avatarStephenie Magister ✨

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of not compromising on transgender rights, even if it means cisgender people might feel uncomfortable, as such compromises can lead to real harm and even death for transgender individuals.

Abstract

The article "Should I Be Willing To Compromise On Trans Issues If It Protects Cisgender People?" discusses the ethical implications of expecting transgender people to concede their rights for the comfort of cisgender individuals. It argues that centering cisgender people in discussions about transgender rights is inherently transphobic and harmful, not only to transgender people but also to society as a whole. The piece underscores that transgender people face disproportionate marginalization and violence, and any compromise on their rights is a direct threat to their safety and existence. It calls for an unwavering defense of transgender rights, especially for transgender youth, and cautions that even well-intentioned positions that harm transgender people contribute to the ongoing stigma and social pressure they face. The article concludes by urging

Should I Be Willing To Compromise On Trans Issues If It Protects Cisgender People?

Even if those compromises would get me killed?

PROTECTING CISGENDER VS TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

It’s not about who deserves safety more than anyone else. It’s about people with identifiably transgender experiences having just as much safety as the people who don’t have those experiences.

It’s about the most marginalized group of people in America and the undisputed and well-documented harm this group is subject to every day.

Centering cis people in this discussion is unintentionally transphobic and causes real harm to people with transgender experiences. Including cisgender people!

NOTE: (this article is expanded from an excerpt of the full TEN TRANS QUESTIONS)

TRANS LIBERATION IS NOW

Trans people are not going to wait.

Trans people are not going to surrender their rights.

Trans people are not going to compromise the safety of their very existence for the progressive agenda.

When you ask this question, you are not asking the leftists to give ground here. You are asking a marginalized population to give ground for something that was never within their control.

That’s who your questions hurt. That’s who your actions harm. That’s who your positions kill.

Not politicians. Not parents. Not siblings. The young trans kids who already live in a world that mostly insists they don’t deserve to exist.

That is why we are so strident on these issues. These debates do not happen in a vacuum.

Remember that trans people are already subject to massive amounts of social stigma and pressure all around their gender identity. Creating groups to segregate them due to their gender identity can only make this far worse.

YOU’RE FORGETTING THE CONTEXT!!

The ongoing context is that most of the people making the same arguments about controls are actively harming trans kids in word and deed. So when you join that debate with anything other than a full defense of trans kids and their rights, you are standing by or tacitly supporting that harm.

This includes whether your INTENTION was merely to protect people who have not had identifiably transgender experiences (I call them cis/cisgender for short). The IMPACT of your actions is direct harm to people who DO have identifiably transgender experiences.

You are contributing to the harm of those people regardless of whether that harm was a part of your awareness or intentions.

DO YOU FEEL SEEN?

Did you intend to hurt people with trans experiences? Almost certainly not!

But if you’re a good person, I’d argue you’ll at least admit that despite your good intentions, your position on this DID hurt a trans person.

Does that fire you up? Do you want to argue whether you REALLY hurt a trans person? Especially if you didn’t mean to?

No! Don’t argue whether your actions hurt a trans person. A trans person is telling you it did! The first step is to acknowledge the impact of your position.

You’ll admit that your position and behavior on this topic continues to hurt trans people.

You’ll admit that if you continue to hold your bigoted/transphobic position, it will be trans people who continue to pay the cost.

You’ll admit that to continue asking this question, you’ve accepted hurting trans people is worth it if it gets you what you want.

You’ll admit you’ve accepted the harm (and death) of countless people with transgender experiences as long as their deaths protect the people you consider more valuable.

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