Transphobia & women's roller derby.
http://zooeynedlik.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/transphobia-womens-roller-derby/2/24/11
"Revolutionary."
Not only is this word a part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's motto, it's a creed nearly all roller derby teams go by – being "revolutionary." Diy, stick it to conventional sports, be yourself and be proud. It's something I only wish were a matter of truth rather than just a hollow word to make derby girls think they're actually fighting the status quo when, in fact, they are enriching it.
I can immediately name two women's teams that are directly and inherently transphobic, whom shall remain nameless for the sake of this post (and one that is trans-FRIENDLY – props to you Montreal Roller Derby!). The policy, for both of these teams, is quite simple really – be the proud owner of a vagina. (Actually, for one of them, it's not even a guarantee even if you surgically get THAT if you're trans.) This, I contend, is counter-revolutionary. It's disgusting. And it's a position that I can only imagine that, if not the majority of teams, close to a majority of the teams that exist would take once confronted with the issue (I say this because I'm familiar enough with the derby world and how people just are about it).
