Edit to add more things:
Why now? I think a lot of the other answers cover a lot of the elements that facilitated the spread (internet and all). This is not new at all. Someone more knowledgeable may elaborate better, but feminists are fighting against it for decades. Pedos also have been trying to group themselves with the LGB at least since the 80s as well, something that the LGB community has also been fighting against since then, and now they are infiltrating via TQ+.
What I can say is that the past couple of decades both the feminist and LGB causes have advanced, and the TQ+ crowd managed to tag along and replace the conversation for their own agenda. I believe, however, it's thriving so much due to the rise in interest for socialist ideals among millennials and gen Z. They have completely captured the left and are destroying it from within, which is another incentive for powerful people - the ones who control politics, media, and tech - to push this ideology. There's nothing leftist in this. Like I pointed out at the beginning, this is the capitalist wet dream. Also, they can shut any conversation with talks about "inclusivity", they can make the left look ridiculous, and when this whole things falls apart (I believe we'll see lots of lawsuits and regret within the next decade), it will strengthen the religious conservatives.
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I don't know how the gender woo is happening in any so-called communist states. You don't hear much about it. What I can tell you, is that aside from maybe Cuba, I wouldn't call any other country "communist". China absolutely operates as a capitalist state, already controlling a huge chunk of global economy. Venezuela has a socialist leaning government, but corporations still control production over there, as far as I know. I have too little information about North Korea to make a statement whether they are as communists as they claim to be. It is important to make this distinction, though. Communism is not the same as totalitarian state. On the contrary, in communism the means of production would be controlled by the people, not the state, like it happens in Cuba. The state should merely manage it.
I'm not sure if I can make an accurate guess on how the gender woo would fit in an actual communist society, but I'd speculate it wouldn't thrive. Gender woo is a very individualistic and narcissistic ideology. For communism to work out, it requires cooperation and people working together, and I don't think any of these people are capable of it. Also if you remove the incentive of profit, and remove the ability of rich people to buy their way out of legal trouble, I think the chances of this spreading there is much lower. Your garden variety AGP would probably still exist, but with fewer resources to buy a new body, and less willingness of people to allow them to get their way. Just a guess, though.
On a side note, I don't think any communist or communist-like society is possible while men are in power. Men can't handle power.
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Yeah. Material reality. It's the thing communist theory is based on, and it's the thing that negates the gender woo.
I strongly believe that the main reason why communism attempt keeps failing is men. The Soviet revolution started by women, then men took power and ruined it all. Stalin was a piece of shit who murdered thousands of people just because he could. I never trust anyone who calls themselves Stalinist. There are other factors, as well. Like Cuba is under US sanctions, and every leftist government is constantly having to deal with coup attempts by, of course, the US. I think communism can only thrive if 1) is led by women and 2) it happens simultaneously in all main countries, so we stop trying to fuck with each other.
