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@ Jedi Jerrica
2025-05-07 14:37:37
The gender social contagion cannot be underestimated. If someone joins my local theater community, I'd say there's a 60% they'll eventually change their pronouns somehow. The people who don't are brow-beaten into good little allies by the numerous trans-biased policies and staff. And because the community there is trans-biased, the gender cultists cluster there and never leave, furthering the bias and attracting more cult members. Anyone who doesn't align with that group's needs and desires is slowly phased out or phases themself out. Ironic for a place that is so deeply obsessed with making people feel included.
Similarly, early on in his gender identification my brother was encouraged by a friend who said "I'm glad you figured it out." Said friend (who is also on the autism spectrum btw) was just an ally at the time, but has now changed his pronouns, grown out his hair, and wears women's clothes that look terrible on him, exactly like my brother. Most of my brother's "supportive" friends who he knew before the gender ID have gone they/them or otherwise. He doesn't interact with the ones who were neutral (not negative, just neutral) and didn't play cheerleader. Most, if not all, of his new friends are gender cultists and allies.
The social contagion aspect is very real and very powerful. And what's more, the sense of community and camaraderie is what draws vulnerable people in and holds them there. They feel like they "found their people" but from the outside it looks incredibly shallow.