OP, I was going to start a thread on this myself.
At times this really does affect my mental health. Sometimes I’m so angry about how things are going and my own powerlessness that I can’t sleep.
It’s the hypocrisy that has upset me so much lately, especially certain men leaping on the poor Sarah Everard story as a way to showcase themselves as a gleaming example of feminist manhood, e.g. Owen Jones asking where are the women’s voices that need to be amplified (which led to somebody suggesting he talk to an expert on violence against women, only for the expert herself to reply that Jones had blocked her even though she’d never spoken with him. I expect she had had the temerity to air a view that put women’s needs first and foremost, and this offended Jones - how very dare she.)
The women’s sport thing lately too; really good evidence coming out to support what we all knew but were previously chastised for articulating. Nevertheless, good news that there is now up-to-date research to call upon. And yet we still have sports bodies coming out to say they will prioritise inclusion over fairness and safety to women! I think it’s utterly outrageous they can get away with this - a sporting body’s top priorities should be fairness and safety.
The other thing that is getting me down - I know two young non-gender conforming females, one in their early 20s and the other a pre-teen. They have always tended towards androgynous hair styles and clothing. Both are thoughtful, clever, creative types, who might be considered a bit ‘quirky’. The older is now on testosterone and is fundraising to have their breasts surgically removed. The youngest chops and changes pronouns and has already queried about puberty blockers. I accept in rare cases that medical transition may be the only course of action for those with severe gender dysphoria, but it’s unbelievable that in 2021 it’s seen by wider society as a good and praiseworthy thing that people are undergoing medical transition with potentially serious side-effects alongside life-altering surgery, purely on the basis of a nebulous gender identity that doesn’t ‘match’ their sex.
I am a traditional “lefty” atheist. I am able to critically examine arguments and assess evidence (in fact, I won awards for it in university).
I’ve done my very best to see it from the other side, but each time I fall back on the side of so-called ‘radical feminism’, which doesn’t seem so very radical at all to me.
The women in my family get it, but don’t often talk about it for fear of being thought intolerant. The men in my family agree with my viewpoint, but believe it’s not a priority right now. All except for my father, a GP who has cared for and supported trans people, but nevertheless understands the conflict with women’s rights.
The fact the other men - who I love very much and are otherwise good people - don’t view this as an especially important issue tells you all you need to know. And that’s why I’m depressed about it.