From ignorance and posting mistaken transphobic dog-whistles, to doubling-down and love-bombing by ‘gender critical’ transphobes, ending up in an echo chamber of trans-hostile extremism and obsessive trans-hostile lobbying…
This is the second in a series of five articles examining not just what transphobia is, but also how more and more people are becoming sucked into visible and aggressive transphobic lobbying to the point of extremism.
Transphobia: from unconscious bias to external prejudice to radicalisation.
This is the detailing of the process whereby someone moves from unconscious systemic transphobia , through conscious transphobia, to toxic trans phobia (as described in my first article) can most easily be observed on social media. While this may not be the only way that people fall into conscious and active transphobia, it is one that that has been observed as a distinctly recognisable format, with many watching and commenting on individuals being ‘radicalised in real time’ on Twitter, with examples here, here, and here.
1.The Uneven Playing Field: An individual [Person A - I call her ‘Jo’] is influenced by systemic transphobia and unconscious bias enters into a space where trans topics are being discussed. From their position of ignorance about systemic transphobia, they believe themselves to be neutral — this is also framed as ‘common sense’, ‘fair’, or ‘what everyone else thinks’. People — especially those in positions of privilege — typically believe their view is the ‘default’, and that the Overton Window — society’s framing of such topics — are balanced, fair, and also cover the middle ground.
The reality is that any comment that Jo perceives as ‘neutral’ is based on a history of narratives from a society that is systemically transphobic. The perceived ‘neutral’ point is, by default, already somewhat transphobic. Before any comment is even made, there is an uneven playing field that normalises transphobic rhetoric and frames it as ‘normal’ and therefore ‘acceptable’.
2. The Non-Neutral Comment: Jo enters into a space [Twitter] and makes an ill-informed comment that they perceive as ‘neutral’, but a trans person, or more informed ally, would view as ‘transphobic’. At this point, the comment is likely ignorant, and could be made in good faith or based on misinformation. Increasingly more likely, a transphobic dog-whistle is cited without understanding the transphobic context. In response to the not-actually-neutral / transphobic/ unconscious dog-whistle comment Jo receives criticism from a trans person or ally who calls them / their comment ‘transphobic’.
3.The Double-Down: People like to think of themselves as ‘good’. People — especially privileged people, and even more so, people in online social spaces — also like to think of themselves as ‘right’. When faced with being called ‘transphobic’ and/or ‘wrong’ in response to their perceived ‘neutral’ comment, Jo experiences discomfort… They don’t want to think of themselves as ‘transphobic’ aka ‘bad’, or ‘wrong’, and so they have one of two potential routes they can take. They can either:
- A) Step back and consider what they have said, realise that they might be wrong, or have said the wrong thing and apologise and/or seek enlightenment.
- B) Double-down and claim that they’re not transphobic and/or wrong, and seek a way to push-back to the trans person/ally of their ‘rightness’ and/or their critics ‘wrongness’.
Unfortunately, most people in the depersonalised and increasingly tribal and confrontational online sphere typically choose option B.
4.The Search For Validation: Jo, in seeking confirmation that they’re not transphobic/bad, goes in search of information to support their original — actually transphobic, but perceived by them to be ‘neutral’ — claim. This, unexpectedly, leads them to even more transphobic information, narratives and individuals — This is the beginning of their descent down the ‘rabbit hole’ of transphobia. Upon finding (transphobic) information to validate their claim, Jo responds to those accusing them of ‘transphobia’ with yet more transphobic rhetoric, and is again accused of ‘transphobia’ by trans people/allies, causing Jo to double down again.
6. Love Bombing: As Jo cycles though the process of ‘Doubling Down’ and ‘Searching for Validation’ they engage more and more with transphobic rhetoric and more intentionally trans-hostile material. Each time they regurgitate this information in the public sphere they are criticised more heavily — potentially called a ‘transphobe’, ‘bigot’ and ‘TERF’ and receive anger from trans people and allies. In response to this, they retreat towards those who agree with them — those who soothe them by reaffirming that they are ‘right’ and that trans people and their allies are ‘violent’, ‘aggressive’ and ‘wrong’. This is called ‘love bombing’ — where transphobes and anti-trans campaigners coax those who perceive themselves under ‘threat’ from challenges of transphobia, to a space that’s welcoming of ‘free speech’, ‘critical thought’, and ‘questioning’. The language used by anti-trans campaigners is typically initially very polite, sympathetic and soothing — presenting a friendly and seemingly ‘uncontroversial’ front. As the cycle continues Jo goes further and further down the ‘rabbit hole’, immerses themselves in transphobic misinformation, and moves further away from facts and reality.
7. The Echo Chamber: Eventually, Jo finds themselves in a space where they only hear the trans-hostile voices and information that validate their (now radicalised) opinions of trans people. Any facts or evidence that is contrary to the carefully constructed narratives that excuse their (now conscious and active) transphobia are batted away, or twisted until unrecognisable. Everything at this point is seen through a lense of transphobic rhetoric — often actively seeking out information to fuel outrage and anxiety about trans people. Anyone entering these spaces seeking to counter the misinformation is ridiculed or ‘gaslit’ and forced out or silenced.
8. Radicalised Trans Phobia: Eventually Jo becomes so totally removed from facts, reality and contact with actual trans people that her perceptions are completely warped. By this point Jo has become entirely immersed in transphobic conspiracy theories and narratives about ‘predator’ trans people, ‘protecting kids’, and ‘rapists in bathrooms’- often along with a range of other prejudices mixed in — that she is abnormally anxious about any possibility of encountering trans people and thinks about not much else. They have likely become obsessively involved with anti-trans campaigning and events — both online and offline — often giving large amounts of time, energy and money to anti-trans lobbying and online discourse, and they will likely have lost friends, family and partners as their radicalisation becomes more all-consuming and unable to ignore. Finally, it comes to a point where they have removed themselves so completely from reality, that their response to the thought of encountering trans people elicits extreme and disproportionate physical anxiety — an actual ‘phobia’. This has been observed where anti-trans campaigners have openly talked about taking knives into public bathrooms for fear of encountering a trans woman.
in order to aid the radicalisation process into extremist transphobia, participants become heavily involved in transphobic hate groups. It is towards this topic that I discuss ‘The development of anti-trans hate groups in the UK’ in my third article.
This is the second of a series of five articles examining not just what transphobia is, but also how more and more people are becoming sucked into visible and aggressive transphobic lobbying to the point of extremism. You can read the full series of articles here:
- Transphobia is increasing — we need to understand it better to fight it.
- Transphobia: How people are becoming radicalised online.
- Transphobia: How the ecosystem of UK and US anti-trans hate works.
- Transphobia: The development of anti-trans hate groups in the UK.
- Transphobia: How the trans-hostile media coverage began in the UK.
Some background
My name is Helen, some of you will know me from Twitter as @mimmymum — a cis feminist, the mum of a trans son, and a fierce trans ally. I’ve been monitoring trans discourse on social media, mainstream media, and elsewhere for the last six years, and have had many conversations with trans people, experts and allies over the years on multiple topics impacting trans people — all with the overarching intention of making the world a better place for trans and gender-diverse people. During my conversations, study and musings I have often wondered how transphobes actually become radicalised into transphobia, as a prelude to what can be done to stop this seeming tsunami of transphobic hate growing in multiple western English-speaking countries. This, and subsequent articles, are my attempt at answering that question. This is not an academic paper, but one borne out of informed observation, critical questioning and an interest in what makes people tick.
