Let People Be Themselves, or What Is It To You Anyway?

[seawasp]

 Today it's about the Immoral Minority trying to force their definitions of "normal" onto other people...


The current administration, influenced in no small part by a particularly virulent and vile subdivision of "Christianity" (quotes definitely necessary), is doing everything it can to remove any progress in LBGTQ+ lives. Mostly focused to start with on trans, with dangerous (and dangerously stupid) interpretations of both biology and law, but clearly aiming to address all of the "unnatural lifestyles" and drive them right back into the closet (and by preference wall them in it without a cask of Amontillado). 

I've never understood this. Sure, I never myself wanted to make out with guys, but it was never my BUSINESS. None of it was my business, because a person choosing their own name, their own way to present themselves, their own interest in personal relationships? That's THEIR business and it affects no one else but them and the people they have relationships with. 

I had my own stupidities, of course, like narrow biological interpretations of what "made sense", but I never thought it was my business to force people to "make sense" even back then. As I learned better about the complexities of biology and human interaction, it was clear that such choices were even LESS my business. 

With respect to trans people, I know several of them, and I've seen some going through transition, and what that's shown me is the REALITY of transition. I don't really CARE what the REASON is -- psychological or biological or a combination of both, whatever. What I DO know is that I have watched people who were unhappy, afraid of themselves, afraid of ENJOYMENT, literally blossom like flowers once they realized what their true self was, and began to accept it. People who almost never smiled were suddenly HAPPY, even while they were taking risks in revealing themselves. 

And now the GOP and "evangelical Christian" groups and their even more vile backers want to take all that away, shove the smiles back into the darkness, PUNISH people for daring to not follow some stupid narrow definitions of what they think "ought" to be. 

Screw that. A person deciding they're not a man but a woman is THEIR business. 

And no, people aren't shoving toddlers into transition surgery, so that's a bullshit argument. People ARE respecting even young kids' rights to decide how they want to be addressed and treated. And WHY NOT? How exactly does it hurt you or anyone to say "Okay, you're Janice, not Joe, and you like dressing this way"? Even if you think it's just playacting by Joe, or it's a mistake -- private identity and names are just about the ONLY thing any of us, from the super-rich down to the guy begging on the corner, can absolutely call our own in every sense. 

Little kids can play at being different kinds of animals and no one bats an eye, but let one of them wear the wrong clothes and everyone loses their minds. 

In some ways, this kind of behavior by the right is one of the most evil things they do. Killing social programs at least gives them a clear profit motive -- they get to keep more money. But there's no actual gain to telling people who they can be, who they can love, except the vicious joy of controlling others and forcing them to live the way you want. 

Well, anyone who thinks that's fine? Screw you and the entire herd of horses you came with. 
 

Comments

[sturgeonslawyer]

As a (Catholic) Christian myself, I am grateful to you for putting the quotation marks where they belong. As a sinner myself, I find it more fruitful to pay attention to my own sins than the hypothetical sins of others -- as Jesus says, the beam in my own eye rather than the motes in theirs. Same guy also said "Judge not lest you be judged;" and also "By their fruits you shall know them." The "Christians" of whom you speak -- and they're not just evangelicals; a significant part of my own Church is, in direct violation of what our Pope has said, busily pointing out everyone else's sins, ignoring their own, and producing some mighty stanky fruit...

Who knew? Christianity, as taught by its Founder, has some "libertarian" aspects.

[ninjarat]

On the other end -- and this is the voice of personal experience (I got better) -- the Evangelical or Charismatic Christian cannot see their god as creating any person as gay or trans because homosexuality is a sin. In their absolute conviction, one cannot be gay or trans; one can only choose to be gay or trans. Since homosexuality is a sin, anyone who chooses to be gay must either be deeply sinful or woefully misguided by the sinful. As good Christians, they see it as their moral duty and responsibility to save the sinner from their sin and protect them from sinful influence. They mean well, misguided as they are. Unfortunately, that upbringing comes with brainwashing them to reject critical thinking because critical thinking is questioning one's parents and ministers and such -- more sin. It's impossible discuss it rationally. Their convictions are entirely irrational, and any attempts to get them to consider your side will be met with hard rejection. You sinner, you.

