all 36 comments

[–]julesburm1891 43 insightful - 21 fun43 insightful - 20 fun44 insightful - 21 fun -  (14 children)

Some of us learned a foreign language. Some of us learned to code. Some of us took up baking. Some of us became woodworkers. Aaaanndd some of us went fucking crazy.

[–]IridescentAnacondastrictly dickly 26 insightful - 1 fun26 insightful - 0 fun27 insightful - 1 fun -  (12 children)

I'm kind of curious what people here did (other than spending time on s/LGBDropTheT and TERFing out).

Other than settling into a new job I was hired into right before the pandemic started, I got really serious about meditation. My husband really perfected his cooking and gardening skills.

[–]Madsea 21 insightful - 1 fun21 insightful - 0 fun22 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I took up painting (canvasses and walls in my house), went off all medications (yay!), lost 50 pounds, started daily bike riding, and I’ve read so many books.

We also put solar panels and a back up battery on the house for the coming dystopian future.

[–]IridescentAnacondastrictly dickly 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You rock!

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 17 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 0 fun18 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I got into cryptic crosswords for a while. Pre-pandemic I would religiously do the crossword in the morning paper on my way to work, and then again in the evening paper on my way home. One of the things I miss most about the office is the little huddle of colleagues in the kitchen who would have all attempted the same one. Most of the papers include a cryptic crossword as well as a quick crossword and I usually attempted a few of the cryptic clues without ever really finishing a puzzle, but I bought and read a couple of books on the 'theory' and have been having a little more luck.

I have no garden and a tiny kitchen, so the 'typical' lockdown hobbies of baking sourdough and gardening were denied me. I probably should have picked up a new language (or at least worked on one of the ones I already speak) but I mostly spent it in my chair, reading and getting slowly more annoyed as the world went mad.

[–]usehername 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Started college (I was just working before, but lost my job) and improved my cooking skills as well, but I still have a long way to go lol. This would make a great thread in s/LGB once it opens.

[–]NeedMoreCoffee~=[,,_,,]=^_^= 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I improved my cooking and started with a bullet journal and managing my budget and decluttering. I also watched everything on netflix and prime -_-

[–]julesburm1891 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Got engaged. Bought a house. Started learning Italian and Python. Began a massive review of math because I want to go back to school. Took up boxing at home. It’s been a wild 18 months.

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've been meaning to do a maths review since... well basically since I stopped doing maths. I found the textbooks on OpenStax were a great place to start with the basic basics like long division etc.

[–]KingDickThe2nd 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I was a couple of months into a Jan to Dec postgraduate degree programme at university when it started.

My university was able to quickly move things around and convert everything to a completely online programme. So I spent my time alternating between worrying about covid properly breaking out in my country and doing uni work. In some ways I am jealous that others got a couple of months of free time to do whatever they wanted while I was busy writing essays.

But I should be thankful that due to the "hard and fast" response of my country that I was able to go on holiday up to the mountain towns and visit most of the sulphur hot pools. Plus my focus at university allowed me to get excellent grades and allowed me to score a good job in my new career.

[–]lovelyspearmintLesbeing a lesbian 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I finished off craft projects, but things have been pretty relaxed here since mid-July last year, so I didn't have a lot of time on my hands outside of uni and work.

[–]INeedSomeTimeAsexual Ally 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I decided to use more of the free time to develop my already existing skills even better. To be fair I don't wanna specify which one to keep my anonimity safe. But I made a lot of progress and I feel happy about it I didn't waste the time I am given.

[–]DimDroog 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I started drawing again, and working out.

Listening to more opera, and learning macrame.

[–]Femaleisnthateful 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've been berating myself for not learning any new skills or doing anything particularly useful during the lockdown. Now I don't feel so bad.

[–]GayBoner 32 insightful - 19 fun32 insightful - 18 fun33 insightful - 19 fun -  (5 children)

Lol that’s funny quarantine turned me into a TERF

[–]usehername 18 insightful - 11 fun18 insightful - 10 fun19 insightful - 11 fun -  (0 children)

Me too lol.

[–]INeedSomeTimeAsexual Ally 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Well for me this happened before the whole pandemic but I think my peak moment happened around the end of 2019 so I think quarantine only strengthened my TERFness but I feel bad about it. I don't necessary agree with demonizing trans people. I am critical of the ideology behind it and what it does to people, who need a completely different type of help than just transing themselves. Trans people are usually fine people if we ignore the most obnoxious ones with Cluster B disorders then I have a lot of sympathy for the ones, who I see are just clearly lost and confused. And not to mention a definitely smaller number of genuine transsexuals, who just wanna live their life and also look critically at the transgender movement.

[–]endless_assfluff 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Yeah, same here! I fully believe in the kind of approach you're describing, where the goal is to listen to people and understand why they believe what they do, then use that to fine-tune your own position. What brought me here in the first place was empathizing with people on both sides. I've had so many trans friends that I also have detrans friends, and don't want what happened to them to happen to anyone else.

