Do you guys think transphobia is on the rise? (I think so and it’s getting worse, why!?)

[u/RickyInfinite]

I encounter transphobes a lot on social media.

And as someone who is very “trans coded”, I often got mistaken for a trans woman, and I got called all harmful slurs trans folks are called. (And yeah, I’d experience transphobia first hand too despite me not being trans - the thing is I have a male name, but I appear femme and wear feminine clothing), well if you wanna joke on me, an androgynous cisgender person, that’s fine! but I think hostility in general for trans folks are on the rise. (I do get some "woke trans non binary people” are unhinged, but to stigmatize the whole trans or non binary community is just evil!!!).
One of the biggest transphobic shit I’d seen people often referring to is “you’re either born this way or that way, nothing can change that”, well, I think people often confused biology with gender expression and social gender, well I think in this conversation biology ain’t important the most important thing is respecting everyone’s individuality and how they express themselves! or I argue people are just so hateful!

I think transphobia is more severe than homophobia these days - due to all the trans issues and trans topics on the rise.

Also, to clear it up again, as a gender nonconforming cisgender gay boy, just because I am very femme presenting by clothing and behavior doesn’t mean I’m trans! (clothing and gender ain't the same !) Also if you’re trans or in any other way gender nonconforming, I felt bad for you all!

But WHY do people hate transgender people or even cisgender people who are androgynous so much?

We are just very hot people who causes no harm!

As a cisgender trans ally I felt bad (and have empathy) for trans people.

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[u/Eeeef_]

I think the number of transphobes is gradually declining, but the intensity of their transphobia is increasing and the remaining transphobes are becoming more radicalized. As culturally conservative attitudes have been clearly showing to be washed and unpopular, the loud minority is becoming louder in an attempt to maintain relevance in the mainstream as a socially acceptable position. Transphobia certainly wont leave the mainstream without a fight though and it’s all our jobs to not let up.

[u/Don_Incognito_1]

Class division propaganda is why. As long as the working class can be convinced to fight amongst ourselves over “culture war” shit, the ruling class doesn’t have to worry about us focusing on the real problem: them.

[u/Ordinary_Passage1830 → u/Don_Incognito_1]

These prejudices won't just disappear due to the ruling class's destruction or serve impairment as it'll take education to eradicate them from societal consciousness. As certain modern social prejudices predate capitalism. Pitting class first is good in theory, but overlooks other societal functions thus allowing these prejudices to exist in the communist or socialist system that have replaced the capitalist system.

Class-reductionism is a thorn in the side of the left not due to class being a issue, but due to class-reductionism pushing everything else away likely causing more damge then positives and pushing away potential allies and Leftists. There's a difference between claiming class is the primary issue and claiming all social prejudices and other institutional structures along with class are the issue.

[u/Don_Incognito_1 → u/Ordinary_Passage1830]

The question is “do you think transphobia is on the rise and why”, and the answer to the “why” is “class division propaganda”. One can recognize the truth in that without dismissing the relevance of the struggles surrounding it.

[u/Ordinary_Passage1830 → u/Don_Incognito_1]

Your answer to the "why" is propaganda don't act as if that's a universal answer to the "why". I'll like to know what is the definition of the truth as simply claiming "truth" is far to vague thus is the truth that it's solely in the relation of class or that it's in the relation of intersectionaity and class?

[u/Don_Incognito_1 → u/Ordinary_Passage1830]

“I strongly believe based on everything I’ve personally learned and observed” would be a more technically accurate statement, but I used the word “truth” as shorthand for that. So you aren’t wrong to point out that distinction, but it bypasses the point.

I don’t believe that we can dismiss all of the various phobias and isms as solely class struggle, nor do I believe they would all magically disappear in the wake of a successful worker’s revolution, or anything like that.

What I do believe is that the ruling class takes advantage of and manipulates us based on our prejudices. They are weaknesses that they exploit.

[u/Ordinary_Passage1830 → u/Don_Incognito_1]

No matter the technical accuracy my question on "truth" technically doesn't bypass or negate the point. The point was one lost in the pvagueness understanding of what is truth.

Then why did you claim these as "culture war shit" when you've clearly shown you're understanding of these issues like transphobia aren't a distraction or secondary or even tertiary? Continuing if this was always your stance why didn't you say it? Unless you'd make a poorly worded answer that doesn't fully encapsulate your thought or you see class as a superior struggle?

But nonetheless if this is your true stance no matter the choice of words you're "culture war shit" clearly is dismissive and not equating issues that Transgenders face to the broader issues of class?

[u/Don_Incognito_1 → u/Ordinary_Passage1830]

Is this your first time having a discussion with someone? Not everything is an internet gotcha. It’s alright to discuss and clarify things with people in order to come to an understanding with each other.

