> They chose (perhaps felt forced to chose) to change their body to fit the stereotype.
This is kind of presuming the conclusion, and ignoring the stated experiences of the people being discussed. The concept of gender identity (whether or not it does a good job of it) is explicitly intended to highlight that the causation isn't "I fit this stereotype, therefore I am this", but just "I feel I am this", with the implication that it may (or may not) be reaffirming to fit in socially with other people who are that way. Many don't identify with the stereotypes. Sure, some cling to stereotypes - maybe because they previously felt constrained from expressing themselves, or just as a practical measure against getting misidentified - but that doesn't imply that that's the cause or the goal. If you don't believe the claim that it isn't the cause, that's fair, but then it's just a person's beliefs against anothers' self-assessment.
The term "transitioning" is also used in a general sense, including "being yourself", as opposed to necessarily taking hormones. Taking hormones, changing paperwork, doctor appointments, losing fertility, etc., is kind of a long, drawn out, stressful ordeal that inherently starts with "being yourself in your own body" until changes kick in; it's pretty unlikely that someone transitioning hasn't considered just not doing the hard part, especially since it's so slow that there's ample time to turn back.
I'd wager most trans people are as opposed to gender essentialism and gender stereotypes as other feminists are. Nothing about accepting that they might actually just not be comfortable in their bodies, or at least just letting them be, implies philosophically accepting gender essentialism. Moreover, making the world more accpeting of people just being themselves is pretty closely aligned with just letting trans people be - if they actually don't need to transition, they'd be less likely to in a world where those who don't fit stereotypes, like trans people, are more accepted. And it's not a verboten topic - the Reddit trans communities have these discussions pretty often, when the questions are asked genuinely. It's just that, as with other minority-focused topics, it's often brought up with the clear intention of harassment rather than having an actual discussion, so there's a low tolerance for things that signal disingenuousness.
This is kind of presuming the conclusion, and ignoring the stated experiences of the people being discussed. The concept of gender identity (whether or not it does a good job of it) is explicitly intended to highlight that the causation isn't "I fit this stereotype, therefore I am this", but just "I feel I am this", with the implication that it may (or may not) be reaffirming to fit in socially with other people who are that way. Many don't identify with the stereotypes. Sure, some cling to stereotypes - maybe because they previously felt constrained from expressing themselves, or just as a practical measure against getting misidentified - but that doesn't imply that that's the cause or the goal. If you don't believe the claim that it isn't the cause, that's fair, but then it's just a person's beliefs against anothers' self-assessment.
The term "transitioning" is also used in a general sense, including "being yourself", as opposed to necessarily taking hormones. Taking hormones, changing paperwork, doctor appointments, losing fertility, etc., is kind of a long, drawn out, stressful ordeal that inherently starts with "being yourself in your own body" until changes kick in; it's pretty unlikely that someone transitioning hasn't considered just not doing the hard part, especially since it's so slow that there's ample time to turn back.
I'd wager most trans people are as opposed to gender essentialism and gender stereotypes as other feminists are. Nothing about accepting that they might actually just not be comfortable in their bodies, or at least just letting them be, implies philosophically accepting gender essentialism. Moreover, making the world more accpeting of people just being themselves is pretty closely aligned with just letting trans people be - if they actually don't need to transition, they'd be less likely to in a world where those who don't fit stereotypes, like trans people, are more accepted. And it's not a verboten topic - the Reddit trans communities have these discussions pretty often, when the questions are asked genuinely. It's just that, as with other minority-focused topics, it's often brought up with the clear intention of harassment rather than having an actual discussion, so there's a low tolerance for things that signal disingenuousness.