It upsets me that most gender-ideology supporters seem to be well-meaning, but perceive any criticism of the movement as a bad-faith attack on someone's feelings ("I was hurt, so you must have meant to hurt me") rather than concern about nasty consequences the individual supporters may not have intended. Lately I've been reading about emotional validation/how to set someone at ease during a conflict, and have been fine-tuning an emotionally intelligent strategy for talking about these things with empathetic libfems.

My point is, I understand why you would feel bad about joining the TERF brigade, and want to reassure you that there are others out there who don't like the combative approach. You just might not see us as much. For me personally, addressing any kind of conflict---especially standing up for myself---takes so much energy that it drains me for months, and so you'll rarely see me comment here even though I read every day. But there's at least one person here who thinks you're totally on the right track! Did anything happen lately that rubbed you the wrong way, or do you just feel exhausted from having to process other people's anger and frustration?

[–]usehername 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Lately I've been reading about emotional validation/how to set someone at ease during a conflict, and have been fine-tuning an emotionally intelligent strategy for talking about these things with empathetic libfems.

Any tips for us?

[–]endless_assfluff 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Oh, goodness, I'll try to keep it short, but the strategy I prefer right now is to treat this situation like an abusive relationship between gender ideology and the people who promote it. We may have already realized the parallels between the way abusers defend their beliefs and the way gender ideologists defend their beliefs, but they haven't yet. So the idea is to (a) learn what manipulative reasoning looks like to ensure we're not using any of these tactics ourselves, (b) share these resources with the person you want to talk to so that they develop the tools to recognize when they're being manipulated, (c) listen to what they have to say/validate their emotions, which encourages them to do the same with you, and (d) once you're on the same page, gently point out using "I feel" statements when gender ideologists use harmful rhetoric.

As in, maybe one day you find an article about how manipulators get their way by convincing everyone that their emotions are the only ones that matter, when the honest approach would be to take the experiences and feelings of both parties into account. That is, because emotions are information, and ignoring them is lying by omission. You think, "oh, man, that's going to put some pieces together for a lot of people," and share it. Now some people you interact with might get interested in figuring out ways to tell if an argument is manipulative. You, also, can use what you've learned to demonstrate a more productive discussion style. Then, by promoting truth and education, you're not critiquing the ideas themselves, just the way they're presented, which can motivate people to fix that reasoning in order to make their arguments more convincing.

Once someone understands what tactics are manipulative and why, you can start gingerly objecting to certain common practices the gender ideology movement relies on. There's a lot of detail here that I have to think through.

"I don't know, that tweet that said 'TERFs can choke on my girldick' rubbed me the wrong way. I don't think it's ever okay to threaten an opponent with violence."

"Doesn't it feel kind of dangerous to keep silencing TERFs? You have to know what your opponent is saying in order to properly respond to them. I'm concerned that if I went head-to-head with a TERF, they could blindside me with arguments I've never heard." [it's very likely here that the other person will 'splain a strawman] "Oh man, that's rough. Where'd you find that?"

"I'm upset by people calling that woman 'evil' for not wanting to see a penis. I think it makes us look insensitive when we shame someone for their feelings, and that weakens the point. Isn't there a way to object to this without emotionally invalidating her?"

"It sounds like you need to vent. Did something happen?" [e.g., in response to "[group of people] is evil," showing that acknowledging and talking through the anger is a better way of addressing it than screaming at people online. to be fair, following this one up is super hard unless you've got EQ for days]

Of course, you still have to continue the conversation in a respectful manner, and of course, some people are too far gone and will demonize you at the slightest hint of questioning. At least when you encounter those, you can point to their sketchy rhetoric ("I don't think name-calling/belittling/emotional manipulation/ignoring evidence has a place in a productive discussion, but I'm worried that challenging this will upset you. So I'm not really sure what to say here"). They're still going to be pissed and take it personally, but any third parties are going to see one person throwing a tantrum because the other wanted to adhere to a code of conduct. And that's not a good look for anyone.

Once people start adopting this sensitive style of conflict resolution, it's easier for them to listen to those who have been harmed by gender ideology, and it's more likely they'll be able to see their ideological opponents as humans rather than 1D villains whose only goal is to hate. That's the real answer to "why should I question gender ideology?": it's hurting marginalized groups in ways many of its supporters probably didn't intend. It's a true test of character for someone to admit they supported something that goes against their core beliefs---in this case, to be conscientious and kind. But I've met liberal feminists who are capable of that. I'm guilty of falling for it myself. I had all the pieces but wasn't motivated to put them together until an AGP transbian harassed me. So that's why I say this strategy is designed for people who prioritize empathy, because it requires someone to put goodwill for others over their selfish desire to be right.

Some helpful resources are Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft, The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, issendai.com, and all of EQI.org, especially the page on emotional invalidation. EQI.org is a damn game changer.

I'm considering writing an essay and posting it on the GC saidit, but something still feels incomplete. Gonna mull it over for a couple more days. Thanks for asking, though!

