listen. I don't hate the TMA/TME binary because I think trans women don't experience unique discrimination, I hate the TMA/TME binary because of the rhetoric that follows it. not only do people who use it feel that trans men don't have unique experiences, or that those experiences aren't real, or just don't want them to talk about it. it forces nonbinary people into a binary, which is something literally none of us want. and it refuses to acknowledge the fact that all trans people of all genders are affected by transmisogyny, and transandrophobia, and all types of transphobia.
"but if all trans people are affected by both transmisogyny and transandrophobia, what's even the point of creating these terms?"
like I said, trans women and trans men each have their own unique experiences, but that doesn't mean that these experiences can't overlap. hell, even cisgender people are affected by these things.
"but the difference is that when trans women face transmisogyny, they can't just say they aren't trans!"
1 they literally can it's always ok to lie to transphobic people for your safety
2 what do you think cis women do when they're facing transmisogyny or being transvestigated? pull their pants down to prove it? no they call the person a creep for giving a fuck about what their genitals look like, and many trans women do the same. this doesn't mean the transmisogyny didn't affect the cis woman, as it's fucking creepy to have someone asking what's in your pants!!!
I think the best way to put this is to bring up the curb-cut effect. curb-cuts were designed with wheelchair users in mind, but in accommodating wheelchair users, it benefits everybody else, too. it makes it easier to ride a bike or scooter, it makes crosswalks more accessible to the blind and people with other mobility issues. we can apply this theory to transmisogyny and transfeminism. while the intended targets of transmisogyny are in fact trans women, that doesn't mean transmisogyny ONLY affects trans women and transfems. and in dismantling transmisogyny, everyone will benefit. that is why I find the TMA/TME binary to be unproductive, because it further isolates trans women from community with other marginalized groups. ironically, I find the binary to be transmisogynistic in and of itself