• imaqtpie@lemmy.myserv.one
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    2 months ago

    Lemmy is highly sensitive about transgender topics. We have a very high percentage of trans people, and thus mods tend to be quite zealous when protecting this space from transphobia. They may sometimes be overzealous, but that’s not the worst thing in the world.

    I don’t think a permaban was necessary based on your comments. But I also don’t think you would be happy about making other Lemmings uncomfortable or driving them away from the platform because they feel unwelcome. Is it more important that we all perfectly agree on various semantic definitions, or that people feel welcome and able to connect and communicate with others on Lemmy?

    I’m not criticizing you or anything like that because I don’t think you were trying to hurt anyone and I think the ban was excessive. But I’m just trying to help you see the situation from the other side and maybe approach the topic with a little more delicacy in the future.

    • DMBFFF@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I think I told a mod there that if I was un-banned I’d refrain about talking about TG issues in that community

      I’ve heard nothing about it since.

      There’s at least some subreddits that I can speak more freely on about this issue, such as https://www.reddit.com/r/Anarcho_Capitalism and as a result I’ll self-censor more here and speak more freely elsewhere.

      Whatever my quibbles, FWIW, again, I don’t see myself as transphobic. I neither hate, nor fear the TG. The DOI refers to the pursuit of happiness, and if TG’ism results in happiness for them, then good, they should pursue it. They have a right to it, and I feel free to defend that right. Indeed, skills in procedures in their therapies and surgeries might help humanity elsewhere. I don’t have a problem with them reading books to children, and reading books to children is good for children. As a man, I’m largely indifferent to transwomen in women’s sports (as I am of sports in general) and washrooms, and pretty well fear nothing from transmen as usurpers of my masculinity (such as it is). Pronouns? The nice thing about English is that the 1st and 2nd person pronouns are already gender neutral, and while I don’t like the singular “they” (and its variants), it’s because I like specificity in plurality and not because I oppose gender neutrality. Indeed, I occasionally use the neologism wt:thon. There are some transwomen whose videos I enjoy greatly, such as ContraPoints, the one in Philosophy Tube, and Jessie Gender (the one who talks a lot about Star Trek). Most critics of TG I see on YouTube have their own flaws. I’m not a fan of JK Rowling, though I never was into Harry Potter. As for Germaine Greer, while she had/has made her contributions over the decades, she isn’t the last word on feminism (I don’t think anyone is). If I “get fooled” by a TW thinking thon is a ciswoman, I don’t get mad, I metaphorically tip my hat at thons effort, such as this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu-t3tqDyAY . Well done, Ms Cain!

      To any TG reading this, I readily admit to much ignorance. Don’t take my words to heart if they bother you: they are merely the thoughts of a pseudonymous member of a few internet sites such as Lemmy. I intend no offense and wish you well and success in your expression.