Them and Us and Those Other Guys
http://ts-si.org/global-warning/30829-them-and-us-and-those-other-guys7/31/11
Lisa Jain Thompson
Our need to be part of a group makes us vulnerable to the division of the world into our personal band or tribe and everyone else. Our fears and emotions override our common sense. Those guys over there, by the very fact of their existence outside of our close band, must — by their very nature — be our enemy and a threat that must be eliminated.
Gay men are suspicious of Lesbians who, being women after all, might change the male gay bar scene; Lesbians suspect that Gay men aren't really interested in gay women's need. Gay men are male first, gay second. Women everywhere are pretty sure what that means. No one seems to trust bisexuals. They aren't really gay, are they?
Drag Queens are entertainment, not to be taken seriously. The stage and performance is still not a proper venue for someone to earn respect. Even the gods hate an aging Drag Queen who doesn't know when to get off the stage.
Men and women born transsexual are looked at with apprehension. They are the quintessential outsiders and not, in reality, an official part of the Gay and Lesbian Tribe. Those born transsexual must earn the gay tribe's trust by playing by the same rules as Gays and Lesbians.
