I’m Tired of Hearing the ‘M-Word’
Posted: April 11, 2011 Filed under: Gender | Tags: critics, language, transsexuality Comments Off on I’m Tired of Hearing the ‘M-Word’It’s funny, the words people adopt as standard when describing things. You can learn a lot about someone’s views on a subject simply through the words they use in serious discussions of it. For instance, consider the “agenda” of gay rights supporters. The only people who refer to the gay rights movement as having a cohesive “agenda” are those who oppose it. Why? Because it lets them paint it in a scary light, as a looming menace.
There are plenty of such telltale words within discussions of transsexuality as well, but one in particular stands out: mutilation. I have not encountered a single trans individual or sympathizer who has ever used the term “mutilation” to refer to any aspect of transsexual existence. This is a term strictly used by those who deride, denounce, or otherwise disrespect trans individuals.
You Know What’s Not Cool?
Posted: February 28, 2011 Filed under: Allies, Gender, Sexuality | Tags: coming out, family 1 CommentLet me begin this post with a little storytelling.
The first member of my family I ever came out to as trans was my mother. It was a few days after christmas – this was in college; the only time I was actually at home was during the winter holidays. I had been debating with myself the if, how, when, where, who I should tell, for months if not years – ever since I had discovered the terminology to actually describe how it was that I felt. The debate isn’t easy, nor is it fun – it often kept me up late at night, churning over it in my mind. Impatience to tell someone would wrestle with worries that something would go wrong. Sparks of determination would die premature deaths in puddles of hesitance.
A Different View of Gender
Posted: February 24, 2011 Filed under: Gender | Tags: feminism, identity, transgender Comments Off on A Different View of GenderFrom the perspective of a trans-identified individual who also considers themselves a feminist, it seems like there’s one issue that always seems to cut to the heart of the tension between those two groups. How can a group whose very nature stems from gender distinction (transgender individuals), and another whose goals often include dismantling gender, reconcile their viewpoints with one another? I’ve spent a long time thinking this particular question, and this entry is going to be my attempt at an answer.
Does Being Trans Promote a Gender Binary?
Posted: February 1, 2011 Filed under: Gender | Tags: feminism, genderqueer, stereotypes, transgender Comments Off on Does Being Trans Promote a Gender Binary?Read through the vast amount of discussion on both transgender and feminism-devoted websites and eventually, you’re bound to run into the accusation that “transgender individuals promote a binary view of gender.” Oftentimes the story goes that because transgender individuals feel they are the “other” gender, that must require the assumption that there are only two clearly defined genders. In other cases, transgender individuals are portrayed as single-mindedly seeking stereotypical “manly” or “womanly” attributes and thus promoting such stereotypes.
Both of these arguments are problematic. Let’s begin with the former, which is predicated on some faulty assumptions.
I'm a Real Person Too 