Trans people don’t owe you discourse

Something I likely don’t have to tell you is that being trans on the internet is wild. We are constantly attacked at random, with debates about our existence sparking up wherever we are mentioned. I’ve seen transphobic discourse pop up in meme groups, in comments sections, in live video feeds, and basically… everywhere. All it takes for people to be transphobic is to see mention of a trans person or to perceive that someone is trans. However, even where we aren’t mentioned, discourse can pop up over a “manly” or muscular woman, effeminate men, and can even manifest from absolutely nothing at all. It takes little to turn a casual online discussion into a volatile argument and debate over the existence of trans people.

It’s inescapable. Transphobia and trans-antagonism are hard-baked into our society, and avoiding microaggressive or even macroaggressive online spaces can be nigh impossible. When we do advocate for ourselves, we are frequently piled on, misgendered, and bullied out of online spaces. When cis people advocate for us, it can turn nasty real quick, with anti-trans rhetoric being spewed forth from bigots with no fear for social repercussions. Why? Because, more often than not, there are no repercussions for being transphobic. Even in spaces where most forms of bigotry aren’t tolerated, transphobia and trans-antagonism are allowed, sometimes used as “teaching moments” to…