Is the trans panic similar to the homophobia of the past? Where do you see differences?

[noname223]

One leader of the far-right AfD is Alice Weidel. One slogan of her campaign was "Alice für Deutschland" (Alice for Germany) which alludes to the nazi propaganda slogan "Alles für Deutschland" (Everything for Germany.) She lives in Switzerland, is a lesbian and married to a black woman from Sri Lanka. There is also Jens Spahn in the conservative party. He is gay and married to a man. There are rumors he wants to tear down the firewall and wants to ally with the AfD. What do these people have in common? Both have good connections to Musk/Trump. But they both emphasized I am not queer I am gay that's totally different.

For me both is not all that different. There are probably people who are gay and internalized a lot of gay hatred and end up in parties that agitate against their own identitfy and the whole thing is a pathetic shtishow where you trade your dignitiy and dignity for your loved ones for a better career path.

I have the feeling there is even more panic about trans people than when it comes to gay people in the past. But I probably cannot make an appropriate judgement because I didn't live in that era. I guess both is very personal and defines one's personality. I think though from what I have read being trans must be more painful than being gay for many cases. This is not only about the hatred by the society. I am a layman and maybe I am not using the right terms. I apologize for that. But I could imagine changing one's identity is extremely painful. I know many say they always belong to the other gender all their life. But they were treated and judged differently. There are so many stereotypes how to raise a female or male child. Moreover, you cannot conclude whether someone is gay by looking at them. In some cases it is more difficult for trans people. One reason why I am in favor of allowing puberty blockers.

There is a newspaper I hate but still read. The NZZ I am not paying for it I could not justify that. They spread a lot of propaganda also about people who don't have much money like me. But they had an article where they thanked Trump for a change in the zeitgeist. Less people seem to identify with being trans. And this was something good. This is extremely cynical. If the stigmatization gets worse, less people will have a coming out. It quite evil not to mention this as possible causal relation.

I am a layman in all of that and I am curious what you will have to say.

 

[lanadelreyisgod223]

Hi, first of all- you did use all of the right terms and have absolutely nothing to apologize for. This is coming from a transsexual woman of 8 years. It is honestly VERY rare to see a cis person be in favor of allowing puberty blockers, and for that I thank you. Your favor of them means a lot to me and other people within my community, especially transsexual women. You are right- you really can't tell if someone is gay by looking at them, but for a lot of trans people their natal puberty is evident and causes them to experience a lot of discrimination. I am in the situation of that.

There is a current movement of "LGB, CUT THE T" which is just homosexual or bisexual cis people speaking out against trans people, and saying we do not belong to their community. It's a way of them being seen as "the good ones" in the eyes of right wing people who are usually anti-LGBT. As for "trans panic", it is very common. A lot of trans women get killed by their male partners, who then justify killing them by saying they were "tricked" by the trans women and did not know she was trans before engaging with her romantically. I can confidently tell you that this is almost never the case. Most men know we are trans before doing anything with us, yet they murder/harm us to protect their reputation. There is definitely more discrimination against trans people now in America, following all of the new legislation. They are actively seeking to pass laws that erase us more and more from public life.

I can honestly say that I'd be way less suicidal if I had been allowed to go on puberty blockers at age 12, when I came out to my family as a transsexual. I had to endure the trauma and torture of my natal male puberty, which has left me essentially mutilated. There are parts of my body that will always look male no matter what surgeries or hormones I have undergone. This creates so much distress for me and leaves me with the question of: is it even worth continuing my life if there are things about me that will always make me visibly male and prevent me from being perceived as female?

To be a visibly transsexual person is honestly a hell of its own, even if you're in a more "woke" area. No one actually treats you as the sex you're changing yourself to be, even if they swear they do. It is incredibly difficult and often feels hopeless. Just imagine this constantly impacting your dating life, social life, job situation, even just going into a random coffee shop. You constantly deal with the stares, the whispers, the laughter and it makes it difficult to even leave your house.

