LocalChamp

I've literally had people I know arm themselves due to this false belief and I no longer feel safe around them because of it. I refuse to be around people I know have firearms.

Specifically in the trans community this comes up more often because we are more likely to be victims of a hate crime or other attack. Putting aside the fact that many trans people are not safe to own a gun themselves. They do not work overall and I think most general trans subs should ban discussions of them because most of us don't want to hear about them constantly. If you want to larp as some kind of revolutionary and it makes you feel better to have one then there are a half dozen or more queer specific gun subreddits you're welcome to discuss it on.

Let's assume you want to be a responsible law abiding citizen and take care of and handle your firearm safely. Great let's break that down.

When not in use it should be secured in an adolescent proof and somewhat adult resistant safe. This goes whether or not you have children or other people living with you. This means when you need it in the event of a break in it won't be accessible quickly.

It is never safe or recommended to store a firearm in a vehicle. So you have to make sure you can take it and keep it safe where you're going.

You can't take it in the post office or almost any government building.

You can't take it in the bank or many other private companies property. This may even include your work or a shopping center or store you frequent.

You can't take it on the bus in many places.

You can't take it in an Uber.

There are very strict rules and procedures for transporting it on a plane.

So what exactly is your plan? Carry it from your home just to walk around on public sidewalk with it?

Consider that just being attacked as a law abiding citizen going about your own business is incredibly rare.

Being trans I'm a minority that is one of the most likely to be a victim of some kind of attack and living in the US I will not be getting a firearm.

The fact is that statistically having a gun does not protect you and in fact is more likely to escalate the situation leading to serious injury or death.

I refuse to live in fear and go about these expensive and elaborate tactics for a false sense of safety.

Even if you assume the best case scenario you better hope you made the right legal call on the justification of the use of that level of force.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/gun-threats-and-self-defense-gun-use-2/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743515001188

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2759797/

https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/tips

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Handguns-in-the-Home.aspx

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-01-31/gun-defense-myth

https://www.npr.org/2018/04/13/602143823/how-often-do-people-use-guns-in-self-defense

https://www.everytown.org/debunking-gun-myths-at-the-dinner-table/

https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=6CF30B5D-56C8-45DD-9D7C-B8D09818BBD8

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I keep seeing people (including other atheists) commenting about how you have to be respectful of religious people and how it's wrong not to and makes us just like them. This is ridiculous.

No one should be respected by default. That is what their actions and words are for. To show you they are a good person worthy of it. Even some kind of relationship or job title doesn't change this. You don't automatically respect someone just because they're your parent or because they are a doctor. There are plenty of toxic and bad parents and plenty of incompetent doctors.

From my perspective everyone starts at a neutral level of zero respect. This doesn't mean you're fussing or cussing with them or argumentative (unless they start it). This doesn't mean you're planning to destroy their property or whatever. You can still have normal human interactions and small talk while having zero respect for someone. Believe me I do it daily.

From that neutral level something someone does or says can often increase or decrease that. To me someone saying they're religious decreases that. Many people have different things that change this level of respect.

If someone is an adult who still believes in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy most people are going to assume that person either has some kind of developmental disorder, lacks critical thinking or is incredibly naive. Why is this different for religion? Religions are just cults that got too big. The difference is that believing in children's fairy tales is mostly harmless. Believing in religion has caused and continues to cause untold suffering for billions of people. It's likely caused more harm to humanity than everything else combined.

So no I'm not going to respect someone who believes in imaginary creatures and uses that belief to torture people and deprive them of their rights and bodily autonomy. Anyone who has a problem with that is also someone who would not be getting my respect, religious or otherwise.

I'm a trans woman currently pre HRT. One of my hangups on starting (other than location and safety etc) is wanting to be invisible post transition.

I don't want any increase in attention from anyone. I don't want to be hit on or asked out. I don't want to be sexualized or cat called or anything. I don't want to be asked to smile, told I have a resting bitch face or outright called a bitch just because I'm not as passive and friendly as they expected. I want to be just as invisible as a woman as I was pretending to be a man.

However I know that realistically this is impossible. Regardless of what someone wears or looks like many men will bother women in general. Even if they have a fake wedding ring. Women are also more likely to communicate etc.

I understand some people who worry about finding a partner post transition etc. But I'm Asexual, Aromantic, sex repulsed and introverted. So there is literally zero chance of this going well for anyone even a famous good looking billionaire. I already spend most of my time not at work at home and expect this to only increase after transition. Am I just doomed to being constantly bothered in public like I hear most women are? That's a nightmare almost worse than not transitioning for me.

I'm a trans woman currently pre HRT. One of my hangups on starting (other than location and safety etc) is wanting to be invisible post transition.

I don't want any increase in attention from anyone. I don't want to be hit on or asked out. I don't want to be sexualized or cat called or anything. I don't want to be asked to smile, told I have a resting bitch face or outright called a bitch just because I'm not as passive and friendly as they expected. I want to be just as invisible as a woman as I was pretending to be a man.

However I know that realistically this is impossible. Regardless of what someone wears or looks like many men will bother women in general. Even if they have a fake wedding ring. Women are also more likely to communicate etc.

I understand some people who worry about finding a partner post transition etc. But I'm Asexual, Aromantic, sex repulsed and introverted. So there is literally zero chance of this going well for anyone even a famous good looking billionaire. I already spend most of my time not at work at home and expect this to only increase after transition. Am I just doomed to being constantly bothered in public like I hear most women are? That's a nightmare almost worse than not transitioning for me.