this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2023
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You make a good point but I don't agree it's transphobia still.
We pick people to be around from a number of reasons. Usually because they make us feel good and have similar culture. This is why people of similar culture usually ends up living in the same places. This is why similar people become friends.
There are entire cities in Spain where only Nordic people live. And same thing in other countries. This is because they want to live near people with the same culture.
Trans people is something new and different, and it will take time before everyone is comfortable around them. This is not transphobia (irrational fear) or racism. This is human nature.
With time, it will become normal for people to have trans people around. But today it's unusual and people need to adapt to it.
I'm arguing that to make it easier to get to know Trans people, we have every opportunity here on Lemmy for example. If everyone remains friendly.
It is irrational. Just because you believe that various forms of xenophobia (writ large) are “human nature” does not make them rational. Phobias are irrational (that is ‘without reason’) by definition, and attempting to redefine a phobia from a clinical diagnosis to a justification based on your perception that people are inherently prejudiced is itself irrational.
Racists use exactly the same arguments. Racists argue for ethnostates on the basis of segregation being natural. They globalize their experiences and prejudices as universal rather than swing them as maladaptive opinions fueled by a cultivated hatred and distrust.
People are more than welcome to participate in LGBT communities, but they should recognize that those people are, in fact, people. They should recognize that they may come across like that scene in Blast from the Past where Brendan Fraser says “Bless my stars, a negro!” if they’re going to be like that, but there’s a world of difference between an ignorant but well meaning person and someone who both has embraced and propounds phobic talking points.
I understand what you're saying. There's some degree of internalized transphobia that many trans people experience, themselves. More trans people around will mean that others will interact with them more and realize that they're just normal people. Your point here that aversion to trans people is not transphobia is the same argument that homophobes have made for decades. A phobia is not just an irrational panic-inducing fear. Your point here is just pedantic and wrong.
What we don't need on Lemmy is to have posts and comments that make trans people feel like they aren't welcome or feel like they're different for just expressing themselves authentically.