What do whips, spandex and dog masks have to do with Pride?

[SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter]

They're kinks/fetishes right? Not related to sexual orientation. Also why are they anything to be 'proud' of? Your closest friends would probably find it pretty odd (and stomach turning!) if you told them your OH likes to wear your undies, or what gets you off is him licking your feet... Why is proclaiming what should be personal and private turn-ons to the general public any better? Why should they be glad for you in any way for being so open about it?

Well, you know, it makes him happy, and many women know it's best to keep their men happy. At all costs.

Thank you, my brother’s partner was actually very close to my daughter in particular and she felt his loss keenly. DBro has really only just got his life back on track, when I saw him recently he seemed to be moving on in a positive way.

I was wondering this too. If so, I hope she’s reading this thread.

There is an undisguised public profile in which she appears to participate.

Interesting……

A fairly typical profile seems to that of a tech guy - software engineer who has always been seen as a bit of a nerd; they play warhammer and other fantasy games - both on-line but also in real life. They are into Manga and cos play, attending conventions such as 'Comic Con' and they like to read sci-fi -fantasy books and magazines; hang out at 'Forbidden Planet' and watch 'Only Connect'.The world they inhabit is very masculine where female gamers are something of an exotic breed. A good proportion may well be on the autistic spectrum.

I know a fair number of people in this world (I'm not) who think it's all bullshit too though. You'd be surprised.

The thing is it's tolerated but there's a fair amount of quiet dissent too.

It's actively surprised me.

Yes, it’s a bit of a cliche.

Pride - Stephen Ireland - paedophile rapist jailed. Hiding in plain sight.

Aida reminds me of the Challenors. Generational boundary destroying.

I do think there's definitely truth to it. But there's also definitely a lot of scathing comments too. I've seen plenty of joking about 'identifying as' in a jokey 'this is tedious bullshit' way which is less 'kind' than on MN. Of course it's from blokes so it's ok.

Certainly DHs work social circle is a very mixed bag on the subject. (He's in IT) Both of us have gamed in the past too and there's similar there from people we know still do.

I find it interesting because there's certain anime which are supposedly pro-trans and have been taken by activists as their own. However having watched it, I was really surprised at just how much it actually was exactly the opposite and you'd very much better forgiven for thinking the writer was actually anti-trans rather than gender critical. It wasn't kind.

There's a weird disconnect and lack of self awareness going on. Which of course screams autism.

It's really odd and I can't really explain it.

The only thing that makes sense of it, is in fact incelism and rampant sexism.

Isn’t it?

Yet. When you think of it, a male person who has a passion for role playing or historic recreation or any or all of these types of live action activities is likely to significantly cross over with the gaming community.

And it is all about living for a moment where you can live in fantasy. It is immersive.

I guess it is like paraphilias. If someone engages in one paraphilia, there is a high likelihood that there will be more paraphilias.

And exhibitionism is one of those. Including wanting female people to pay attention to you by posting on a forum.

Remember that political advisor who posted here and didn’t bother changing the username from the one he used on Twitter and the like. Who was actively engaged in live role playing. And also had a slightly different version of his user name to use for his self published porn on twitter and around.

I consider that action as being part of exhibitionism. it is significantly about violating boundaries and letting women know about it. Just like entering any female single sex space knowing it is likely to cause distress to some female people.

Wanting women who were being name called and accused of hate and other things to be able to find posters on other social media platforms is just part of getting their attention when you look at it from different perspectives. But all part of the same overall motivation. And it is not being kind or supporting women and children that is the motivation. At all.

'Certain' participants in this thread are also quite open, and quite naive I'd say, about their social media profile. The naivety stems , I suspect, from their moral certainty and total commitment to ther cause. Anyone who uses their actual name as a social media moniker has to be very confident in what they post.

