I will start with off with a little story, my mother is on a board for an ngo that helps transpeeps in my country but on a daily basis is emailed and attacked for being a cis-woman and that she has no right to be in organization to help the trans community.

I have noticed the level of toxicity with the rise from the "trend to be trans" brought on by Kaitlyn Jenner and then the professional victim movement known as SJWs who exploit the feminist movement for monetary gain. I don't expect everyone to agree on these points but hey I am just giving my opinion on what I have noticed and why I have completely stopped telling anyone I am trans(It used to be people just though your were a little mentally strange now people see it as a stigma for attention, sad how thanks to the rich and famous the average trans-gal has to suffer).

I have watched over the last years so called "trans activists" who attack cis people for no reason other then they arent trans and frankly it worries me, in this modern world where fringe groups who throw away sound arguments for aggression appear movements tend to fall apart. Take feminism which is now thrown as an insult not as a equal rights stance because a fringe group became aggressive and created an equal but opposite reaction from those who know believe masculinity is in crisis. Frankly this trend just keeps repeating, in America black people wanted police to admit they to shootings, then a white supremacy organization appears to denounce them and the BLM are born. I truly wonder if in 15 years transgender will not longer be taken as the serious gender condition that is but a joke as we see with such jokes as "I identify as an Apache helicopter".

Maybe I am archaic in how I see this world but having began my journey in my teens and effectively matured in the modern environment I have never felt so scared to let anyone know because we are now in a period where to be trans is considered a joke and those who wish to capitalize on our movement have become the face of what it means to be trans. Its a sad world when we cause our own demise through exploitation by the few.. you know like capitalism but for human identity.

In the past I've been called a cis guy as a pseudo-insult (these days I suppose if someone did that I'd just tell them I'm trans) but almost never by a trans person; it's always cis people doing it. The only exception was a trans guy with serious male-related PTSD who told me he hated cis men and trans women because we have/used to have male genitalia. He also consistently referred to me as "he" and called me a guy, even though I came out to him immediately and corrected him several times afterwards. We don't talk anymore.

If I'm not mistaken, the term SJW became mainstream during Gamergate as an insult directed at people in favor of feminism and civil rights. It's meant for progressive types who might be supportive of people like us.

I think the backlash against us was inevitable. With more information and services available to trans people, more of us are choosing to transition, and since society is more accepting of us these days, more of us are choosing to tell people we're trans, instead of hiding our "condition" during and after transitioning. There are not more of us, but we are more visible now than at any other point in history, and that makes people feel like being trans is suddenly trendy. It's like how back in the early 20th century, gays and lesbians had virtually no community and no public support, so almost everyone ignored them, but as they gained support and started talking to each other, they started coming out, and people started panicking over gays. Change always creates its own counter-movement.

I'm not coming out publicly yet either, but I suppose I'll need to in about 6 months to a year. I have an appointment for HRT in twelve days. ...and then I'll probably have to wait another week or two for bloodwork. (sigh) I've already been waiting a while. It feels like forever.

Quote from: LilDevilOfPrada on August 01, 2018, 03:28:30 PM
I will start with off with a little story, my mother is on a board for an ngo that helps transpeeps in my country but on a daily basis is emailed and attacked for being a cis-woman and that she has no right to be in organization to help the trans community.

I have noticed the level of toxicity with the rise from the "trend to be trans" brought on by Kaitlyn Jenner and then the professional victim movement known as SJWs who exploit the feminist movement for monetary gain. I don't expect everyone to agree on these points but hey I am just giving my opinion on what I have noticed and why I have completely stopped telling anyone I am trans(It used to be people just though your were a little mentally strange now people see it as a stigma for attention, sad how thanks to the rich and famous the average trans-gal has to suffer).

I have watched over the last years so called "trans activists" who attack cis people for no reason other then they arent trans and frankly it worries me, in this modern world where fringe groups who throw away sound arguments for aggression appear movements tend to fall apart. Take feminism which is now thrown as an insult not as a equal rights stance because a fringe group became aggressive and created an equal but opposite reaction from those who know believe masculinity is in crisis. Frankly this trend just keeps repeating, in America black people wanted police to admit they to shootings, then a white supremacy organization appears to denounce them and the BLM are born. I truly wonder if in 15 years transgender will not longer be taken as the serious gender condition that is but a joke as we see with such jokes as "I identify as an Apache helicopter".

Maybe I am archaic in how I see this world but having began my journey in my teens and effectively matured in the modern environment I have never felt so scared to let anyone know because we are now in a period where to be trans is considered a joke and those who wish to capitalize on our movement have become the face of what it means to be trans. Its a sad world when we cause our own demise through exploitation by the few.. you know like capitalism but for human identity.

Brought on by Jenner? Sounds like similar behavior. Jennifer Finney Boylan calls it begrudgement. It happens in all sorts of socio-economic groups, often by people that don't understand their internal beliefs or who they are and why they react the way they do. They've become triggered vessels that are never happy, content or grateful and take it out on people that fall outside their idea of acceptable. It's called musterbation. Look it up. It's best to not find time for such people. You can't change them, only they can. They have more in common with the people in the westboro Baptist church than you or I.


