Their systems of power rely on having an “in” group and an “out” group. Overt racism is less acceptable these days because now there are brown Republicans, but transphobia? Very in.
They’re just choosing a new group to “other” so that we don’t realize they’re coming for everyone who doesn’t fit into their narrow worldview.
I’m a wife whose husband feels this way and let me just say, for a lot of heterosexual women (especially millennials; the 90’s were rough for girls) it is very VERY hard to internalize this message, no matter how often we hear it.
But I’m trying! And it makes me so happy that he loves my body, so I don’t get tired of hearing it, even if it’s a little uncomfortable having to confront my low self esteem.
If you get a lot of specialty items (like faux cheeses and meats) it won’t go far. If you shop like normal but just skip the animal products it’ll almost surely be cheaper than regular groceries. You can make your own seitan very easily, there are many YouTube videos showing you how. It’s just a simple dough that is washed and kneaded to develop the gluten. You can also make your own tofu, but tofu is dirt cheap unless you get fancy stuff so I recommend just buying it.