I wanted to talk about transgender people for a moment. I am pro trans rights, in that I think trans people deserve to dress and identify as they wish, as long as it is a committed lifestyle and identity, and not a trend. I don't actually think most people who are seeking to medically transition are "transtrenders". Most are committed to transitioning because they don't feel like staying in their current body is a viable option for them, or that they'll likely spend their time depressed and possibly suicidal if they do not transition. Whether you think its a mental illness or not, I have no problem with trans people transitioning. They do them. We should all be able to have surgeries and change our appearance because in the end, we're all autonomous beings.

I will call trans women "she" and trans men "he" if they wish. I balk at things like "Zhe" and "Zher" and am hoping that those terms are swallowed up by iniquity rather than that they make their way into our normal lexicon of gender terminology. But hey, if you do the work of shaving your legs and growing your hair out and dressing like a woman every day, and you want me to call you "she" and "her", I'm fine with that. But that's because I choose to respect your gender pronouns. Expecting everyone to automatically call you by the pronouns you want to be referred by is naive. Compelling it by law is outright horrifying as a violation of free speech. Also, making it illegal to misgender someone doesn't help your cause. It only breeds resentment and hate.

I feel like there are concurrent issues going on here. Transgender people's rights to live as the gender they identify with in peace without harassment and violent retribution, and transgender people demanding to be treated exactly the same as cis gender (or non trans, or biologically male/female) people. And the assumption that it is bigotry and hatred that fuel concerns about say.. who uses what bathroom.. who's allowed into what changing room, or whether a trans person should disclose their trans status before having sex with a non-trans person. These are all rational issues that can be debated in a rational manner. Believing that transgender people are mentally ill is perfectly reasonable. Mocking them as deluded psychopaths, or mocking their appearance is less than fair. I have several transgender friends who don't differ from non trans people in any sort of noticeable way other than that they are dressing as the opposite gender. They aren't "mentally ill" outside of the belief that they are the opposite gender they were born into.

I was incredibly impressed with the interview between Blaire White (a conservative trans woman) and Ben Shapiro, in which they came together for a polite conversation about pronoun usage. I feel that if we calm down and address this issue factually, we'll get farther than the alternative - Trans people claiming that any and all criticism of their identity is blatant bigotry and not based in reasonable concerns/ Non-trans people mocking trans people as disgusting monsters or delusional gay men with mean abandon.

I'd appreciate some measured, non emotional responses to this post as to where we should go next. Any thoughts?