I think all experiences and viewpoints are valid. I think most of the arguments start from people who are unable to understand any experience other than their own as being valid, and from insisting that your way is the only right way. No offense, but does this sound very familiar. It sounds a lot like a subject that we're not allowed to discuss on the forum. The subject of religion, and how people of one religion think that other religions are invalid. I'll shut up on religion now, and mods please feel free to delete the religion comment if it's breaking any rules.
But this is exactly what's happening. There are many different paths to transition, and many personal experiences we have. To say that my path is the only right way to do it and not be able to see the other viewpoints is the root of all our problems. And the root of that is a lack of empathy. The lack of the ability to truly place yourself in another person's shoes and feel their position.
Example was with the legal name change. I understand why you feel there is a need to change your name and gender ASAP. It might ease the dysphoria and make life more bearable if you change name & gender right away. But I feel that people on the other side don't understand why some of us don't change our name & gender right away, and are acting as if their way is the only correct path. When you say that you're not full-time unless you've changed your name & gender, you're failing to understand those who are full-time and haven't changed their name & gender yet.
You are entitled to feel that changing name & gender are important. And most of us who haven't done so have every intention of doing so eventually. Some of us will change name & gender eventually, and others will never have circumstances that prevent them from doing so. But when you say that these people, many of whom are underprivileged, aren't full-time or in RLE because they have't changed their name & gender, you are failing to empathize with them and see their viewpoint. You're saying that because of whatever circumstance prevented them from changing name & gender, they are not full-time and RLE and their experience is not.
I also think a huge problem among TSes - both on this forum and in real life - is this idea that because we have had to suffer and because the world is a cruel place, that we somehow need to prepare you for the hardship we're going to endure in the real world.
It is really sick that we trans people act as cruel as cis people. You know what, I'll honestly say that the behavior from within the community is the reason why people hate us. People hate us because too many transwomen are as cruel as the cis population can be. I'll say it bluntly. Right now I really am disgusted with all of humanity - with 99% of cis people and 99% of transwomen. We're no better than cis people. We're no better than religious fundamentalists that tell everyone that they're going to hell. I hate to even bring up religion, but it's the truth. I honestly feel that the attitudes I see from some people makes us like Evangelical or fundamentalist TSes. Well I identify as TS, but I'm not a fundamentalist TS. And it's not just what I see on the forum. I've seen this in the real life TS community as well.
