The trans right vs. gender critical debate is so intensely toxic on both sides that expressing any view that is not extreme will instantly attract attacks. I cannot even touch it myself here on Twitter because personal friends & family have such ferocious opinions (on both sides)

I refuse to take a stance because the intensity of people& #39;s feelings about this frankly scare me. And, while I don& #39;t care about the responses of strangers, I do not want to lose friendships or alienate family. How did we get to this stage?

Even simply acknowledging that this is a complex issue with conflicting interests that will require trade offs and compromise to solve or saying that I don& #39;t want to weigh in because I am undecided on many of the points frequently provokes fierce anger.

Is there any other issue that is quite this electric? It has reached the stage at which dialogue seems frankly impossible.

It& #39;s one of those issues on which people are seized by incandescent rage even when others *agree* with them on every substantive point, but don& #39;t phrase their agreement in the exact prescribed language -- a sure sign of a discourse gone bad.