"reduce a life decision to the level of an ideology" -- By the bye, I would argue against calling it a "decision." People don't "decide" to be trans any more than I "decided" to have brown eyes or be CIS. Trans is an existential reality people find themselves occupying, and given the rabid savagery with which they are attacked, I doubt anyone would make such a decision were it avoidable. What they are deciding is to be open about their reality which, in conjunction with other forms of gender affirming care, is one of the things that can reduce suicides among this group by upwards of 73%.
For the rest, I'm with Robert Paxton: fascism has no principles, no ideology. The Italian Fascists and German Nazis were perfectly content to eject supposedly central planks in their political platforms the instant it became advantages to do so. Fascism is a program for achieving hegemonic domination, hence the complete absence of "principled morality" in *everything* they do.
"reduce a life decision to the level of an ideology" -- By the bye, I would argue against calling it a "decision." People don't "decide" to be trans any more than I "decided" to have brown eyes or be CIS. Trans is an existential reality people find themselves occupying, and given the rabid savagery with which they are attacked, I doubt anyone would make such a decision were it avoidable. What they are deciding is to be open about their reality which, in conjunction with other forms of gender affirming care, is one of the things that can reduce suicides among this group by upwards of 73%.
For the rest, I'm with Robert Paxton: fascism has no principles, no ideology. The Italian Fascists and German Nazis were perfectly content to eject supposedly central planks in their political platforms the instant it became advantages to do so. Fascism is a program for achieving hegemonic domination, hence the complete absence of "principled morality" in *everything* they do.
Good piece -- thanks for sharing!
You make a very good point. You’re right. Referring to being transgender as a choice is at best inaccurate and at worst inartful.