Oh, and when I spend the day comforting a friend whose killing herself on hormone treatments in preparation for gender reassignment she probably can't afford and is afraid to go outside because police may arrest her on suspicion of her ID not having the right gender, I'm not supposed to express any offense when someone on the internet claims to have the soul of a Dragon or a Pegasus and demands I recognize their struggle?
Sorry, I'm not putting these next to each other and respecting them as equals. I don't know the situation with your friend, but if they identify as Otherkin, they are either misusing the word or are delusional.
Actually, screw it, here's the definition guys.
Quote from: Urban DictionaryOtherkin are a fringe group of human society who, for one reason or another, believe themselves to be the reincarnation of mythic creatures, typically elves, though others include dragons, demons, vampires, ogres, deities, and so on. Related groups include therianthropes, who believe themselves reincarnations of animal souls, and otakin/otakukin, people who think they are reincarnations of fictitious characters from Japanese anime, manga, and video games.
Otherkin often find themselves the subject of ridicule. In the majority of cases, it is because their beliefs fly in the face of rational, critical thinking and tend to fall apart very quickly under hard scrutiny. One of the most common beliefs is of an Elven Holocaust in which humankind supposedly wiped the elves from the Earth, despite the fact that no such evidence, archaeological or otherwise, exists anywhere in the geologic record either for the supposed holocaust, let alone the existence of elves.
Other aspects common to Otherkin belief include a sense of superiority over their fellow human beings. This takes a variety of forms, such as a tendency to ascribe positive aspects of the human personality as something only unique to Otherkin. "Mundanes", the rest of humanity who do not share their beliefs or are simply unaware of them, are looked down upon as inferior brutes.
Otherkin often exhibit certain personality traits common to dissociative disorders and manic depression. This includes what are known as grandiose, persecutory, and religious delusions.
This combination makes them very unpopular.
Respect their struggle guys, they're born in the wrong body.