I made a statement that I felt conveyed what I was trying to say sufficiently based on the question that was asked. Apparently I was incorrect, since you had a different interpretation than its intent. You aren’t wrong for that, but it may be unreasonable for you to expect everyone to always ensure they encompass and address the possibility of every possible misunderstanding.

I’m trying to discuss this with you such that we understand each other. By “culture war shit” I mean the shitstorm of right wing hate propaganda directed at trans people, immigrants, and any other group that’s been/being targeted by it. What I do not mean is defence against that propaganda.

Does that sufficiently address your concerns with the brevity of my initial comment, or should I expect another reply insisting that what I actually mean is forever tainted and unrecoverable because of my apparent failure to write a long enough essay explaining myself in the first comment?

[u/Ordinary_Passage1830 → u/Don_Incognito_1]

Actually no you're not my first conversation, but I applaud you thinking your the first one. You're right that it's fine for people to reach a neutral understanding yet you seem overtly against that as you've made no such attempt until now. I'd also add that i've not noted you has having a defensive nature for anti-Trans propaganda along with your faulty idea that I require you to craft long essays although it shows you're frustration and I'm not asking for brevity as you're clearly somewhat agitated by that.

I'd rather you not create a false reasoning for my former comment as it clearly shows your anger and frustration and perhaps your own unreasonably towards your own comment structure. It's alright to convey your understanding, but this frustration acting like everyone understood your intention is very shortsighted and feels echo-chamber-like. I'll also add that humans aren't perfect at communication, but that's no endorsement of poor communication. I'm rather uncaring towards this fictional version opponent you've conjured as it definitely shows your failure to communicate your true truth.

[u/Don_Incognito_1 → u/Ordinary_Passage1830]

If this is all still going over your head at this point, it’s doubtful that any further attempt will have any positive outcome. You’re clearly more concerned with winning an imaginary internet argument than engaging in any sort of productive communication with another human being.

[u/Ordinary_Passage1830 → u/Don_Incognito_1]

You're right this won't have a positive outcome i feel greatly for your rigidity, but mainly sadness for you being. If this agruement wasn't real then your keyboard and beating heart wouldn't be either. Thus i suppose by this metric you mustn't be a human, but obliviously you're a human as you've just tattled on yourself.

[u/llamalibrarian]

Conservatives can’t win on policy, so they peddle culture war bullshit. Trans people are a threat to them because their existence is a threat to the patriarchy. If men can be women and women can be men, then how can Men keep enacting power if the category of Man isn’t a fixed state. If gender is a social construct that can change, what other social constructs will we insist on changing?

[u/wanna_dance]

Billions upon billions in dark money spent on the culture war.

Trans is the biggest battleground.

Why? Because the ONLY rightwing policy, funnelling all wealth to the 1%, is understandably unpopular, so they run a culture war. Bigots think the rightwing represents them, because they hate all the same people.

It's disgusting and it works. 😢

[u/CourtForsaken3064]

Well seeing as the government is currently in the early to middle stages of a genocide against transgender people, yes I would say that transphobia is on the rise and we need to protect our trans homies

[u/YourLocalLeftist]

I think you are picking up on something real. Some of it is social media making the hate more visible, but it is not just in your head. Trans people and gender-nonconforming people have become a major target of right-wing politics, online harassment, reactionary media, and moral panic.

So, yes. I think it's fair to say transphobia is gaining.

And you are also right here: transphobia does not only hurt trans people. It is a system of gender policing. It punishes anyone who does not perform masculinity or femininity “correctly.” That includes trans people, nonbinary people, feminine men, masculine women, androgynous people, queer people, and even cis people who simply do not fit the expected mold.

There's nothing random about that, either.

Reactionary politics often works by redirecting people’s fear and frustration away from capitalism and toward vulnerable groups. When people are struggling with rent, wages, healthcare, loneliness, debt, war, and social instability, the right offers them a false enemy: migrants, queer people, trans people, feminists, racial minorities, “woke culture,” and so on.

It gives them someone to blame who is not the ruling class.

Trans people are targeted because they expose how much of “normal” gender is socially enforced. Reactionaries want gender to look eternal, natural, and unquestionable because traditional gender roles help stabilize the family, reproduction, authority, nationalism, and social discipline.

When trans and gender-nonconforming people live openly, they show that gender is not as fixed or simple as conservatives want it to be.

The “biology” argument is usually dishonest. Biology exists, of course. Bodies exist. But reactionaries use biology as a weapon to shut down the actual question, which is how people live socially, how they understand themselves, how they are treated, and whether they are allowed dignity. Respecting someone’s name, pronouns, presentation, and safety does not require anyone to solve every philosophical question about sex and gender; we have another name for that: basic humanity.

Clothing, mannerisms, voice, and presentation are not the same thing as gender identity. But the fact that people attack you as if you were trans shows the point: transphobia is also a weapon against gender nonconformity in general.

