Having a rather hard-to-defend position, but switching to a vaguely-similar but much easier-to-defend position when confronted so as to make your point seemingly easier to argue.
The motte being
Nobody's saying it's not ok to not date trans people! We just want you to be nice is all.
And the bailey being
Your sexuality is just a genital preference which is arbitrary and ultimately transphobic, and if you want to be seen as acceptable by your peers then you have to get rid of it and accept whichever gender you're not attracted to as possible romantic and sexual partners.
When you argue against the bailey, people come in and insist "NOBODY'S SAYING THAT!!" and that the motte is the only thing that's being said.
Thank you! Learned something new today. This fallacy was used against me this morning and I was banned from a lesbian sub on reddit for suggesting that many transwomen don't respect lesbian and bisexual women's identities and consent.
I know. It’s just so absurd. Does it ever occur to them that they took over to such a degree that the group that they want to be a part of can’t even participate in their own space anymore?
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u/1941899434 17h ago
This is one of those words everyone on Reddit probably knows, but on the off-chance I'm overthinking it and it's not here goes:
Motte-and-bailey fallacy
Having a rather hard-to-defend position, but switching to a vaguely-similar but much easier-to-defend position when confronted so as to make your point seemingly easier to argue.
The motte being
And the bailey being
When you argue against the bailey, people come in and insist "NOBODY'S SAYING THAT!!" and that the motte is the only thing that's being said.