The Rise of "Transgender"
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/07/the_rise_of_transgender.php7/12/11
Cristan Williams
Recently, I've been somewhat fascinated by the various discussions and debates I've seen concerning the word "transgender".
I've noticed there are a number of assertions being made about the co-evolution of the word "transgender" and the so-called "transgender community" that seem to be rooted more in ideology than in the historical record.
Additionally, I've noticed that there are a number of distinct arguments going on. They seem to be blending together in a way that makes meaningful discussions about this topic somewhat difficult. For example, one person might raise an issue of taxonomy -- what do we call ourselves? -- only to have it attacked on the basis of identity. From what I've seen, there are no less than five debates going on concerning this word and the idea of community. (Note: when I use the term "non-cisgender," I refer to people who, in the broadest possible sense, identify as gender variant in some way, shape or form.)