Yes, one only needs a little blue sky thinking to find it…

There's a lot of that type who overlap with a certain politicial milieu - they're enormous Jeremy Corbyn fanboys, have very strong opinions on certain areas of foreign policy and are currently bigging up Bob Vylan, who they hadn't heard of ten days ago.

There's been a huge media scare in recent years about far-right incel gamers, and I'm not saying the type doesn't exist, but if the media cared to look at their left flank, they might notice the activist milieu is quite thin on trade union reps these days, and very heavy on anime bros.

God knows what Corbyn makes of it - he's a very straight-laced old duffer at heart - but then he's well practiced in not looking very closely at people who seem to have a righteous cause.

For all that was made of women supposedly taking photos of men in women's toilets during the recent pre-appointment interview ( Women and Equalities committee) There is certainly a lot of selfie photo taking whilst in toilet facilities. The obsession, generally, for images in every one of the frequent new outfits is another defining feature.

There are people I've known who are not obviously on the fetish side but much more on the body dysmorphia side, but with them too, I can't help noticing what Kath Stock talks about as the immersive fantasy. Not just wanting to be the opposite sex, but having a very clear mental picture of what they would ideally look like in an opposite-sex body. Maybe there's a hope that, law of attraction style, it's achievable if you wish hard enough.

At a certain point it becomes like Michael Jackson's search for the perfect nose. Or, if you're not prepared to go completely overboard with body modification, then getting others to play along is a reasonable substitute.

Absolutely this. Some are into twinks , some into leather it really is just a way of expressing who they are and unashamed of their preferences.
Isn't that the point

I have a sense, having witnessed the transition of a young man over the course of several years, that though he certainly did seem to have body dysphoria and genuinely seemed distressed by his genitals ( which he had removed last year), he was also heavily involved in gaming and his eventual 'trans' persona seemed to me to be inspired by female avatars in games. The whole look that was being created, and shown off through regular photographic updates, reminded me of big, doe eyed fantasy characters. Even the adopted name.

Males are so visual and also very object oriented...and the desired fantasy trans persona that is sought...has very particular contours and dress sense or style. An avatar come to life. The creation of a 2D fantasy woman - SIMS style.

Every so often I reread The Stepford Wives, because even though it's a short book there's lots in it that's not in the films, and Ira Levin had a wickedly dark sense of humour.

Levin certainly got the visual aspect and the object-oriented aspect. Maybe it took a male writer to get that side of the male psyche. But I don't think he ever imagined the husbands of Stepford trying to become the wives.

I recall the young man I spoke of above going on an outing to Blackpool with his 'Queer' circle, and him saying he was really looking forward to getting his "iconic tits" out. The tits were definitely perceived as an accoutrement, and as objects of imagined power.

So many of my young gay and trans students are turning from these events in droves, horrified by what they have become. This has long ceased to be about the demographic it was originally set up for to take pride in who they are and who they love.

This 'Pride' might as well just be honest about what it's really come to represent: straight male kinks. Same sort of behaviour constantly enabled but covered up by the establishment. It's a demographic who for the past decade have consistently opted for the parasitic tactic of misappropriating others' sexuality and gender presentation.

Powerful, hegemonic, male supremicists of the traditional right masquerading as the left and privileging their sexual kinks to others' detriment - the very kind of demographic who oppressed gay and lesbian people and deprived them of rights in the first place.

And Pride welcomed them with open arms. Betrayal when it comes from the left, where battles of inequality have traditionally been fought, stings so much more.

Traitors, the lot of them.

To be fair, plenty of gay men like to publicly display their kinks too.

That's true. But to me it seems pretty clear the kind of demographic who have taken on the mantle of TQ activism in particular. It's male supremacism and it's more about subjugating women than about rights for trans people.

I just wonder how much more sunlight it's going to take for the penny to drop, finally. (To clarify - within the ranks of Pride, Stonewall, LGBT and the rainbow that is; all of which are still being eaten alive from the inside out).

I'm sure even you would draw the line at exposing your children to your leather and twinks fetish.