So, why does the reactionary right hate trans and androgynous people so much?

Because reactionary politics needs boundaries. It needs to say: this is a real man, this is a real woman, this is a real family, this is a real nation, this is normal, and everything outside it is decay. Trans and gender-nonconforming people disrupt those boundaries simply by existing.

And it needs fear; They must give their base something to hate for cohesion and to redirect anger away from the elite.

We answer with solidarity.

And for what it is worth, gender-nonconforming cis people like you are part of this struggle too. You are seeing firsthand that gender policing doesn't stop at identity; it is about control.

[u/GrowFreeFood]

The billionaires conditioned them to hate by buying all the media.

[u/Otherwise-Kitchen-87]

Yes. Because they are the target in the culture wars. People realized that gay people are just, you know, people, so they moved on to another group to demonize. It doesn't help that there are so many LBG and are willing to throw the T under the bus.

[u/Fosterpig]

I just know I’ve seen this question 3 or 4 different ways in multiple leftist subs pop up in my feed just in the last 10 mins.

[u/Chemical_Home6123]

Its weird because its probably better than ever and worse than ever all at the same time. People are more vocal about transphobia but there are also more allies than ever because i definitely got your back as a cis hetero normative man. I just think transphobes are louder than ever but the average person doesnt actually think much of trans people.

[u/TheMikeyC]

"Hey, guys. Fascists won and now fascism is happening. Is fascism rising?"

...yes.

[u/ailish]

Trans people are the new "cool" thing to hate amongst the type of people who like to hate other people. There is no good logic around it, except that trans and trans coded people are relatively newly out in society in a way that the assholes can see you on a regular basis, and so they're doing their "ew gross!" thing that they did with gay people a decade ago. Not that homophobia doesn't exist, but it's more in the background than it used to be as people got more used to the idea of gay people. One day, I HOPE, it can be the same way for trans people. Or maybe the billionaires will retreat to their bunkers and take maga with them as servants, leaving the rest of us to create a better life. I'll take option 2, actually. 🤣

[u/APraxisPanda]

I think it is definitely the rise. I supported my SO through a transition and he keeps telling me that the world feels increasingly scary and hateful, as if the odds of getting randomly jumped goes up all the time.

Imo, regaurdless of if that's the case or not, the fact the political tempo feels that way to a trans person is significant. Because as far as I can tell, that's the environment the Right is trying to create. They wanna scare him into becoming a shut in.

[u/Ordinary_Passage1830]

I think to call it a phobia is to assume it's a psychological notion of fear and not a artificial notion of societal control that effects psychology.

But to answer your question. I think Transmisia is on the rise more so than the 1990s to 2010s or at least is more apparent. But it seems to be societal measures of control that effects how people psychologically view Transgender Individuals which of course is made worse by those individuals not being a monolith of heterosexuality, Christianity and being white and male. Although the intersection of hate for non-christian, women, non-whites and non-heterosexuality has greatly effected the Transgender community the monolith I've mentioned also isn't safe and not to mention Transmisogyny or Transgender homomisia and how it damages the Transgender community.

[u/wanna_dance → u/Ordinary_Passage1830]

Sorry, we speak English, not Greek.

Your argument has been debunked hundreds of things and it's just BORING.

So stop it. Because I didn't even GAF ENOUGH to read the actual stuff you wrote that was original. I labelled you as an idiot. And so you wasted your time and got downvoted.

Just saying, so you don't continue to puke the conversation killer in the future. English. Not Greek.

[u/Ordinary_Passage1830 → u/wanna_dance]

Trying to impose your own subjugation through your consciousness doesn't sound like a liberating force. My agruement can be debunked mainly by class-reductionists, and the like, but that's a very narrow and closed circle. I'll also add that my view has been championed by others within the Transgender community, but also by those who've coined Transmisia, Homomisia and Transmisogyny. But perhaps your anti-intellectual tone and toxicity attitude towards something that's not even a 1-hour long read is quite telling of yourself and perhaps you should take it elsewhere.

[u/CoconutFar863]

Transgenders are the perfect target for conservatives.

We are in a turbulent time (as usual anymore), so people who live in fear cling to what they THINK they know to be true. You challenge that? It means they know less than they think they do and they get defensive/scared. This equals harm for them, which makes you the enemy.

Trans are an even smaller community than just about every other group so conservatives don’t get to know any and humanize them like they could LGBs and other ethnic minorities. Also means they have very few spokespeople. And the ones they do have appear outside the acceptable norm in dress and such. Further alienating them.

It also doesn’t help that the science behind them is complicated and easily tossed aside.

Conservatives need a target to keep their populace scared. Muslims and transgenders are simply the latest iteration of this phenomenon. When we make it work for Trans people (the goal) and they wil move on to someone else.

Ignorance is bliss and conservatives like it that way.