The problem is when what you call an ideology is actually just “acceptance of people who are different”. No one is out there telling kids that they can’t be a binary gender, no one is saying you have to be a different gender from what you were assigned at birth. What they’re saying is that it’s ok for people to exist without being the binary gender they’re assigned at birth.

So saying “I oppose this ideology” comes across as “I oppose the existence of people who aren’t their assigned at birth gender”, given that those people do exist you can see how people might find your statement offensive.

In terms of how long people who don’t fit birth gender existed - multiple non-European societies had words for them and accepted them pre-colonization (variations of two-spirit in Native American cultures iirc, I can’t recall the Polynesian term at all), and there’s plenty of examples of individuals in Europe (where it was frequently punished so there’s reason to hide). There were even treatment centers for people that recognized trans people existed, but due to the time gender confirmation surgery wasn’t available - those were intentionally targeted by Nazi germany and all documentation, treatment plans, wee destroyed and the patients were sent to death camps (remember the holocaust also targeted LGBT people, that’s where the pink triangle comes from).

Most people are fine with tolerating the 'gender identity' beliefs of others, up to a point. It's like that for other beliefs too. For example, if you're an atheist then you should not have any issue with your neighbor attending church each week and praying with other like-minded people.

However if you were having a religious belief imposed on you - like, being compelled to pray under threat of being fired, having every previously secular space converted into a place of worship, children in school getting taught it as if it's fact - then that would be a problem.

Same for 'gender identity' beliefs. The ideology is that any claims of 'gender identity' must be believed and that this should override sex, so for instance a man who says he has a 'female gender identity' is a woman and should be treated as such in every regard, according to this point of view. Children in school are being taught this as if it's truth rather than a belief.

This has real-world implications. If a man wants to cross-dress and pretend he's a woman in the company of other like-minded people, that's not really anybody else's business. This can be tolerated like any other private belief and practise of it. But if he starts using his claims of 'gender identity' to impose himself in female-only spaces, disregarding women's boundaries and consent, then that becomes a problem for very many women. And a lot of men find this problematic too.

It's even worse in places where law and policy have been altered to further impose this ideology. Women in prison have been raped by male inmates who were incarcerated there as a result of claiming to have a 'female gender identity'. Female athletes are being pushed out of their own competitions by men who pretend to be women. Dating spaces for lesbian women are increasingly being invaded by men who call themselves lesbians and cry 'transphobia' when they are asked to leave.

In effect, this ideology of 'gender identity' enables a form of male dominance over women, and is having a profoundly negative effect on women's rights in places where it has been enforced. I think that in itself is good enough reason to oppose it.

> So saying “I oppose this ideology” comes across as

Nope. Only in your speculations maybe.

I oppose ideology means only what it is - being against an ideology. These days people succeeded in making ideology out of anything.

Ideology in simple words means "us vs them", it polarizes and radicalizes people. And this is what is dangerous.

So what's wrong with being against it? If it's not there (as you say), then nothing to worry about, right? Then no reason to downvote the original comment, no?

The fact it was downvoted and even redacted actually supports that there _is_ some ideology.

Because otherwise it was pretty harmless comment about state of things in general (even if wrong), not targeted to any individual or even a group.

> So saying “I oppose this ideology” comes across as “I oppose the existence of people who aren’t their assigned at birth gender”, given that those people do exist you can see how people might find your statement offensive.

I'd very kindly like to offer an alternative explanation than your interpretation.

People who don't want their kids exposed to this ideology don't necessarily want trans people to not exist, they might just not want that outcome to be more likely for their own child.

You can support the rights of people to do whatever they want with their own bodies and still think it's one of the least optimal life decision one can make.