Give me your huddled masses

Gender variance casts such a wide net that it does its best to resist classification. It is one of the reasons that over time I have become less concerned with labels and groupings to focus more on what each person needs. 

Human beings are highly unique but seek comfort in groups to feel better about themselves. When the internet first exploded out of the gate in the early 1990's I was among the relieved despite my already having begun to comb the library shelves years before. However, the stories didn't all align which made sense and only served to validate the work of Harry Benjamin and others which had begun decades before. 

As we become more self-assured in what we each need as individuals, the temptation to huddle into groups can tend to go away. At least it did for me. I also wanted to stay at arm's length and try for as much objectivity as possible while I studied the topic. 

Despite the progress, in-fighting among gender variant people continues to this day although it has been tempered by the increasing public awareness and empathy. Yes, some older transsexuals will still appear on YouTube channels aligning with gender criticals and decrying the "pretend trans" but even they aren't monolithic in their views. 

Motivations among humans vary and while it's tempting to be dismissive of those who only go to fetish nights or dress up like children, we should be more forgiving of what influences get people to where they are and allow them to find a baseline where they are at peace.

In the end, we are just people.