[–][deleted] 23 insightful - 2 fun23 insightful - 1 fun24 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

They/he/xem butch lesbian demiromantic asexual

Dafaq??? This isn't even satire. wtf

Asexual and lesbian at the same time? How is that possible? Don't asexuals have no sexual attraction? How can one be homosexual and asexual at the same time?

Also, so many girls identifying as bi/lesbian in that thread, would they date actual lesbians or MTFs? Such a mess. Remember when the gay rights movement said that us gays and bisexuals din't "choose our sexuality", well guess people can finally choose their sexual orientation like video game characters now.

[–]usehername 19 insightful - 2 fun19 insightful - 1 fun20 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Asexual and lesbian at the same time? How is that possible? Don't asexuals have no sexual attraction? How can one be homosexual and asexual at the same time?

I speak their language. What that person means is that they sometimes (demi) have "romantic attraction" (want to go on dates) towards women but not have sex with them or anyone. These definitions are all very nebulous, but that's most likely what she(?) meant.

[–]INeedSomeTimeAsexual Ally 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I hate the way they water down the existing terminology with a very specific meaning. I also knew what she meant here but I always hate it and to me romantic asexuals are usually normal sexual people of you keep in mind the asexuality communities' insistence that asexuals can desire and love sex... so what's even a difference between the supposed heteroromantic asexual and just normal straight person? And these are insistent to be put under LGBTQ+ umbrella lol.

[–]serf_n_terfStraight Ally - Surf’s up! 🏄‍♀️ 16 insightful - 14 fun16 insightful - 13 fun17 insightful - 14 fun -  (0 children)

I was hoping to see someone identify as a redneck with the pronouns yee/haw.

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 17 insightful - 5 fun17 insightful - 4 fun18 insightful - 5 fun -  (0 children)

Tragic.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The lockdowns have put the insanity on hyperdrive. People were already losing their sanity before 2020, but the lockdowns have removed the incentive for the crazies to hide their crazies. You’re not going to act like a total maniac when another person is in the same room as you, unless you are part of the 1% least sanest people on the planet.

[–]DiveBarDiva 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

What is it about isolation and internet access that causes this. It’s crazy to me. Do any of you watch Benjamin Boyce videos? He does a lot of detransitioner videos and they are almost always female, with few to no close friends and too much tumblr use. Every single one says that tumblr played a part in there decision to be trans

[–]INeedSomeTimeAsexual Ally 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I have seen maybe 3 trans men in real life so it's more an anecdote than any statistical fact but I found it always interesting how they are acting so goddamn girly shy. When one had a female partner "he" was acting so totally submissive that it felt bizarre to me.

[–][deleted] 12 insightful - 6 fun12 insightful - 5 fun13 insightful - 6 fun -  (1 child)

I just know these people will look back in 10 years and think: "Wow, what the fuck was I thinking?"

Same with all the adults perpetuating this that are going through a mid-life crisis.

[–]lovelyspearmintLesbeing a lesbian 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The problem is that people will do this shit and grow out of it in a few years and go back to being boring. But everything will likely be blamed on LGB and we'll take the brunt of the backlash and acceptance will be at an all time low.

[–]DropItLikeItsHot 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

These people are all mental cases with severe communication issues. What exactly is supposed to be the difference between she/her and she/they pronouns? They is always a valid singular pronoun for anyone, it literally says nothing. These people are all squawking about nothing as if it makes them special.

[–]usehername 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Too much time consuming propaganda. Also disappointed that the majority of them appear to be women/girls. I'm sure at least some of the ones who claim to be aren't, but it looks like there are very few males here.

[–]GreykittymommaMagical lady 💜 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Please forgive me in advance but did the pandemic just cause skyrocketing levels of retardation?

You can't be she/they

You can't be a he lesbian

You can't erase womanhood or rewrite it for your own perversion. Just fucking stop it. I feel bad dropping the R word but what the fuck are these people smoking?

Bored ass women.

I have been a bisexual woman for decades. That doesn't change by not going outside lmao. Yall are FAKE AS FUCK. Didn't question shit until you read too much online? Fixed. Got it sis?

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

People with no major responsibilities (or, have their life on auto-pilot) and mental issues have been allowed to go as deep as they wanted into the TQ+ rabbit hole with no real world interactions to pull them out of it for months on end. Of course some of them are bound to go a bit wild. The real problem is that we don't have any way to ground these people back into reality.

[–]INeedSomeTimeAsexual Ally 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Too much fucking Twitter and I'm not ever surprised why this happened. I'm there on my main account and the amount of pronouns people with any sexuality, which isn't straight, is so incredibly high that I still wonder how the other people don't find it strange that something so rare is so incredibly common? Even on my clueless days I started to see it as highly suspicious but at first I tried to be "nice" and assume that maybe there is something about such spaces which attract LGBTQ+ people more but even this explanation was very bizarre to me. Meanwhile I wasn't even surrounded by queer people at all when I started questioning myself. This started even way before I joined Twitter or Tumblr. By the time I knew what asexuality is and perhaps it's waaaaay better I knew it already before these people would make me horribly confused.