"Trans people know that and it may have something to do with their aversion to jokes about it, knowing that many people think them a joke."
Yeah, I think this is very true. I mean, the very nature of gender dysphoria is that you know that people see you in a way you don't see (or feel) yourself. I think there's so much talk about affirmat…
"Trans people know that and it may have something to do with their aversion to jokes about it, knowing that many people think them a joke."
Yeah, I think this is very true. I mean, the very nature of gender dysphoria is that you know that people see you in a way you don't see (or feel) yourself. I think there's so much talk about affirmation and validation in the trans community precisely because the final piece of easing that dysphoria is having everybody affirms the feelings they have about themselves. Hence Dave's question:
"To what extent do I have to participate in your self-image?"
Transgender identity, unlike any other, requires participation. It's not good enough for everybody to live and let live. You now need to say "he" when your eyes tell you "she". You need to re-address biological facts that have been 99.98% settled for the whole of human history. This is the root of the problem I think. And why the trans community doesn't have much of a sense of humour about themselves.
But this is the problem. I don't think most people have an issue with using the pronouns that others prefer. It's a pretty simple level of politeness. But asking women to share private spaces with or compete against male-bodied people? Yeah, that's a little more complex, because it's not simply about politeness anymore. Here, discussion and compromise is needed. And to have those discussions, we need to be honest about certain realities. Even if those realities don't always feel super affirming.
"Trans people know that and it may have something to do with their aversion to jokes about it, knowing that many people think them a joke."
Yeah, I think this is very true. I mean, the very nature of gender dysphoria is that you know that people see you in a way you don't see (or feel) yourself. I think there's so much talk about affirmation and validation in the trans community precisely because the final piece of easing that dysphoria is having everybody affirms the feelings they have about themselves. Hence Dave's question:
"To what extent do I have to participate in your self-image?"
Transgender identity, unlike any other, requires participation. It's not good enough for everybody to live and let live. You now need to say "he" when your eyes tell you "she". You need to re-address biological facts that have been 99.98% settled for the whole of human history. This is the root of the problem I think. And why the trans community doesn't have much of a sense of humour about themselves.
But this is the problem. I don't think most people have an issue with using the pronouns that others prefer. It's a pretty simple level of politeness. But asking women to share private spaces with or compete against male-bodied people? Yeah, that's a little more complex, because it's not simply about politeness anymore. Here, discussion and compromise is needed. And to have those discussions, we need to be honest about certain realities. Even if those realities don't always feel super affirming.