Millions, if not tens of millions, and perhaps soon to be hundreds of millions of people despise who they are to such a degree that they are willing to mutilate themselves to escape the nature of their own being. And having an innate, albeit buried understanding of how foolish this really is, they then seek a platform to convince others to do the same so they might feel more convinced that their decision is rational, arguing that the cowardly act of fleeing from your own self is actually an act of great courage.

And so, millions of children, who are trying to discover who they are in this world, and who like the idea of being thought of as brave, begin to wonder if they really are who they knew they were yesterday, and what might be in it for them if they convince themselves they're not.

No one thinks that transphobia is fear of a random confused person in the street. It is the fear of a poisonous and destructive ideology that is leading to great suffering among the people and insane amounts of suicides and family traumas. There is no shame in being afraid of that.