Yesterday, while scrolling through Twitter, I stumbled upon a lighthearted, non-trans-related conversation that made me nostalgic. A young man had asked:
“Be honest… Did parents really just let their kids wander the neighborhood all day with no phone and just say… be back before dark?”
I laughed and replied: “Haha, my entire childhood. I walked to kindergarten through 4th grade by myself. The school was five blocks away. We were allowed to leave the house around 9 on weekends and during summer, maybe show back home for lunch but then back for sure by 5:30 for dinner at 6.”
A simple, wholesome memory. A quick reply. Nothing controversial. Nothing about politics. Certainly nothing about being transgender.
But when I woke up this morning and opened my notifications, there it was: “Yet somehow you fell into the cult of trans? We blew sex stereotypes out of the water in the 80s. Why the hell are you now simping so hard for a cult that doubles down on regressive stereotypes? There is no right or wrong way to be a boy or a girl! Stop transing children!”
And just like that, my joyful trip down memory lane was derailed by a stranger who saw the pride flag in my username and decided my existence was up for debate. A post about childhood independence turned into yet another accusation that being transgender is part of a “cult.”
So let’s talk about that word. Let’s talk about who’s actually acting like a cult here.
What People Mean When They Say “Trans is a Cult”
When anti-trans voices throw around the word “cult,” they’re not using it in its academic sense. They’re not describing small religious sects, charismatic leaders, or totalitarian isolation tactics. They’re using it as a slur to delegitimize transgender lives.
To them, “cult” means:
- We’re brainwashed.
- We’re recruiting.
- We’re destroying families.
- We’re forcing conformity.
- We’re dangerous.
It’s a familiar playbook. Society has weaponized “cult” accusations before, against LGBTQ+ people in the 70s, against rock music fans in the 80s, and against video gamers and role-players in the 90s. The accusation is less about fact and more about fear.
But here’s the irony: when you look at who’s accusing us and how they behave, the shoe seems to fit them much better.
Cult-Like Behavior #1: The Obsession with Recruitment
If there’s one thing cults are famous for, it’s the idea that they’re out to recruit new members. Anti-trans activists love to paint us as “recruiters.” They claim schools are “transing kids,” that doctors are “grooming” young people, and that social media is a pipeline to transition.
But let’s take a step back.
Most trans people I know aren’t looking to recruit anyone. We’re too busy just trying to live our own lives. Transition is not something you stumble into because someone handed you a pamphlet. It’s a deeply personal, often painful, sometimes life-saving decision.
Meanwhile, the people accusing us? They hold rallies. They hand out flyers. They make YouTube channels, podcasts, and church sermons dedicated to bringing new people into their anti-trans fold. They push scripted talking points, distribute propaganda in schools, and lobby politicians.
Who’s recruiting whom here?
Cult-Like Behavior #2: The Leaders Who Can Do No Wrong
Cults thrive on charismatic leaders, figures who claim to know “the truth,” who cannot be questioned, and who demand loyalty above all else.
Sound familiar?
In the anti-trans movement, we see:
- Pundits with million-dollar platforms spreading the same talking points.
- Politicians using “protect the children” as their rallying cry, even while ignoring actual threats to children like poverty and gun violence.
- Online personalities who build entire brands around vilifying trans people, their followers parroting every word as gospel.
Trans communities don’t operate like that. We don’t have a single leader, a pope, or a prophet. We argue constantly. We disagree on terminology, policy, healthcare approaches, and representation. We’re messy, diverse, and sometimes frustratingly decentralized.
That’s not a cult. That’s humanity.
Cult-Like Behavior #3: The Fear of Outside Influence
Cults isolate their members. They insist outsiders are dangerous, immoral, or evil. They create a narrative where leaving the group equals betrayal.
Now look at anti-trans rhetoric:
- Teachers who respect pronouns are “indoctrinators.”
- Parents who affirm their kids are “child abusers.”
- Friends who support transition are “brainwashed.”
Their goal is to cut trans people off from support systems and to create fear around any outside influence that contradicts their ideology.