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 I'm 60 and I have a different take our current social environment. I look around and see mostly progress from every angle.   But then I grew up during a time when a man could be arrested, tried, convicted and have to live the rest of their life with a police record stating they were a sexual deviant. A pervert.  All for the simple crime of walking down the sidewalk while wearing a skirt.

I tend not to pay any attention to trolls and terfs  (I can remember when we used to call them flamers) and hold to the time proven dictum, "It's a fool who takes up a fool's argument."

Quote from: DustKitten on August 01, 2018, 05:13:39 PM
If I'm not mistaken, the term SJW became mainstream during Gamergate as an insult directed at people in favor of feminism and civil rights. It's meant for progressive types who might be supportive of people like us.

100% agree. The context I've seen where people deride others as SJW's are usually people who are fearful of the advance of human rights.

"So what's so funny about peace, love and understanding?"
-Elvis Costello

I don't think the thing you're worrying about is a thing worthy of concern. A backlash is inevitable. That's what happens with civil rights movements. It doesn't make the civil rights movements not worth having, and they don't need to he tailored to the tastes and opinions of oppressor classes. I'm not worried about a few cis folks getting flack from angry trans people. It's tough being trans, we got reason to be angry, and the cis won't be disadvantaged or harmed by feeling our anger.

Also, the gamergate vocab is super icky. Like, I honestly didn't expect to see that being trotted out here of all places. Work on that, and your ideas about feminism, BLM, and social justice. Cause the stuff you said is, like, wrong.

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You will see backlash, and a variety of fringe behaviors from various factions with axes to grind on gender issues, everything from white supremacy extremists, exclusionary feminists, and such to agenderist theorists and exclusionary transgender factions.

Pretty much any social change will have fringe extreme groups pushing for or against their own interpretation of what the change means.   In general, we need to tune our filters to ignore the noise and focus on the common, intersectional goals in common between various marginalized groups.

Disclosure: I am an intersectional feminist and transgender activist, in a strongly binary Western culture country.  Since this culture recognizes only men or women, I am a woman, older, a lesbian, and a bit queer.

Being transgender is not a joke. It is because of what happens in utero. We have no control. More research would prove this however that idea is at loggerheads with Christian beliefs that we are taking civilization down with us.

MichelleP. Hugs to you. You have come a long way and I am so proud to have been witness to your story.

I am a late transitioner and much of the reason for my later in life transition was all the mis-information about people with a trans condition from many years ago.

The OP is more than 40 years younger than me and from my perspective, things are much better now than they were many years ago. Years ago, most people thought we were just a pathetic joke, not worthy of real treatment. Today the situation is much improved.

Yes, there are some people who insist on a retaliatory response to many things, not just trans issues. In my opinion, this has to do with their own personality and is not necessarily related to the trans community.

Quote from: Michelle_P on August 02, 2018, 01:17:51 AM
You will see backlash, and a variety of fringe behaviors from various factions with axes to grind on gender issues, everything from white supremacy extremists, exclusionary feminists, and such to agenderist theorists and exclusionary transgender factions.

Pretty much any social change will have fringe extreme groups pushing for or against their own interpretation of what the change means.   In general, we need to tune our filters to ignore the noise and focus on the common, intersectional goals in common between various marginalized groups.

Disclosure: I am an intersectional feminist and transgender activist, in a strongly binary Western culture country.  Since this culture recognizes only men or women, I am a woman, older, a lesbian, and a bit queer.

Hi Michelle,                        02 Aug 2018

First off I'd like to wish you and Laurie all the happiness in the world.

I'm in almost complete agreement with what you have said; I identify mostly as you do though not completely; let me explain. I am a woman, I am older (than dirt), I am a lesbian and am proud of it. The queer part I cannot identify with because I really do not know what it means in this day and age. I know how it was used when I was young and during a large part of my adult life. I saw the term gaining use; since it was a pejorative term it confused me. Unfortunately, older adults that still live in caves and communicate by beating on a log, haven't come to terms with the redefinition. I personally think our community could have chosen a better descriptor, something that would translate well by drum beats.

I do not try to present as a woman though I dress almost exclusively in women's clothes. Putting lipstick on me is like putting it on a pig, it won't work. I really don't care, I enjoy being me, a trans woman and could care less what anyone else thinks about me. If someone were to physically try and harm me, then all bets are off. So far I have not had a negative reaction. Yes, I do get quizzical looks from men, they look at my face then my chest. I enjoy seeing the bit of confusion they display. Women are the best. they are very polite and friendly. The other day I went into an IHOP to eat dinner. The waitress came up to me and said: "You look cute." I was wearing my usual pink hat, glasses, shirt and sneakers. I thanked her and enjoyed the comment.

The world is changing and so are the people who inhabit it. Yes there are jerks out there on both sides of the fence. There will always be jerks. If no one paid attention to them, they would eventually crawl back under their rock, if they can remember where they left it.

I know I'm late to the party. I have to admit my Dysphoria was never crippling; I was able to suppress it by wearing women's clothes in stealth, if that's the right term.

My next to final point is I think we do our cause an injustice if we become militant activists and start demonstrations that lead to violence and or destruction. This will only drag us backwards and  destroy the progress made by those that have gone before us.

As I have gotten to know more and more trans folks, I have come to the conclusion that they are, excluding me, the nicest people on earth, bar none.

Best Always, All My Love,
Christine