Jesus these people are so fragile.

I’m not trans, but I have two close friends who are. And multiple acquaintances who are trans. I’m an old ™️ and spent most of my life absolutely ignorant of transgender issues or, really, that they even existed. I was peripherally aware, but it wasn’t until I joined online leftist communities that I really came into direct contact with people and learned a lot.

I’ve seen what, perhaps, that person is referring to with “suggesting they’re trans” and that is, from anything I’ve ever seen, done as a joke first and foremost and it’s even controversial to make those jokes within the broad community of trans people. Like calling people “eggs” and such when they’re displaying potential of being trans (if you don’t know what an “egg” is please do not ask me to explain lol).

It’s done in jest and often the people getting joked on in that way are the butt of the joke because people assume they’re open-minded and aren’t going to have a reddit-style meltdown over the suggestion that they might be trans.

This all hinges as well on an underlying belief that many cis people, and I’m absolutely included in this even if I don’t like to think so, that “we aren’t like them. We know who we are. I am a man/woman and that is just who I am.”

If I’m 100% honest, it does make me uncomfortable to think too much about how I fit into a traditional male gender role in society. The ways that I do and don’t fit, why it is that I act the way I act, why I think how I think, why I’m attracted to certain types of people and whatever else. That uncomfortableness should be dealt with by me though, or this person, and not lead to some weird hatred or obsession with others who also thought about stuff and are living life in a different way compared to you.

If you’re happy in life and your relationships as a cis man then good! I’ve talked about this stuff with one of my trans friends (starting to feel like the “I have a black friend…” trope) and how although it’s not fun to think about for me, if I do think about it I’m very comfortable with my masculinity, whatever that might mean, and that just means like yeah dude, you’re a cis man.

I don’t mean to oversimplify stuff or whatever but seriously is this so world shattering for other guys? I know dudes are fragile as hell out here, but come the fuck on guys. If someone mildly suggesting in a joking way that you might be displaying feminine features wrecks your day that bad, I dunno, maybe sit with that feeling and really think about it because I can assure you it doesn’t wreck my day. Maybe there’s a reason for that, lol. That’s mostly a joke, but also, well, whatever.

In conclusion: Men. Are we doing ok? All evidence points to “no.”