And then there are the Christians in Name Only who weaponize those convictions. They learn how easy it is to manipulate the obedient lambs. Some of them start out as genuinely good Christians and fall to the dark side like I almost did (I got better). Others see easy pickings and become Prosperity Gospel preachers or President of the United States of America. Regardless of what path they follow, it's easy for them to build their cult armies and turn them into whatever they want. This is what the far right have done against science, and it's what they're doing against LGBTQ+ people and communities.

[othercat]

Little kids can play at being different kinds of animals and no one bats an eye, but let one of them wear the wrong clothes and everyone loses their minds

No, trust me on this, they (the kind of folks who are doing this bs) also freak out about kids pretending to be animals. Or pretending to be anything really. (I know this from personal experience, and anecdotal evidence. My family is mostly conservative racist homophobic transphobic Maga "christians." They freaked out when I was a little kid and pretended to be a shepherd. They freaked out when I was a little kid and pretended to be a horse, they freaked out when I played roleplaying games in highschool.

[ninjarat]

See previous about brainwashing. Then apply this train of "logic": make-believe is not true. Anything not true is a lie. All lies are the work of the Devil. Therefore all make-believe is the work of the Devil.

Of course they freaked out. They *knew* you'd been possessed by the Devil.

[othercat]

Yes, that is the reasoning chain they were using. I am pretty sure I indicated awareness of this reasoning in my initial comment? Or at least, it was implicit. If I did not, this response is to question, "yes, and?"

So! I feel it is erroneous to wave away bs reasoning like this as the result of brainwashing. (Or the fault of religion in general if you swing toward atheism.) It's reductive and dismissive, and extremely unhelpful/annoying to the person who grew up dealing with this bullshit! (I may be overreacting to the word "brainwashing" a bit because my trump supporting little brother called me a lot of nasty names and among them was "brainwashed lemming NPC.")

Now, onto my initial comment. Yes, I am aware of the reasoning chain. I was in fact complaining about the reasoning chain. This reasoning chain is also used by any in group on any out group that makes them uncomfortable! Not just idiots like my family who happen to be some flavor of Christianity. I have seen otherwise creative, imaginative people freak out because someone's OCs were treated as imaginary friends that the writer interacted with. I have seen otherwise creative imaginary people freakout because of some other thing that was "too far outside of their comfort zone. Furries. Otherkin. All kinds of 'a step to far,' things. Saying that this reasoning chain is ONLY the result of Christian Brainwashing (tm) is therefore reductive.

(Also: They did not think I was possessed. They were goddamn hypocrites. They freaked out because of what I read/my special interests (esoteric supernatural magic bullshit, fantasy, sf, mythology, etc, etc) but also watched fantasy and science fiction movies/tv shows. And shows about ghosts/hauntings. And shows about cryptids.)

[othercat]

Note to self: always remember to re-read your previous comment because, no, othercat, you don't remember what you said or meant because it's been a few days. >_

[ninjarat]

No insults intended. I have my own baggage that I'm still carrying around, including anger at the hypocrisy and betrayal I found myself subjected to -- and I subjected others to.

I don't use the term brainwashing lightly. I wasn't involved with the Assemblies of God for long, just a few years, but I got sucked in deep. Full-on Pentecostal, Speaking in Tongues, the works. By the time I was entering college I was on my way to becoming a "minister". And by that I mean the dark side kind of minister who preys on the vulnerable while praising the divine. I was becoming good at it, manipulating people, weaponizing their faith and trust for my benefit. And I had no fucking clue how evil I was until after I broke free of it. I still hate that part of myself.

I'm sorry I projected that onto your experiences.

[claidheamhmor]

I'm here for the EAP reference. And I agree with everything there.

[seawasp]

For the love of God, Montresor!