Topic: Fake news and Misinformation

[Allison R]

So, if you have read anything I have posted, you know how new I am. I still have shell stuck in places best left unmentioned, and I am getting angrier and angrier at all of the lies and misinformation surrounding us. I have lived under a rock my whole life, and had no idea what being trans was, even knowing all along I would be happier as a woman. I had never heard of GD, or that it could and does wreak absolute havoc in so many lives. All of the bathroom issues in the news would stop if the country had actual information about us and the issues we face. How in the world am I going into a bathroom to molest somebody, when most likely, it would be impossible due to hormones and their blockers or just out of the fact that that part of the normal life of a human is so distorted to me that nothing works properly, and we are just like spiders in the sense that most likely we are more afraid of you than you are of us. This is a medical issue, just like addiction is. And if it is beneficial to make an addict a patient instead of looking at them as a moral failure, then it would obviously be beneficial for us as well. And this is where I start getting angry. How different would my life have been if I had had this information 30 years ago. I know it is my responsibility, but I have been trying to figure out how and why I am different from everyone else I know for my whole life, and if this wasn't buried under politics I probably would have found it way sooner. I have said it on my blog, I knew how I felt, I just didn't know that was the literal definition. This needs to no longer be a political issue. It needs to be between a doctor and patient just like any other medical issue. And no, this isn't  a left or right issue, both sides need to leave us alone.

End of rant.
Thanks for playing.
Allison

[Battle Goddess]

I always figured that most of the fellas pushing the bathroom bills imagine that when I slither into the ladies' room, I'm going to creep up to the line of urinals and peep at everybody else's thingies.

Only reasonable explanation I can come up with.

[Rakel]

... This needs to no longer be a political issue. It needs to be between a doctor and patient just like any other medical issue. And no, this isn't  a left or right issue, both sides need to leave us alone.

End of rant.
Thanks for playing.
Allison

Allison,

You are exactly correct in that our dysphorias are between ourselves and who we choose to discuss this with.

Unfortunately, since some people will never accespt us, we must be constantly watchful when these issues arise. I have found that the most effective response is a calm, and well thought out reply that educates our opponents and shows everyone that we are not a threat.

[ChrissyRyan]

Allison,

You are exactly correct in that our dysphorias are between ourselves and who we choose to discuss this with.

Unfortunately, since some people will never accespt us, we must be constantly watchful when these issues arise. I have found that the most effective response is a calm, and well thought out reply that educates our opponents and shows everyone that we are not a threat.

@Rakel



Rakel,

Very well stated!

Chrissy

[Lady Sarah]

The sad fact is that many of the politicians promoting the bathroom bills are the very same men getting in trouble for their inappropriate behavior with women. It's as if they want the world looking at us so they can get away with their groping.

[Rakel]

Every time a person of note, political or otherwise, is caught in a compromising situation, it gets reported by the news media. Salacious news sells.

[Allison R]

Rakel, unfortunately that's what gets us in the news as well. Visibility is important to acceptance, but it certainly is a double edged sword. I just wish that there were more true information, more widely available. I guess if a person is interested they'll find it, but unless you have theses feelings, why would you look? And if you're like me and you don't understand what those feelings are, well here we are.

[Rachel Montgomery]

From the people I talk to about the bathroom issue (these are all very transphobic people, because that is all I know here in Alabama), the women aren't really worried about actual transwomen in the bathroom (locker rooms are a different story on that issue).  They are worried that some creepy cis-het MAN will CLAIM to be trans so that HE can prey upon them or upon younger girls.  I don't have a ready solution to the problem of cis-het men using us as cover to gain access to women's private spaces and assault people, but it has actually happened and been reported in the news, so the fear isn't irrational. 

Again, the transphobic cis-women I know aren't actually afraid of us, they are afraid of men (people we would agree are men).  They may be rude to us, but that isn't out of fear.  That is their bigotry playing out.  Are there some women somewhere that are actually afraid of us because of the sensationalized news accounts of men posing as women?  Yes.  Again, I don't know what to do about that.  But, there is an underlying threat that they are recognizing, and although we are not the source of that threat we are the target of actions to confront the threat.  Our reputation is being harmed by the wrongful actions of cis-het predators.  It is unfair.  How do you propose we address the issue?

[Allison R]

You know, that was really just a rant, and I don't have any idea how to combat it Rachel. I know this may have come across complaining with no remedy(since that is exactly what it was), I was really just bemoaning the lack of general knowledge about it.

With that being said, the problem is far above my pay grade, not that I won't ponder it, just that I am unlikely to be the one who does solve it.

Thanks for the challenge Rachel.

[Maid Marion]

The Texas congressman who financed the US involvement in Afghanistan was a notorious womanizer.
Supposedly the movie Charlie Wilson's War was a toned down version of what really went down!

I do my part by dressing all the time, especially at work and when shopping.
I've done exceptional work for decades and have pay grade just below what the managers make.
I figure with time everyone will get used to how I present.  This week I'm wearing deep pink nail polish.

