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PaperclipPerfector  11mo ago (text post)   2957 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 9, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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The internet caricature of a trans activist who flies off the handle at the slightest infraction of pronoun etiquette is not something I've ever come across in the real world, even in extremely liberal areas and college campuses, and neither is the sort of person who would misgender them in an antagonistic manner to trigger such a reaction.

My experience with trans people (or other gender-non-conforming people) IRL is similar to yours, where pronouns aren't policed with the obsession of a hall monitor, and silly mistakes are considered silly mistakes. But one would get a very different impression of trans people based on talking to trans activists online. It's a good reminder that there is no reason to believe that self-proclaimed trans activists have any claim on speaking on behalf of trans people in general, and as such can be ignored when it comes to bettering lives for trans people (though one perhaps ought to not ignore them when it comes to preventing the worsening of one's own life); trans people IRL are different - often distinct - sets of people from the activists. It's really unfortunate that trans laypeople get tarred with the same brush as the activists, thanks in large part due to the activists intentionally trying to conflate the groups.

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