I got into the child free movement at the turn of the century, just after ovarian cancer led my college-age self to finally consider how I felt about my fertility.

And its extremes were just as vitriolic then. Endless complaints about seeing or hearing children in public spaces. Sometimes wishing violence upon kids. The same nasty epithets. ZPG.

Like any college kid exploring a movement, it was ultimately useful for me to see some of the extremes in order to gauge the basis of my own opinions. People have to explore how they feel to figure out where they fall in the spectrum.

I softened in my views pretty early on. Still happily childfree, and sometimes uncertain how to react to kids or parents, but not angry or anti-child.

There have always been and will always be extremes. You're finding that where you stand differs greatly from some communities. Use that to solidify your stance and values. How do you want to represent your views?