# Trans issues, or the politics of transsexuality **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 24, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-issues-or-the-politics-of-transsexuality/653859 "2013-03-24T23:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-issues-or-the-politics-of-transsexuality/653859/101 "2013-04-07T03:08:18Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I will never understand, as a gay male myself, why so many gays and lesbians abhor or even look down on transgendered people. I sometimes even feel like gays are even more catty/disrespectful than heterosexuals at large. It baffles me and sickens me. Unfortunately, some people in oppressed groups seem to feel there’s only so much tolerance to go around and they don’t want some other group getting too big a share of it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-issues-or-the-politics-of-transsexuality/653859/102 "2013-04-07T04:36:00Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I will never understand, as a gay male myself, why so many gays and lesbians abhor or even look down on transgendered people. I sometimes even feel like gays are even more catty/disrespectful than heterosexuals at large. It baffles me and sickens me. > > I hope someday gender is much better understood by society at large, and people don’t have to be ashamed of wanting to change outwardly to match the way they have always felt inwardly. I can’t even imagine how painful all of that would be ☹ I am outraged by things like the Arizona bill to “protect” employers and business owners who don’t want to let transgendered people use the bathroom of their choice. It’s just… so sad, I rarely get worked up over things like this but it really physically makes me feel sick and mentally depresses me. Yep – look at Dan Savage of all people, and his comments about “trannies”. (I will confess that up until recently, I didn’t know that “tranny” was a slur. Dan, however, does, and still uses it. In fact, that’s probably the least offensive thing he’s said.) You see it from some feminist groups too, who accuse transwomen of being “fake women”, or because they can still have “male priviledge”, while “pretending to be a woman”. (Of course, we’re talking about a very small group of women, but it still amused me when I saw it) ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-issues-or-the-politics-of-transsexuality/653859/103 "2013-04-07T07:52:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Unfortunately, some people in oppressed groups seem to feel there’s only so much tolerance to go around and they don’t want some other group getting too big a share of it. You’re probably absolutely right and it’s shameful. Also, oppressed groups probably have enough emotional and mental strain from being oppressed that they want/need someone to lash out against themselves in order to feel better, or whatever. Still very disappointing and sickening. When I hear and see gay friends making racist/bigoted/sexist comments I want to slap them and say, “you of all people should know how hurtful that stuff is.” I’m especially sensitive to remarks about transgender people because they have so few rights and so few allies of all of “us” that it strikes me as particularly insensitive and painful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-issues-or-the-politics-of-transsexuality/653859.md?page=5)