[aishah]

i agree that i don't think it's fear so much as hatred and oppression that is the problem. i do know some people who genuinely don't know, but i know more people who, even when they are educated, still persist in being hateful just because they can.

one really big problem i see is the fact that many people think it should be up to them to define other people. and i still haven't figured out how to deal with that kind of belligerence. i meet so many people who, on top of thinking that they know everything, think that they are the ones who get to define what other people are and that if someone's identity is actually different than what's being pushed on them, they are now owed an explanation/justification, if that makes any sense. i've seen this happen with things like race, ability, etc. too. i think the inability to accept what someone tells you about themselves and how they identify is a big problem. like...if someone tells you they identify as a man, why should they owe you all kinds of explanations about their transition, their birth name, their life history, etc. in order to be accepted by you? it's none of your business. (edited to add: i mean this idea that people have to PROVE their basic identity is hella fucked up. i was looking for the word prove earlier and couldn't find it, hehe.)