Marion

[jennifer7020]

From the people I talk to about the bathroom issue (these are all very transphobic people, because that is all I know here in Alabama), the women aren't really worried about actual transwomen in the bathroom (locker rooms are a different story on that issue).  They are worried that some creepy cis-het MAN will CLAIM to be trans so that HE can prey upon them or upon younger girls.  I don't have a ready solution to the problem of cis-het men using us as cover to gain access to women's private spaces and assault people, but it has actually happened and been reported in the news, so the fear isn't irrational. 

Again, the transphobic cis-women I know aren't actually afraid of us, they are afraid of men (people we would agree are men).  They may be rude to us, but that isn't out of fear.  That is their bigotry playing out.  Are there some women somewhere that are actually afraid of us because of the sensationalized news accounts of men posing as women?  Yes.  Again, I don't know what to do about that.  But, there is an underlying threat that they are recognizing, and although we are not the source of that threat we are the target of actions to confront the threat.  Our reputation is being harmed by the wrongful actions of cis-het predators.  It is unfair.  How do you propose we address the issue?

I believe the underlying  cause of trans-phobia is ignorance. People fear what they don't understand. They attach labels and behaviors to people they don't understand.  I think on some level the ignorance is willful. Trying to learn might shatter the ignorance that is -frankly- convenient. I have no time for hate in my life, sad but some revel in it.

Oh.. and 'the bathroom assault myth'. With apologies, said myth is a canard.  I am willing to bet there are more assaults in parking lots outside of clubs than in bathrooms. No one is looking to ban parking lots to save young women. Granted, its an argument in the absurd, but really?

[Battle Goddess]

Oh.. and 'the bathroom assault myth'. With apologies, said myth is a canard.  I am willing to bet there are more assaults in parking lots outside of clubs than in bathrooms. No one is looking to ban parking lots to save young women. Granted, its an argument in the absurd, but really?

Precisely. After all, what is to prevent a creepy cishet fella from putting on a wig and dress today in order to be inappropriate in a ladies' room? If only the stern hand of legislation is holding them back, we have bigger societal issues to worry about than transwomen taking a leak.

Me, I'm more concerned about US Senators having access to public bathrooms. I've seen the Sen. Larry Craig memorial men's room stall at the Minneapolis airport. Ain't getting anywhere near that thing.

[Rachel Montgomery]

I believe the underlying  cause of trans-phobia is ignorance. People fear what they don't understand. They attach labels and behaviors to people they don't understand.  I think on some level the ignorance is willful. Trying to learn might shatter the ignorance that is -frankly- convenient. I have no time for hate in my life, sad but some revel in it.

Oh.. and 'the bathroom assault myth'. With apologies, said myth is a canard.  I am willing to bet there are more assaults in parking lots outside of clubs than in bathrooms. No one is looking to ban parking lots to save young women. Granted, its an argument in the absurd, but really?

Assaults in parking lots don't make international news.  Assaults by men posing as transwomen do make international news.  Something involving people who are allegedly trans that happens in Canada is as widely reported in the U.S. as something that happened in any U.S. city.  And, people find them both more salacious and validating of their fears at the same time. 

While I do not have proof that all of these 5 incidences were perpetrated by cis-men, I think that is the reasonable inference.

[Rachel Montgomery]

Precisely. After all, what is to prevent a creepy cishet fella from putting on a wig and dress today in order to be inappropriate in a ladies' room? If only the stern hand of legislation is holding them back, we have bigger societal issues to worry about than transwomen taking a leak.

There is nothing holding them back from doing it.  They do it without cross dressing too.  They go in dressed as men as hide in stalls.  But, the FEAR is that if we allow trans women to use restrooms, then men can't be kicked out of women's restrooms if they CLAIM they are trans.  This used to be addressed by people having "carry letters".  If your official government ID didn't identify you as a woman, you could get a letter from your psychologist or therapist explaining that you were under their care for Gender Identity Disorder and were not a cis-het man in drag for some sinister purpose.  The police in my area used to accept these letters as evidence (though not dispositive proof) that there wasn't anything illegal going on.

Now, things are different.  I don't know if carry letters are still even offered (but I would want one for my purse if I was doing a real life experience.   Essentially, the letters said:

"Name: .....
AKA: old male name....

Is under my treatment for Gender Identity Disorder.

They are on HRT for the treatment of this condition and under an Endo's care they self medicate.....

Part of the treatment regimen is to dress in the correct gender, female, and have access to the woman's restroom.

If there are any questions, please call me at:

I don't guess most people need them anymore, but it does seem that having one (though unnecessary) would reassure everyone that you are being deceptive for criminal purposes. 

[Allison R]

I highly suspect that the people that article talked about were not trans. If you are a woman or just not sick, then you will recognize how and why that would be disturbing, regardless of what your anatomy may be. So IMO the chances are small they were trans. But I guess I shouldn't judge. You can't tell by looking at me either.