How divisive have we become. Have you lost friends over your viewpoints?

submitted by PencilPusher55 from (self.whatever)

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[–][deleted] 23 insightful - 2 fun23 insightful - 1 fun24 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

i have a friend who i haven't necessarily lost, but i avoid talking about politics with him because our friendship would be fucked if we did. he heavily supports trans rights and wants to be a girl. he recently told me he was "non-bianary" which is some of the dumbest bullshit i've ever heard of. i didn't say that to his face as that would be rude, but it's still idiotic.

he unironically thinks that trans people should be allowed to participate in sports of the gender they claim to be. we got into a relatively heated argument about it and like most people who are for it, he couldn't think of any valid counter points. it was just "but they said that they're a boy/girl!!" which obviously doesn't mean shit when you still have the physical strength of your original gender. i just dropped the topic and decided that he's not someone worth debating over stuff like that. we're still on good terms as we have a lot of similar interests and play games together, it just kinda sucks that he's been brainwashed by twitter users with cartoon characters in front of pride flags for profile pictures.

[–]Girlwiththeraventat 17 insightful - 2 fun17 insightful - 1 fun18 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

Have you asked him why he wants to be a girl? I'm curious about where the whole new wave of all these boys/men wanting to be women is coming from. I mean I obviously know from toxic echo chambers but what are the reasons they give other people. What does being a girl even mean to them? I also find it curious there are more men wanting to be women than women wanting to be men.

It's sad your friend can't discuss that topic other than repeating what they hear online. Saying they feel a certain way doesn't negate biology. I hope your friend can breakaway from the groupthink before they do something drastic like take hormones. Maybe it is worth having a gentle debate just so he hears another side. The hormones and surgery are very serious and the fact that you can buy hormones online without medical supervision is outrageous and extremely dangerous.

[–][deleted] 18 insightful - 3 fun18 insightful - 2 fun19 insightful - 3 fun -  (2 children)

i feel like the reason anyone wants to change their gender is the stereotypes enforced on men and women. men are usually told to be tough and strong, while women are usually told to be submissive and polite. i think men want to be women so they can be able to do "feminine" things without being judged, same probably goes for women but reversed. there are probably more men that want it then women because those kinds of stereotypes aren't enforced on females nearly as much today. as a woman i honestly can't see the appeal of being one, we're weaker, shorter, and honestly don't have many benefits when it comes to biology.

it kind of feels like my friend is too far in at this point. he simply refuses to acknowledge biology and actual science. it's a shame too, he's only 14 and the only things stopping him from taking hormones is the fact that he's scared of doing it under 18. the second he turns 18 i have no doubt he'll try to go for it tho. i'm hoping to encourage him to seek therapy for his gender dysphoria, i don't want him to harm himself over something like this. it makes me sad how so many people our age are being told they're something they're not (and literally can't be) over the stupid stuff enforced on genders.

[–]newguy 12 insightful - 3 fun12 insightful - 2 fun13 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

i feel like the reason anyone wants to change their gender is the stereotypes enforced on men and women

This aspect has always struck me as particularly odd, because I feel l like as a society we spent decades trying to de-emphasize those gender roles and gender stereotypes, and now suddenly they've flipped it around and say falling in to those stereotypes are a good basis for getting permanent surgery! Which seems extremely regressive to me, not progressive.

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

i agree. though while these stereotypes aren't nearly as enforced as they used to be, they're still present. though how extreme they are depends on where you live, your upbringing, and community you live in. but it still doesn't matter how much they're enforced, as forever changing your life for something biologically impossible isn't worth it.