I do totally see your point about about Aran'gar and I do think it isn't a directly comparable to trans issues. Your use of "it" in this case is a pretty fair way to describe what is a very messed up character. The only possible reason I can see against using the term here is if Aran'gar is important to trans people as a representation of people dealing with the feeling of not belonging in their own body, which I'm not aware of as "a thing". Even then it's obscure enough that you'd be forgiven.
However, you do use frequent inflammatory language with no real necessity (I recently eye rolled at "Moslems and LGBTQWERTYIOP types"
which means people are not exactly out of order for assuming the worst in you every now and again.
It's actually a bit of a problem with these forums and has been for a long time. What people often dismiss as "political correctness gone mad" is frequently just a breakdown of basic respect for people with different views. We're obviously all here to converse with each other because we have something in common, and we clearly all value that interaction or we wouldn't be here.
There's something to be said for respecting that other people care about things that we don't care about and using antagonistic language does nothing but make that harder and less enjoyable (see the current problem). You don't have to respect Islam or LGBT issues (for example, I share your disdain for one of these myself) to respect that other people you respect do. There is nothing to be gained by using derogatory or dehumanising language without a very clear and obvious purpose, especially in such a small community like this where a few people make up most of the communication.
I'm not just calling out you on this either, so I don't want it to come across like that. Obviously being left wing politically I notice the baits from right more but I've seen it from both sides.
I'm not sure any of this matters of course, because this place is the forum equivalent of The Road by Cormac McCarthy and the last person standing is going to be the guy who is willing to keep people chained up in his basement, not the one asking everyone to be nice to each other. I guess I just wanted an opportunity to soapbox before the cannibals eat my face.
That's all fair enough. My issue was not that people thought something about me, but that their point was stupid. I'm not particularly concerned that my use of "it" upset him, but that he was upset because he drew a ridiculous inference to an issue completely unrelated to my post. If he was mad at perceiving me to be a transphobic bigot because I made a snide bathroom reference, that would be...well, probably exactly the reaction I was aiming for. But to jump to the defense of the trans community on behalf of Aran'gar? Yeah, no.
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
So?