After reading this piece, and scanning the comments, I am reminded of something I read a few days ago about issues and challenges in defining "long COVID." There are similarities to AP's underlying concern for what happens to those most vulnerable/most afflicted when "everyone" is asking for, perhaps insisting on, special treatment because of their special condition or situation.

Per the article, some proposed definitions of "long COVID" would de facto qualify a quite large number of people with various pre-existing conditions, or who at some point develop various conditions completely unrelated to having had COVID, as having "long COVID." Whatever resources are available for "long COVID" will be spread among all who qualify - with existing systemic biases intact, so not spread equally. As one concerned medical practitioner put it, "if everyone has long COVID, no one has long COVID."

This seems analogous to what I perceive AP is saying about Trans people getting "lost in the crowd," so to speak. When "everyone" has a special need in the domain of gender (or neurology, and so on), no one has a special need. But in practice, in a given society, some people will in fact be more vulnerable/more afflicted than others, based on the specifics of their situation in that society (whether gender or neurology or countless other domains).

If one does not wish to be identified as "male" or "female" gender and claims "non-binary" - what amount of vulnerability/affliction does that bring on, compared to (for example) identifying as Trans? Will one suffer as much? More? Less? And, what are the consequences, for those who are in practice most vulnerable/afflicted, of increasing the quantity of "specialnesses" and also of people claiming them?

A deeper crux here may be about being "special" - if everyone is special, no one is special. What would it take to create a society where almost nobody experiences themselves as threatened merely because someone else dresses differently, presents themselves differently, has darker or lighter skin, has a different native language, and so on?