this is related to a recent post, but approaching the topic from a slightly different angle. so I wanted to make my own post. it's based on some of the comments on the other post.

soemthing I don't think I have a thorough understanding of is why trans ideology is so compelling to TRA-aligned people*. why does it have such an absolute hold over them? why do they support it with such fervor? what drives or motivates someone to be a TRA?

if I could figure this out better, it might give more insight about how to try and break or loosen the hold that it has. I want to know what's going on with TRAs and their behavior in terms of psychology, social psychology and/or sociological analysis.

• social psychology: here are a few definitions with slightly different wording - the study of how individual or group behavior is influenced by the presence and behavior of others. the study of how thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others. the study of how people are influenced by the presence of others.

• *note/ by "TRA-aligned people,"" I mean people who support trans ideology to any degree, but are not trans-identified themselves. this ranges from the "lukewarm/casual" TRAs who go along with it and maybe give the occasional lip service support, to the super hardcore TRAs where it's like a large part of their personality to be a TRA and they are always going out of their way to say something or other in support of trans ideology .

there's a lot of discussion on this website criticizing trans ideology and debunking various elements of it, and about what motivates people to trans themselves. obviously, all of that is useful and has its place.

but what I don't see as much discussion about is this meta-aspect: why do TRAs feel so compelled to go out of their way to vocally support trans ideology? why isn't it enough to just support it quietly, to themselves, like one might do with other beliefs?

if you've ever talked with a TRA and thought you got some insight into what was motivating their support of trans ideology, please share. I'd like to see others' anecdotes about that. I don't know any hardcore TRAs that closely, and for the more "lukewarm" TRAs I know, I don't talk about trans ideology with them. so I've never been able to really get a good read on why these people support trans ideology.

optional to read beyond this point

That's the main part of my post describing what I want to hear your thoughts on. the rest of this is some of the speculation I have on those things I mentioned above, so you can skip this part if you want. it's me thinking out loud basically. some of this comes from other people'ss comments on the other post.

there are probably different motivations depending on the person - some just want to "be kind," others want to feel virtuous. are male TRAs motivated by different things than female TRAs? the forced teaming of trans ideology with the LGB community/rights has been very effective.

being a TRA is a way of fitting in with one's peers so you won't be ostracized/shunned. you want to go along with what seems like a consensus view in your social circle. people are naive/uninformed and think TIMs are harmless.

there's a bunch of pro-trans content/propaganda on social media, and in mainstream media - think about this from your average US liberal's perspective - the media they consume and trust is pro-trans. they think any criticism of trans ideology, is just "right wing misinformation" or some such, so they can easily write it off in their minds.

some points from this comment: I'm mentioning the ones I find most relevant to my angle here, not necessarily the post this comment was on. they want to feel like they're a good person, to feel righteous. it gives them a purpose, almost like a religion. they live in a bubble, in terms of social circle and media they consume. they're in too deep and cannot admit they might be wrong about trans ideology.

this comment is also very interesting and goes deeper into how belief in trans ideology and being a TRA can be a substitute for religion

this relevant Aldous Huxley quote, which I've mentioned in the past

“The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior 'righteous indignation' — this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.”

I think a lot of TRA-aligned people simply haven't thought very deeply about what various elements of trans ideology actually mean.

they just support "trans rights" in a general, overall sense because they think it's the right thing to do and they're surrounded by so much pro-trans propaganda and social pressure to support it. so they repeat and believe whatever applicable TRA mantras without any deeper critical thinking about the specifics and/or the implications of various elements of trans ideology.

being a TRA is apparently very integral to some people's perception of themselves as a good person. or rather, being seen by others as a TRA is very integral... - it's not enough to just support it quietly, to yourself.

I think there's some kind of external validation factor at play here, which is the part that's most puzzling to me since it's not something I can relate to. although I didn't outright disagree with trans ideology pre-peaking, I never saw it as something I needed to be very loud and overt about supporting.

Although this post is super long and you might think I've got it all figured out, a lot of this is still in speculation territory for me. and I'm not sure how much of it is actually correct when it comes to TRAs' motivations. I could be wrong, or missing some things, so that's why I want your thoughts. thanks for reading if you made it all the way to the end!