I think you’re right, I knew someone who was transitioning MtF in 1994, at university. No one was bothered by them and no one bothered them. I’d see them around the campus and never crossed my mind that I should treat them any differently than I treated any one else, but mostly I just didn’t notice them.

I think the big difference between Debbie, the person I knew and the vocal, disgusting TRAs is that the TRAs want to be given special treatment. I think you see it whenever the identity stuff takes hold in a community, instead of just getting on and living their lives they demand special treatment and celebration and the TRAs need women to invite them into women’s spaces because it’s the final capitulation - it’s like the presentation of Vercingetorix at Caesar’s triumph, the ultimate show of fealty and surrender (he was ritually strangled for the baying mob).