Hi, I have a transmasc boyfriend and am part of the LGBTQ+ alliance. However I started my first year of college and encountered uneducated men who just did not believe that trans people had their rights under attack. One of my friends even told my trans woman friend that she had more rights than him. How or what can you do to help others become educated without “debating trans existence” or starting an argument? Thank you.

  • Roger F. GintEnglish
    14•1 year ago

    Nobody would willingly listen to a 18yo preaching about something regardless of the subject.

    Do not try to educate people, you are just starting to be educated yourself, do your best to be a positive influence when the subject comes up.

    • @QuacksalberEnglish
      6•1 year ago

      I think this is solid advice, for more topics than just trans debates. I personally try to stick to speaking from my perspective, i.e. “I had no clue about the experience trans persons have, so I kept an open mind and tried to understand their perspectives on that matter.”

    • @[email protected]English
      3•1 year ago

      I don’t entirely agree. I think there’s plenty of people who will listen and will realize that they aren’t well informed. Just… There’s even more people that will be like talking to a brick wall and you have to be aware of that so you don’t get burnt out. Some people need to be treated like a lost cause. Trying to convince them will just depress you. It’s also perfectly valid to not bother trying to convince anyone because of this.

      But there absolutely are some people who will listen and change their mind. Myself, I was that way, growing up in a small town echo chamber and learning an embarrassingly large amount when I went to university. I’ve also personally convinced several others myself. But it can feel like depressingly few people are like that. I think because most people that you see who are uneducated are willfully so. These kinda social issues have been in the limelight for a while, so few people are unaware of them anymore.

      I think the people who are most likely to change their minds are those who were previously in echo chambers (such as from rural areas or less progressive countries). Anyone else has already had too many chances to change.