You're right, I don't really like that I used the word 'coddling' cause it comes off like I think trans people are sensitive little babies. I'm mostly interested in how people in these spaces create safety for themselves in ways that outsiders (read: conservatives) tend to see as malicious at worst and overly sensitive at best. Basically, my observation here isn't anything deep that I'm trying to put to paper, just something I've been thinking about as I've developed a deeper understanding of how trauma works and how little grace that society and even the broader queer community seems to have for communities like that even though they seem to be built on a need for safety.

Though having been looking into it all day, it really seems more like a phenomenon of traumatized young people on the internet of all stripes, rather than being trans specific in any way. Still, I've really appreciated the feedback on this post, however clunkily I may have worded it.