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Five years ago, the East Of England Liberal Democrats posted a photo of two transgender women, me and @Zoë O'Connell, wearing “Bollocks to Brexit” T-Shirts.

It is a sign of how far UK politics has fallen that that is utterly unthinkable now. Both the total erasure of transgender people’s existence and acceptance of Brexit are utter orthodoxy across the political spectrum there now.

@Zoë O'Connell
in reply to Sarah Brown

Llwynog
Llwynog
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Do you reckon Brexit, at least in part, is to blame for the rise in British transphobia? Transphobia sadly exists in every country, but few countries are as trans-obsessed as the UK. Brits no longer have the EU to blame for all their problems, so they need another scapegoat. For that purpose, trans people are like low-hanging fruit.
in reply to Llwynog

Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
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@Llwynog @Zoë O'Connell it helped it along, but it was already building before then. The TERFs were well into their quest to capture the establishment by the time of the referendum, and making progress. Too many people made the fatal mistake of thinking that if they ignored them, they would go away.
@Zoë O'Connell @Llwynog
in reply to Llwynog

Zoë O'Connell
Zoë O'Connell
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@llwynog No, but I think they and at least one of the other great disasters of our era, climate change denialism, come from the same cause: Clickbait media and populist parties selling fear of “other” and disdain of experts.

The public is not as transphobic or xenophobic as the press likes to make out, though. But “trans people not a threat” and “asylum seeker actually had a bit of a rough time” doesn’t generate as revenue or get the voters out.

@Llwynog
in reply to Sarah Brown

kæt
kæt
• •
Something that's not as important as the hatred, but seems incredibly weird to me, is how it's suddenly become important for politicians. Doesn't that seem really weird? Compared to like the 90s and 00s. That this is suddenly so important for non-trans people who have no real contact with trans-people other than them being a part of the population. I mean, what's going on in their head that it's suddenly important for them? If it's because of social media /éminences grise/, why is it important to *them*? It just seems bizarre. I mean I suppose I *understand* it, but it's always like *so, that's a thing*.
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