BREAKING: HRC Takes on MichFest

[skin]

Parker Marie Molloy, The Advocate
July 30, 2014

The nation's largest LGBT advocacy group has thrown its weight behind those taking issue with the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival's "intention" to exclude transgender women, just days after a statewide equality group called on the festival to reverse its unofficial policy discouraging transgender women from attending the annual festival.

Calling the festival organizer's stated intention that the space be reserved for "womyn born womyn," a "simply inexcusable" instance of the marginalization of transgender women, Human Rights Campaign senior content manager Beth Sherouse on Wednesday joined Equality Michigan in its call for Michfest to put an end to its exclusionary intention.

More: http://www.advocate.com/michfest/2014/07/30/breaking-hrc-takes-michfest-0?utm_content=bufferc6cb4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Sabine]

That's very welcome, though I still don't think I would be even if they relent.

It's good to hear that others call them on this, not just the community. TBH, I can't imagine wanting to go as it sounds a very angry group indeed. Life is far too short to spend energy that way.

[skin]

I think the bigger story here is that HRC is taking a strong stance in support of the transgender community.

[Eris]

This may be a stupid question but why are they spelling woman womyn?
Is it to remove the word man from the word woman?
Is there to be no mention of those "fiends" at this gathering?

Edit: It's just occurred to me that it would be replacing Women rather than woman, but I'm still baffled by the use of a y.
Is is an american thing like removing the letter U from various words e.g. colour, favour, honour, armour?

[Jaime R D]

Personally, I don't have an issue with them holding a private event and only allowing who they want in.

[Eris]

I take issue with the implication that transwomen aren't women and never will be...

I also found this linked article... informative...

http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2014/05/16/michfest-urges-attendees-rally-behind-its-performers


Michfest has never announced a change in its rules, and the line between a ban and an "intention" to exclude has sometimes been fuzzy. According to Nancy Burkholder's account of her experience trying to attend the festival back in 1991, she wasn't merely discouraged from attending once she was outed as trans, but was actively removed from the festival. Burkholder told the TransAdvocate last year that she was told by a woman at the gates that this "was a woman-only event and she wanted to know if I was a man."

"I replied that I was a woman, and I showed her my [New Hampshire] picture ID driver's license. Then she asked me if I was a transsexual. I asked what was the point of her questioning, and she replied that transsexuals were not permitted to attend the festival. She said that MWMF policy was that the festival was open to 'natural, women-born-women' only. I replied that nowhere, in any festival literature or the program guide, was the policy stated. I asked Chris [Coyote] to please verify that policy and she went to the office to contact the festival producers, Lisa Vogel and Boo Price. Sometime during this conversation, I waved [my companion] Laura [Ervin] to come over and she witnessed much of what transpired. ... Del [Kelleher] added that the policy was for the benefit of the transsexuals' safety and the safety of the women attending the festival. When I pointed out that there were other transsexuals on the land, she acknowledged that this was true. Then she added, 'We haven't caught them yet, but we did catch you.'"

Burkholder went on to describe the humiliating experience of being given a refund for her ticket and ejected from the Michfest grounds. In her mind, written or not, this was policy.


Does anyone else find this sort of thing extremely distasteful? It's like they're treating being trans as a crime. Something to be "caught" being.

[skin]

This may be a stupid question but why are they spelling woman womyn?
Is it to remove the word man from the word woman?

Yup, it is to take man/men out of the word.

[stephaniec]

Yup, it is to take man/men out of the word.

so they replace it with the symbol for the y chromosome. makes sense

[peky]

so they replace it with the symbol for the y chromosome. makes sense

Right on Girl ! +1

Maybe now we should call males myn or transmyn... 

[Wynternight]

I really get a kick out of the RadFem use of "wombyn." Who's marginalising whom?

[OreSama]

I never got the whole "womyn-born-womyn" bullcrap.  So I could attend in my current state, despite being a man but a woman could be denied entry because of one gene.  Not that I ever would, why would I want entry into a woman's space?  No thank you!

I really get a kick out of the RadFem use of "wombyn." Who's marginalising whom?

Oh my god, that's hilarious.  I shall immediately start calling myself a mbyn!

[Wynternight]

I never got the whole "womyn-born-womyn" bullcrap.  So I could attend in my current state, despite being a man but a woman could be denied entry because of one gene.  Not that I ever would, why would I want entry into a woman's space?  No thank you!Oh my god, that's hilarious.  I shall immediately start calling myself a mbyn!

All I can think of is a giant womb, schlepping around on two legs...

[OreSama]

All I can think of is a giant womb, schlepping around on two legs...

Schlepp schlepp schlepp~  But seriously, they are totally abiding to the principles of feminism by judging women based on their ability to bear children.

[MacG]

I shall immediately start calling myself a mbyn!

Ha! Yes!!

[pianoforte]

Nice that the HRC took a stand on this. I was happy to hear that. I was also happy to hear the festival denounced by several performers who chose not to be associated with it because they'd prefer to be allies to the trans community.

[Tysilio]

Yes -- kudos to those performers!

That second Advocate piece is a good one -- thanks for the link, Eris.