Trans people are constantly asked - demanded - to justify our existence, prove we are natural, prove we really have a right to dress how we want and control our own bodies how we want, prove aren't sick in the head, prove we aren't evil pervert sodomites who want to rape lesbians and diddle kiddies and trick men into sucking dick just because we break gender conventions.
Most of this hate is focused on trans women; akin to the homophobic ire lashed against gay men that often forgets lesbians exist. For example, when AIDS is brought up as a reason homosexuality is wrong, it is logically inconsistent due to the fact that lesbians have a much lower rate of AIDS than straight women. If higher AIDS rates makes a sexual orientation incorrect in some way, logically women should be lesbians. This is, of course, just one example of the dysfunctionality of homophobic rationalizations. The anger towards men who break gender boundaries - whether by having "feminine" qualities, by having sex with other men instead of women, or by rejecting their assigned male sex altogether - is generally thought to be generated from misogyny, from the desire to keep women in a lower social status.
Men rejecting, or failing to fit in to, the superior male status threatens that system. In the same way that bigots often ignore lesbians, they also often ignore trans men. As a result, activists also often ignore trans men. Even more ignored by everyone are Non-Binary trans people, who identify as both man and woman, or as neither. There is also such a thing as the existence of intersex people, who are born with ambiguous genitalia that is often mutilated to conform to female or (rarely) male.
The hateful narratives don't have room for any complexity, compassion, real data, or science. Bigots are not known for their research skills.
When bigots demand answers from trans people, they don't listen to the answers. Trans people, allies, human rights groups, and scientists who study transgender have put out tons of information in recent years. Organizations like the APA (http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.aspx) and the WHO (http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/transgender/en/) have tons of info up on their websites. The scientific consensus supports trans identities and the human rights consensus supports trans rights. History books are starting to include us, there are blogs, there is just tons of information out there where once, very recently, we were virtually invisible. Rational, compassionate, informed people get it. So why don't the bigots? Because they don't want to.
Every forum and (*shudder) comment section in which bigots are arguing with trans people and our allies is filled with the same misinformation/rationalizations over and over, and the same explanations being ignored, like a drunk uncle at Thanksgiving bulldozing over their "libtard" niece with his conservative radio talking points without letting her get a word in. These bigots demand, relentlessly, to be proven wrong, and then when they are proven wrong they don't even follow links or take a moment to consider the rational arguments offered them in favor of equality, because they are too committed to feeling "right" about their original ignorant hate that they insist is neither hate or irrational, even when they are literally threatening trans people with anger-fueled violence (just because we are trans).
Trans people are sick and tired of holding cis people's hands - even the "nice" ones who *want* to learn - and walking you through who we are. We are sick and tired of begging for simple equality and basic safety. Even begging you to be quiet and go educate yourself before declaring us inferior in some way really should be beneath both of us. You, cis people, are capable and should be responsible for doing some basic study about us on your own before speaking against us. I certainly don't speak against, say, the Bible without having properly read it (and talked to many Christians) first. You really should never be criticizing someone when you haven't taken the time to listen to their point of view first; and really listen, really try to understand and feel them.
Demanding someone *prove* their worth and humanity to you is degrading. It's just another form that bigotry takes. & trans people shouldn't have to deal with that shit all the damn time. Enough is enough. It's 2015, you have an internet connection. Grow up, grow a heart, and educate yourself properly. Stop asking trans people to hold your hand and walk you through why we are equal humans who deserve to be safe.
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