TenCentCoast
Banned
Hey GAF. As a transgender woman, its hard not to see ignorance and bigotry sometimes. I wont claim to be representative of every trans person, or anyone who identifies outside of the gender binary. I do hope that this thread can help to inform you if you have questions about the trans experience, or just want to hear another perspective.
What is this transgender thing, anyway?
Ill start with a definition, because it is better than anything I could come up with myself. Merriam-Webster defines transgender as of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth. Thats all fine and good: now you know the definition of the word. But what does that mean? When someone says Im transgender, what are they truly saying? To me, its this: when I was 16, I had a realization. For all those years, I never wanted to date the girls I was into- I wanted to be them. Well, I did want to date them, but sexuality is an entirely different issue.
Wait, sexuality is different from being transgender?
Yes. To explain this simply, gender identity =/= sexual identity. A transwoman can be a lesbian, or bisexual, or asexual. The same way a non-binary person can be pansexual or a cisgender person can be straight. I mention this because it seems to be a common misconception. There are multiple reasons I hypothesize this happens: be it TERF propaganda about autogynephilia (the idea of being sexually aroused as a man by the thought of being a woman), or the simple fact that trans people are grouped under the LGBT+ umbrella. Again, a topic for another time, but GSM (gender and sexual minorities) is a much better term, in this humble posters opinion. It is both less exclusionary and clarifies better the identities it is speaking about.
TERF? Like, surf and turf?
Trans-exclusionary radical feminists, or TERFs, are a branch of pseudo-feminists who view trans individuals as mentally ill men and women who undermine the feminist movement are reinforce gender roles as a concept. They are, in short, regressionary at best. And at times, they are just as dangerous a group as the conservatives we all know and dont love. Hell, at times, they are the same thing.
Wow, that all sounds terrible. What can I do to help transgender awareness and stop bigotry?
Well, by asking that question, youve taken the first step. Good for you. Now, Ill defer to another poster who has compiled a list of agencies and actions that I find to be excellent.
If anybody wants to offer critique or add to this OP, feel free to PM me. I would be completely open to that and as I said, I am by no means an authority.
Is (insert thing here) transphobic?
Typically, I wouldn't use the "if you have to ask" argument, but here, you likely are being unintentionally transphobic. If you misgender someone, you are being transphobic. Especially if it is on purpose. Transgender people have a right to being identified by their preferred name and pronouns: including shitheels like Caitlyn Jenner.
Final
Ill be honest here: GAF has a transphobia problem at times. For a place that, truly, is one of the most liberal and moderated forums on the internet, it does feel as though certain groups are favored in discussions over others. This is not an indictment of the mods, or the users. This is my feeling, and I know Im not the only one who feels this way. Its a statement of fact. Trans people are ignored here for the most part. It feels like yelling into a void at times. So, in closing, I ask this: if you truly, deeply care about being liberal, about uplifting the underprivileged and giving a voice to the voiceless, show it. Oppose transphobia. Oppose homophobia, and racism, and the types of privileged perspectives that we so often see when discussing minority politics. Most of all, be decent. Be a good person.
What is this transgender thing, anyway?
Ill start with a definition, because it is better than anything I could come up with myself. Merriam-Webster defines transgender as of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth. Thats all fine and good: now you know the definition of the word. But what does that mean? When someone says Im transgender, what are they truly saying? To me, its this: when I was 16, I had a realization. For all those years, I never wanted to date the girls I was into- I wanted to be them. Well, I did want to date them, but sexuality is an entirely different issue.
Wait, sexuality is different from being transgender?
Yes. To explain this simply, gender identity =/= sexual identity. A transwoman can be a lesbian, or bisexual, or asexual. The same way a non-binary person can be pansexual or a cisgender person can be straight. I mention this because it seems to be a common misconception. There are multiple reasons I hypothesize this happens: be it TERF propaganda about autogynephilia (the idea of being sexually aroused as a man by the thought of being a woman), or the simple fact that trans people are grouped under the LGBT+ umbrella. Again, a topic for another time, but GSM (gender and sexual minorities) is a much better term, in this humble posters opinion. It is both less exclusionary and clarifies better the identities it is speaking about.
TERF? Like, surf and turf?
Trans-exclusionary radical feminists, or TERFs, are a branch of pseudo-feminists who view trans individuals as mentally ill men and women who undermine the feminist movement are reinforce gender roles as a concept. They are, in short, regressionary at best. And at times, they are just as dangerous a group as the conservatives we all know and dont love. Hell, at times, they are the same thing.
Wow, that all sounds terrible. What can I do to help transgender awareness and stop bigotry?
Well, by asking that question, youve taken the first step. Good for you. Now, Ill defer to another poster who has compiled a list of agencies and actions that I find to be excellent.
Again, thanks EdibleKnife, if you read this.
If anybody wants to offer critique or add to this OP, feel free to PM me. I would be completely open to that and as I said, I am by no means an authority.
Is (insert thing here) transphobic?
Typically, I wouldn't use the "if you have to ask" argument, but here, you likely are being unintentionally transphobic. If you misgender someone, you are being transphobic. Especially if it is on purpose. Transgender people have a right to being identified by their preferred name and pronouns: including shitheels like Caitlyn Jenner.
Final
Ill be honest here: GAF has a transphobia problem at times. For a place that, truly, is one of the most liberal and moderated forums on the internet, it does feel as though certain groups are favored in discussions over others. This is not an indictment of the mods, or the users. This is my feeling, and I know Im not the only one who feels this way. Its a statement of fact. Trans people are ignored here for the most part. It feels like yelling into a void at times. So, in closing, I ask this: if you truly, deeply care about being liberal, about uplifting the underprivileged and giving a voice to the voiceless, show it. Oppose transphobia. Oppose homophobia, and racism, and the types of privileged perspectives that we so often see when discussing minority politics. Most of all, be decent. Be a good person.
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