If you glance through my blog archive, you’ll see I’ve been writing publicly about transgender issues for almost nineteen years. I’ve made a lot of arguments that were controversial at the time, including things like: you don’t need to transition to be a full-fledged trans person, a tiny percentage of trans people have done horrible things, and sometimes trans feelings are sexual. I’m pleased to say that many of the positions I argued have become widely accepted among trans people.
There are still a number of ideas I hear from other trans people that I want to challenge, but for the near future at least, I’ve decided to hold off on challenging other transgender positions publicly. The reason is simple: we’re all under attack.
I’m in a position where Martin Niemöller’s quote may apply to me: I am not currently one of the main targets of the repressive bigots who are currently running my country. I’m not a competitive athlete, I don’t take sex hormones, and I don’t plan on trying to use the women’s bathroom in a red state in the near future. But the reactionaries are steadily widening their net to the point where it may catch me.
I do know people who do take sex hormones, and who use bathrooms that may not be MAGA-approved in places where reactionaries have power. And I care about the people I don’t know who have been targeted by these oppressive actions.
Some people have argued for decades that we should all present a united front and get with the program. At the time I didn’t think that was necessary, but in the current circumstances It feels more prudent.
I stand by almost everything I’ve posted here, and I plan to continue posting. I’ve always tried to focus on substance and avoid attacking individuals and groups. In the near future I’ll try to stick to topics that can’t be exploited by hateful people.