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Support Means Supporting

I don’t support women’s rights. I once supported refugees - I cut onions to make lots of soup for refugees. I couldn’t get them any of the information they wanted, but at least they had some soup.

I don’t support any refugees any more.

I hear far too much of people ‘supporting’ by simply declaring ‘I support’. I sounds an awful lot like saying ‘you should ask for that request to be in writing so you won’t be [legally] liable for sharing admin passwords with interns, but this isn’t legal advice’.

I that really not advice? Does it not pertain to law? Is it not advice about law?

People seem to think their words are magic, that they can declare that advice about the law isn’t legal advice by just saying so, and support trans rights by declaring that they have supported trans rights.

I’ve not done a blessed thing in my life to support trans rights. Even my voting hasn’t really helped - I wanted Scottish independence, so I voted for the party that would get it, and now a small (but active) subset of that party have decided their time is best spent on removing medical care for trans people.

And to avoid any unfairness, I recognize that in some places in the world you really can support people with a simple declaration. If everyone where you are hates gay people, and thinks of it as the norm, then just off-handedly mentioning attending a gay wedding, or going to a gay club, may well add a drop which eventually sways opinion.

That initial support probably matters a great deal, but I don’t occupy those spaces physically, or online.