 

[The Blackangel]

The hate directed towards us in the transgender community is very specific. You see, no one has a problem with the men(F2M). Us women (M2F) are the boogeyman. They call us sexual deviants, pedophiles, mentally sick. all around child predators, and disgusting freaks. They think I need a strait jacket and a rubber room because of my bra. Me owning a skirt means that I just want to see as many tits as I can, and that I'm going around raping cis women. They don't give a shit that all the bullshit they come up with is absolutely false. It's propaganda. They say those AMAB have an unfair advantage in sports. That is a myth. Just because someone has a dick that doesn't make them better than those with a uterus. The ones AMAB are not born athletically gifted. Prior to coming out, I knew many women who could smoke my ass in whatever sport we would have been playing. When I was on the wrestling team, that was a girl who could easily kick every guys ass on the mat. I used to specifically ask to work with her at practice because she was the goddess of wrestling, and took the time to actually help me whereas the guys just wanted to make fun of me.

So to any men who might be here, you're safe. The populace will just see you as tomboys. To any other women who might be here, watch your back. We have a bullseye on us that the bigoted bastards in this shithole (formerly USA) would love to see their marksmanship on. They want us dead. They think that we're a virus, and if they kill all of us then there will never be another transwoman again. They don't care that this is decided before birth. It's no more a choice of race or whether you have 10 fingers and 10 toes. We don't wake up and decide "Today I think I'll be trans. Tomorrow I think I'll be a fish." It doesn't work that way.

The hate is getting dangerous. For the last several years I kept getting death threats. Now, after moving to another county and out of town, I'm still getting them. I'm more than 10 miles from the nearest town, and it's not a big place. Conservative as hell, but small. My only solace is that living in the country again makes me harder to find.

 

[pelicanportal]

Both have struggles, but I think there are very different reasons for the phobia and disgust. I don't think I should elaborate here though

 

[Forever Sleep]

It is hard to know- not having lived through the era where homosexuality was so hated- whether it compares. Considering that it was illegal though at one time- that's pretty telling. I think gay people absolutely were persecuted at one time though. If you imagine the fear was so bad for some, they kept it secret their whole lives- I think that tends to illustrate that it was extreme for them also.

Where it's maybe different is that I tend to sense misandry in the hate towards trans women in particular. Not to justify it but I think cis women and especially those who have problems with men and men's rights superseeding women's, maybe see trans women's rights as a further extension of men's. Especially if they won't acknowledge that person's gender.

Those who feel either threatened by or in competition with men I think feel threatened when people- who they still see as men- enter their previously 'safe' spaces.

Again, I'm not saying they are correct in those views. I imagine the overwhelming data will say that women are as (relatively) safe as they've always been. It likely only takes a few anomalies though- if even one or two trans athletes consistently win over their cis competitors. If only one or two trans women rape cis women- it makes people already wary of (who they still see as) men panic I tend to think. Again, I'm not saying that's justified.

I think sexuality wise, some people also feel unnerved by those who aren't the same as them. I've witnessed people seemingly feeling uncomfortable around both trans and gay people and I suppose I assumed it was a discomfort relating to sexuality.

I always found that weird/ slightly narcissistic. Why would that person's sexual preference have anything to do with them? Why even assume they would be hit upon by someone they couldn't feel comfortable reciprocating?

I doubt so many people are religiously offended these days although, I imagine that can also play a part sometimes. This insane notion that it isn't 'natural'- even though it happens in nature and they were likely born that way.

I think there's maybe more of a serious concern with trans if it involves using drugs or surgery. Whereas being gay- it's more a matter of practicing safe sex- as straight people would likely need to do also, I think people are more frightened of the more intense changes a trans person will have to make to follow their feelings.

So, in terms of medical safety, cost even- because so much comes down to money- I suppose the rise in transsexuality maybe has more cultural and economic impact. People get more interested/ agitated by things when it directly affects them.

I think previously especially, gay people felt forced to hide their identities and activities (sadly and wrongly- they should have been accepted as themselves). It is more widely visible now, although I suppose the biological genders were still kept apart. With trans though, there is more forceful integration which- those opposed to it I imagine, resent.

As a species I suppose- we do fight harder against things we fear and feel threatened by. Again, it's probably not even justified and it isn't fair on the individual. It's just my attempt at reasoning why some people may feel the way they do though.