I have the poster you’re quoting on ignore so I’m missing a lot of this convo (probably for the best) but the 100% support bit always trips me up.
It feels strange wanting to clarify myself to a bunch of Internet strangers but I do post here all the time and we have some sort of online community going here so it’s probably worth the effort of explanation. I’ll concede some level of ignorance here because I’m only moderately read up on the subject. I don’t relate to any Fox News-esque conservative ideologies or fear-mongering narratives so that’s not where I’m coming from. My opinions are based mostly on whatever mainstream content flows my way usually through YouTube (those f***ing algorithms) and I try to listen to as much balanced discourse as I can. I’ve listened to/watched many many intelligent conversations from the LGTBQ community and will comfortably say I’ve got at least a base level understanding of where they are coming from.
I don’t think any LGTBQ person should be discriminated against. They should be able to walk into a movie theater, restaurant, job interview, etc…and be treated with the same warmth and respect as anyone else. From working in the Chicago service industry I interacted with many, many, many of these people and have never for a second thought of treating them differently or even harbor any negative thoughts towards them as individuals. That would be despicable and I’d be ashamed of myself for even thinking it. I’ve made close friendships with over a dozen of these people and am honored to know them.
Arguing that I need to be 100% supportive of their cause is absurd IMHO. You don’t need to agree with everything in order to be tolerant, compassionate, and empathetic. There is not a single example of relationship that any of us have with another human being where we are in unanimous agreement. There are always partitions that we have to navigate through together with love and respect.
Most people in that community grow up very troubled and spend their crucial developmental years being treated like outcasts, which is awful. Going through puberty is awkward and complicated enough for all of us as is so to add those gender/sexuality internal crises into the mix would be very difficult. I’ve listened to many interviews with these kids talking about how hard this is to deal with and it’s truthfully very sad to hear how troubled and alone they often feel.
My biggest issue with what the LGTBQ community tries to propagate is the deconstruction of gender on us all. I don’t believe it’s fair or factually accurate to tell little children they can choose if they want to be a boy or a girl. I don’t think it should be normalized in schools or in academia to all of a sudden pretend that what we’ve always known to be a man or a woman is now in-accurate. Biologically, genetically, and behaviorally I believe the LGTBQ movement has no factual basis for what they’re proclaiming and they’re instead making arguments from emotion. It’s not enough for them to come to a middle ground by saying people who just so happen to feel this confusion of identity based on gender should be treated as equally as any of us. Which I feel the overwhelming majority of us would completely agree with and fight for on their behalf. Their underlying arguments seem to be based on this notion that none of us are certain of our gender and all of us need to pretend there exists a fundamental fluidity between being a male or female. I personally vehemently disagree with that so I can never be “100%” in support of the movement.
Dismantling our concept of gender for humanity as a whole is a bridge too far. I think if someone is feeling that way and they’ve received the proper care and attention beforehand, should absolutely be able to transition into the person they feel most comfortable being. It’s their right as a human being and they’re having an authentic human experience. Anyone who wants to deny them that doesn’t understand what the Western World is all about. We just shouldn’t be toppling our concept of gender for humanity as a whole because a very small minority are having these difficulties. I don’t believe it’s fair to do that to do that to little children or encourage it to kids in middle school or highschool while they’re going through the most socially and sexually difficult periods of their lives. Learning how to date, how to talk to someone you’re romantically or sexually interested in is a very clumsy process for most of during that vulnerable time. So to add in “oh you’re feeling confused and that something isn’t right about you, maybe you’re born into the wrong gender” shouldn’t be a mainstream ideology. It should be handled delicately and when it’s appropriate.
Other than that I’m right there with all of them. Be who you want to be, love who you want. The fact that same sex marriages are at risk of being repealed is as disgusting to me as some states reverting back to the drastic restriction of abortions.
That was a long winded post. Hopefully no one reads this and thinks I’m a monster but I felt it needed to be said. Discourse and disagreement are natural things and we should be able to communicate freely as long as we’re coming from a place of love and respect.
