Hannah Mouncey

[Thryleon]

Neo-nazis are a sad group who seem to believe that anything or anyone different to them and their beliefs is wrong/bad and to be opposed, denigrated or even destroyed. Neo-nazis and hard Right Fundamentalists have much in common - a deeply fearful, angry and condemning group of malcontents... dangerous malcontents, and anything they can grab on to that is different to their clinically warped and narrow view will be used to further their own repulsive/anti-humanitarian/anti-acceptance/disrespectful dogmas.

The key word in your second paragraph, 3 Leos, is body 'image.' For transgender folks, and the like, it is far more than image, it's identity. And of course, like many things, there is a spectrum of identity. Somewhat like a job you have that you have little or no connection with, you seek to find a job that suits you better (or run the risk of sinking into depression or avoidance)... a very simplistic example, but one that may help everyday folks to understand the dilemma of folks born in one gender, but identify, deeply and authentically, with a different identity... in time they may find that changing does not help, but most find that it does. I have a few people in my life who've changed gender to suit their true identity and all have found meaning and even happiness in having made the change. Accepting 'difference' in so many areas of human existence has been a challenge for humans, for eons. Acceptance is about respect for the other.

Baggers, where it starts to become problematic for me is that it is the facet of being transgender that is the identity that they seek, not necessarily the fact that they identify as a gender they were not born as and identity politics is just one facet of it.  Its all very subjective, and not very observable.  I have seen people convince themselves they are happy or miserable based on various factors, and ultimately its all very feeling based.  Where is the objective science in this?  The answer is, that there isnt.  I can cope with a guy wearing a dress, and changing their name.  Its all a bit weird, but thats cool, but when I am forced to label someone who clearly isnt a female a female, then it starts to become really difficult to accept.  I will treat the people they way they are asking and label them female, or she or whatever because I am not mean spirited, but its not going to change my opinion and an anonymous forum like this one, is one of the few places you can air the view without being subject to almost becoming a social outcast, which is just a greater symptom of problem we are facing in the modern world.

We will rehash a lot of debate about this stuff if we continue down this discussion, and I am happy to agree to disagree on the subject matter, but Neo Nazism isnt having an opposing view, its making people comply with it and not being able to share their own thoughts.