Evan Urquhart

Mildly transphobic but open minded people tend to think that transphobia is common sense and supported by basic science, and that trans people are wildly emotional, likely mentally ill, and don't have any answers to questions transphobes pose.

A trans person answering simply, politely, with confidence and clear evidence has an outsized positive impact compared to how easy it is to do.

An ideal exchange with a transphobe online, therefore, will have these elements: It is no more than 3 replies long. It employs simple language and defines terms. It relies on clear evidence that anyone can follow. All insults are from the transphobe towards the trans person.

I'm really interested in this. Are you able to provide an example? (That's how I understand things best.)

I can try! Say I've tweeted "I am not nonbinary but I support nonbinary people however I can!" A transphobe replies "Typical vacuous TRA can't understand 4th grade biology"

So far we have me being nice and positive, but vague, and a transphobe being insulting and mean. I have only one reply before we go more than three deep.

I'll say something like this: "You know, biological sex is really a bimodal distribution, so it makes sense to me that internal feelings about gender wouldn't be binary either" And I'll link to a solid popular science article how bio sex is a bimodal distribution.

The transphobe replies meanly again, so then I'll say something like "I'm sorry, I can't keep talking to someone engaging in personal attacks." The audience sees me being calm and informed in the face of rudeness, and can click a link that challenges assumptions about bio sex.