Ask Matt: Some Tips for Presenting on Trans Issues

[Shana A]

Ask Matt: Some Tips for Presenting on Trans Issues

February 4, 2013 by Matt Kailey

http://tranifesto.com/2013/02/04/ask-matt-some-tips-for-presenting-on-trans-issues/

A reader writes: "I'm thinking about speaking to a Gender Studies class at the college I attend because of some ignorant comments from ignorant classmates when I took the class last semester (such as 'I can pick out trans* people by looking into their eyes').

"The professor thinks that it's a great idea. (I spent the whole semester educating him.)

[...]

This is a good question that I think a lot of people wonder about, particularly if you are not a speaker or teacher. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, we as trans people are often put into the position of either wanting to or having to educate, and sometimes we are asked to do this in front of a class or group, even if we are not professional presenters.

Unfortunately, when we do speak, we are often seen as representatives of our entire group, providing information that transfers to anyone who identifies as trans in some way. Whatever we put out there is seen as fact, and how we present ourselves in front of others is seen as the way "trans people are."