Meanwhile, transgender communities encourage people to explore, question, and decide for themselves. There is no punishment for leaving transition, for de-transitioning, or for exploring gender without committing to a label.
One side isolates. The other side accepts. Which one sounds cultish?
Cult-Like Behavior #4: The Ritual of Purity
Cults often enforce strict rules about purity: what to eat, what to wear, and how to live.
Anti-trans activists do the same with gender. They demand strict adherence to “biological sex.” They police hair length, clothing choices, sports participation, and restroom access.
They insist there is one “pure” way to be male and one “pure” way to be female. That’s not liberation. That’s ritualized purity.
Trans people, on the other hand, are living proof that gender is diverse, fluid, and expansive. We break those rigid molds every day simply by existing.
Cult-Like Behavior #5: The Apocalyptic Warnings
Cults thrive on apocalyptic fears. “The world will end if we don’t stop them.” Sound familiar?
Listen to anti-trans rhetoric, and you’ll hear:
- “Society will collapse if we let trans women use restrooms.”
- “Civilization will fall if we let kids transition.”
- “The West is doomed if we accept gender diversity.”
These are the same doomsday predictions that were once used against interracial marriage, gay rights, women’s suffrage, and even rock and roll.
The world didn’t end then. It won’t end now.
The Projection Problem
What we’re really dealing with here is projection. Those who scream “cult” the loudest are often the ones most engaged in cult-like behavior.
They gather in echo chambers, repeat mantras, worship leaders, recruit endlessly, demonize outsiders, enforce purity, and predict the end of the world.
Meanwhile, transgender people? We’re trying to pay bills, go to work, buy groceries, and answer innocent questions about our childhoods on Twitter without being ambushed.
Why “Cult” Hurts
The accusation isn’t just annoying; it’s harmful. When trans people are framed as part of a cult, it justifies:
- Stripping away our rights in the name of “saving” others.
- Cutting off medical care by labeling it “brainwashing.”
- Discrediting our experiences as “not real.”
It turns us into caricatures instead of humans. And once people believe you’re part of a dangerous cult, they stop seeing you as deserving of empathy.
The Exhaustion of Being Trans Online
What struck me most about that Twitter reply wasn’t its creativity. It was its predictability.
I could have replied to that childhood memory with a picture of my old bike or a funny anecdote about playing kickball in the street, and still, someone would have found a way to drag transness into it.
That’s the exhausting part. For many of us, transness isn’t just part of who we are; it becomes the focal point of every interaction, whether we want it to be or not. Even when we’re talking about childhood summers.
A Brief History of “Cult” Panics
If we zoom out, this “cult” accusation is part of a long history of moral panics.
- In the 70s and 80s, people believed Dungeons & Dragons was a Satanic cult.
- In the 90s, people claimed heavy metal and rap music were cult indoctrination.
- After 9/11, entire religions were treated as suspect cults.
- And now, trans people are the newest target.
Each of these panics shared the same features: exaggerated fears, scapegoating, and projection.
And each time, society eventually realized the panic was baseless.
Living in the Crosshairs
Being transgender in 2025 often feels like living in the middle of a culture war you never signed up for.
We didn’t create the panic. We didn’t ask to be symbols. Most of us just want to exist, to love, to work, and to share a memory about walking to school without being accused of belonging to a cult.
And yet, here we are.
Turning the Mirror
So the next time someone calls being trans a cult, I want them to really examine their own behavior.
- Who is repeating the same talking points word for word?
- Who is following leaders without question?
- Who is isolating their members from outside perspectives?
- Who is obsessed with “recruitment”?
- Who is predicting the end of civilization?
Because from where I stand, the reflection is clear.
The Bottom Line
Every time I see that accusation, whether it’s in a reply on Twitter, a sermon from a pulpit, or a speech in a legislative hall, I want to laugh but also to cry.
We are not the cult. We are not the ones obsessed with conformity, recruitment, or purity. We’re simply human beings trying to live authentically. If anything looks like a cult, it’s the organized effort to control us, legislate us, erase us, and demonize us.
So when I read that Twitter reply this morning, I couldn’t help but think, “And we’re the cult?” Really? No. We’re just people.
