There's A Discussion On Twitter About Lesbian Love Being Somehow Different Than The Way That Straight

there's a discussion on Twitter about lesbian love being somehow different than the way that straight men love women but sooo many of these people are just parroting terf and radfem talking points and being quietly transphobic. either by implying that men or amab people are just biologically incapable of love on a deeper level either because of their minds or hormones (transphobic) or by saying it's just the way men are "socialized" in a patriarchal society and it's more about shared experiences (transphobic)

the following statements can be true at once:

there is no real difference between the way men and women love, because men and women are human beings and we are all capable of love and complexity. love as an emotion or experience is not ingrained or influenced by our sex or gender. love between women is beautiful and pure, and it can be abusive too. love between men and women is also beautiful and pure and it can also be abusive. it is sexist to say that women are less prone to committing abuse or violence, even if it seems like a positive stereotype.

the way that patriarchy puts men in a higher social position than women does lead to a higher rate of abuse from men towards women. many men are raised to believe they are innately better than women and this is a mindset that needs real work to unlearn. solving this requires building a society that raises sons to be compassionate and respectful, not to seek dominance over women.

when you insist that abusive or unloving behavior is ingrained within men or it is part of the male experience, what you do is reinforce the patriarchal expectation of men as inherently domineering and violent beings. gender roles are made up, and do not hold truth to what we really are in the genders we associate with. it is a self fulfilling prophecy. if you tell a boy that he's incapable of truly loving a woman without owning her, he will grow into a man that believes you, and become a man that believes control is how you show love