more inclined to think she will put addressing our problems on the back burner once again, instead of finishing the issue. But despite that, I really want to see whoever is the runner up in the DNC turn out to be the nominee's VP. If Hillary and Bernie can just get over their differences and join forces, that would make it a landslide for votes against Donny McDrumph. It wouldn't be the first time they have worked together...
Debating her merits any further should be left to the politics section of the forum, as per the TOS.

Quote from: Kiera on May 26, 2016, 04:33:13 AM
The term 'useful idiocy' comes to mind.

Nobody is losing sleep over where gay & trans people pee this is really about State's rights VS Federal power ya'll can stuff 'federal funding' we'll keep yer 'tax dollars' in the first place!!!

The only "useful idiocy" going on is if you think that this bathroom issue is just that clear cut... It's not.  It's much much more than that. I'm not losing any sleep over which bathroom to use, but bathrooms are only the tip of the iceberg that makes up the problems for trans people regardless of whether we are pre, post, non-op, or just aspiring dragsters. Bathrooms and locker rooms are just the easiest thing for people to latch onto because in public stalls, we ALL are at our most vulnerable- separated from strangers with our panties down only by a loosely fitted "door" and a simple metal rectangle for a lock. We've all seen it- stall doors that are a lame excuse for privacy when you can literally stick your finger through the openings while shut and see who's outside waiting for the next stall to open hoping that the last person that was in there had the decency to flush and not sprinkle the seat or make a mess of "confetti" all over the place.

That is why a lot of people would rather prefer the unisex stalls, because they're places that actually have a conventional door and knob that can be locked like our own wash rooms at home. But all it takes is one misplaced glance through those cracked doors for someone to have their mind go "wait, did i see what i think i saw" and then back up to take another more intentional look that will lead to rumors being spread that can (and do) cost us our jobs if it happens at work, and sometimes even continuing on to the point where it could end with us getting hurt or killed because people think we lied about who we are when we are really only trying to make amends for not being true to ourselves. It's not the glance that kills us, it's the snowball effect from rumors about our most private privates.

Need I remind you that we've already had a record number of deaths in the U.S. last year at 21. Those are just the known cases, never mind the dozens more that are still listed as "missing," or simply dismissed the victim's crossdressing as a side note using their assigned sex, while forgetting the cases in other parts of the world. That number may unfortunately be surpassed this year with 10 already in the ground. Crimes may not be happening in the bathrooms, but they certainly can start there against us. Enough of us have already been victims.

Mahalo.