I recognize that Chris Chan is bat shit insane, but I also believe fundamentally that we should refer to people by their preferred pronouns. I’m not going to put myself in the position of deciding who meets my requirements of being trans - epistemologically that’s a very hard thing to “prove.” I don’t like the precedent of this person is bad/crazy so they aren’t valid as trans people - we don’t “earn” our right to be called the correct pronoun. Would I have concerns about Chris Chan being sane enough to make reasonable decisions about HRT? Yes - but there’s zero harm in acknowledging the pronouns she prefers.

I just really think it’s dangerous to let the internet decide who is “allowed” to be considered trans. I’m a transgender man myself - I’ve experienced significant sexual trauma and there is definitely a narrative that women who aren’t really trans are tricked into transitioning because of sexual trauma.

I also do think in Christory there’s more evidence than just the Idea Guys. She historically showed a lot of disgust and comfort with penises and men. I understand not wanting her in “our camp” but I strongly believe in referring to people the way they wish to be referred to.

I think the true horror of Chris Chan’s story is that the internet can harass a severely disabled person for several decades, and folks will treat this as acceptable or deserved. Chris Chan’s break with reality makes sense - how many fake girlfriends have there been now? - but people really love the craziness. I actually like her work (in an outsider artist sense) but someone should have stopped this insanity two decades ago.