Funny how the people who claim to hate cancel culture are always trying to cancel someone, isn’t it?

So… Where’s the Threat, Exactly?

Not once in my life has a transgender person stopped me from getting on with my day. Not at work, not in the pub, not in the supermarket — not even when I’ve been stuck behind someone doing 25 in a 60. It’s uncanny, really. Trans people keep existing and somehow, my bills still need paying, my knees still ache when it rains, and the trains are still late.

They’re not crashing the economy, they’re not sneaking into my house at night to rearrange the cutlery drawer, and they’ve never once tried to force me to update my pronouns against my will. So why are we all being told they’re Public Enemy Number One?

Political Distraction 101

Let’s be honest: this isn’t about “saving society”. It’s classic populist distraction — a bit of old-fashioned moral panic dressed up in modern language. When the people in charge don’t want to talk about housing, the NHS, or the cost of living, they start pointing fingers at a minority group and yelling, “Look! Over there! That’s the real problem!”

It’s always easier to pick on people who don’t have much power to fight back. And when you’ve run out of ideas (or just never had any), punching down starts to look like a strategy.

The Wild Notion of Just Being Decent

Here’s something I’ve learned over the years: being decent to people — especially the ones who are different from you — actually feels good. Honestly, it genuinely is. A surprising number of personal existential knots start to loosen once you stop being a complete shithead to strangers.

I didn’t get there overnight. I’ve definitely had my moments of ignorance, like most of us. But somewhere along the way, I realised that treating people equally — really seeing them as human, no asterisks — made me feel more grounded. More connected. Less angry at the world.

It’s oddly fulfilling. Like finally clearing out the drawer of tangled old chargers and realising you can actually shut it properly. Try it — it’s worth a go.

The Real Bandwagon

There’s a certain irony to the loudest anti-trans voices insisting they’re the ones being silenced, while appearing on every TV panel and front page known to man. They talk about “common sense” and “protecting children” while ignoring actual problems, like the number of children going hungry or schools literally crumbling.

But it’s easier to play the hero when your “villain” is a teenage girl who wants to be called she/her.

In Summary: It’s Really Not That Deep

The few trans people I’ve met aren’t looking for a fight. They’re just trying to live — often in a society that seems determined to turn their very existence into a political football.

And in my experience, choosing empathy over outrage has always paid off. It hasn’t hurt me. It hasn’t cost me anything. But it has made me feel a bit more human. There is no joy in being a fucking bully.

So if you’re on the fence, or you’ve bought into the headlines, here’s my very non-revolutionary advice: try not being a dick about subjects that will never affect you. You might like it, if you are decent, I know you will.