This is another throwback from August 2010, brought to you by special request.
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Look, you don’t have to believe me, but I do not hate transsexuals. I am not afraid of them. It’s not a fucking phobia. I believe firmly that transsexuals have the right to pursue life on their own terms and to be free from harassment, violence, and other forms of social terrorism. In fact, if we were IRL and someone started talking shit about all trans people, I’d put the liberal smack-down on their ass. I’d be all: the oppressive gender binary is whack and sex roles are for tools, fools, get yo’ mind right! Or something like that. But seriously, I’m not trying to be malicious and I do not like hate-speech on my blog.
When I criticize trans politics and ideologies, it’s not motivated by hate. It’s motivated by rational disagreement with the ideas, in no particular order:
- that there is NO difference between bio males and trans men or between bio females and trans women
- that anyone can transcend their gendered social conditioning, or ERASE internalization of their past conditioning
- that g/jender identity has a biological basis or is an otherwise essential trait of humanity
- that it is politically and socially unproblematic for individual people to voluntarily pass as members of lower social class (male to female, white to black, able-bodied as physically disabled)
- that individual solutions (sex reassignment surgery) can materially impact structural inequalities (coercive forces of gender normalization)
Thinking trans people are freaks or immoral or don’t deserve human rights etc. is NOT the same as believing that trans survival techniques (and the I-dentity movement) fall short of political and/or social progress.
Clear and succinct. Thank you.
Elegantly and simply stated.
On point #1, it’s obviously true that there is some difference; elsewise why would “transitioning” be necessary?
But stating this is said to be transphobic.
My feelings exactly. I have many trans friends whom I’d stand up for at any moment, I just strongly disagree with the concept of gender and the boxes it puts us in.
#2 is the only point I disagree with slightly. I believe we have the possibility to transcend what we’ve been conditioned to believe/think/act, but never completely. We will always hold on to some of what we’ve been conditioned to hold.
Reblogged this on Sifting Through The Pulp and commented:
Great throwback! Still needs to be said, over and over and over and …
(remember, isolationism justified by delusions of revolutionary combustion is not an effective political strategy for improving the lives of women as a class here and now)
I found myself in agreement with your Feb 4th article regarding women hurling sexual slurs at other women. Thank you for calling it out for what it is.
Blessings to you! <3
I wanted to comment there but it seems comments were closed.