I feel like the root of most discrimination against trans people is a distrust or toxic idea about men.
For trans women, it’s the idea that they’re “men in dresses” or “men pretending to be women”, etc. etc. Even if that were true, what’s wrong with it? There’s nothing! It’s the idea that men are all sex predators that drives this – that if someone is “actually a man” then that means they’re inherently gross and dangerous to children and women.
For trans men, it’s just the same toxic masculinity standards applied to cis men. That they’re “too emotional” or “too weak” or so many other things that make them “not a real man”.
i would also argue that is deeply harmful and misguided to attribute trans people’s oppression to the notion that society deems men as inherently toxic. i suggest further engagement with transfeminist literature to better understand the structures that maintain trans people’s oppression.
Any specific recs for further reading?
Whipping Girl by Julia Serano is pretty essential reading. It’s also where the term transmisogyny was coined.
Thank you! Super interesting to know that’s the starting point for that term
https://transreads.org is an excellent place to find literature that interests you. i’d recommend Captive Gender and also Normal Life as good starting points.