Every year, there are fewer and fewer pieces of shit. 20 years ago, maybe even 10, no one would even know about this. Times are changing, and although it is true that a huge proportion of people are the literal worst, it IS getting better. Maybe in a few more generations things like this will be a thing of the past. Fortunately these particular scumbags are being held accountable.
idk about this. there's a new wave of transphobia that's spread as far as progressive dem circles (cf the Young Turks) and the right has gotten so rabid about it that they're conducting a genocide across much of the country. I'm not using that term lightly - the goal of this slate of legislation is to remove trans people's ability to exist in public spaces and to kill us by outlawing access to lifesaving medical care.
What legislation? That seems like a pretty big deal and I'd love to learn more.
But the point still stands- how many openly trans people were there in 2003? Not many, probably because they were violently suppressed. The world today has a long way to go, but it's getting better. All I'm saying is, it's getting better.
Also i know a ton of older trans people who were already out 20 years ago. There's more of us not repressing our transness today, sure, and just 5 years ago i would've agreed with you that things have improved massively, but the last few yeasrs have been outright terrifying, there's a very real backlash against trans rights and it is bankrolled with a ton of money from reactionary activists in the US, but also Brazil, the UK, the EU, Russia and the gulf states. Hate crimes are increasing,t his years' pride season was full of attacks and vilification as well. Queerphobia is taking over as the right's new favorite form of bigottry. Things are getting rough out there, i've regularly seen requests about migrating to Europe from American and British trans people during the last year, until the majority recently changed to posts like "im stuck in Florida and can't leave, what happens to my body when i can't take HRT (hormone replacement therapy) anymore?" Talks about where to move to when things turn south are fairly common among us nowadays, as are plans to arm and organize for community self defense.
It's fortunately not as bad as that everywhere, and there's also different developments. A pretty large part of society is becoming more accepting of us, not just tolerant, but actually caring and genuinely curious and willing to help where they can. I've had overwhelmingly positive reactions when i came out, i actually have more and deeper friendships than i used to, there's loads of wonderful, kind, supportive people out there.
But there's this backlash at the same time, and in the areas and milieus where that's happening, it's really terrifying and awful.
People have been talking like this since the advent of civil society. As people age, the poorer ones often die and the class interests of the wealthier ones change and they become an all-to-appropriate replacement for the generation that died off.
Right, its nearly impossible to talk about changes in society as a wholly quantitative thing. Nominative identities are 'fuzzy', they shift, are created by peoples, and create peoples.
Nevermind the unsubstantiated claim that there are fewer people with sexist beliefs today than in the past--what we can say, and indeed what really gets to heart of the matter of the interplay of forces in society, is that an identity, or "global person" has emerged--first as descriptive and then as something consciously taken on--set apart from the rest of society in an antagonistic relationship that as its entire foundation is predicated on sexiat beleif.
IDK there is a bunch more that needs to be said. Lot to unpack in that original comment...