http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annie-e-clark/an-unequal-rainbow_b_5586300.html?utm_hp_ref=transgender
An excerpt for those curious what this article is about:
QuoteI saw a man approach a woman and proceeded to grab both of her breasts. She shrugged him off uncomfortably, gave him the eye and she walked on.
He, left standing, threw his hands up in the air and shouted: "Don't worry, I'm gay!" He turned around in a huff, confused as to what he's done to make the woman so upset.
In this moment, I whipped my head to face my friend. "Did you just see that?" I asked. He responded, "Well, it's Pride."
"Well, It's Pride"
In an instant two things happened:
1) A person with more privilege oppressed someone with less privilege.
In this case, a male physically grabbed a female without her consent.
2) The person with more privilege defined how the person with less privilege should interpret the experience.
The male controlled the conversation with his protest, "but I'm gay," tells the female (and all those listening) that she has no "right" to be upset, and his sexual attraction should govern her response. He has effectively said: "You cannot be offended with my physical violation of your body because I am not attracted to you."
I don't know how widespread this sort of thing is, but I hope this is isolated. Made me shudder.
Quote from: suzifrommd on July 16, 2014, 08:54:04 AM
An excerpt for those curious what this article is about:
I don't know how widespread this sort of thing is, but I hope this is isolated. Made me shudder.
I hate to think this is wide spread. I know from personal experience from working right in the center of boys town Chicago that once during pride week at my job a gay individual thought he could just take the liberty and grab a hold of my a$$. I was working in a store at the time and didn't know this individual and also was presenting male. It was definitely unwanted. It could be just random individuals with their own interpretation of pride week. I don't know personally if this is a problem ,but I hope not.
Quote from: suzifrommd on July 16, 2014, 08:54:04 AM
I don't know how widespread this sort of thing is, but I hope this is isolated. Made me shudder.
I'd have clocked him, and not in the "I know you're trans" kind of way.
Quote from: Dee Walker on July 16, 2014, 11:19:04 AM
I'd have clocked him, and not in the "I know you're trans" kind of way.
If I'd been of a certain inclination, I would have kicked him between the legs followed by "It's nothing personal", to ease the pain.
Quote from: suzifrommd on July 16, 2014, 08:54:04 AMI don't know how widespread this sort of thing is, but I hope this is isolated. Made me shudder.
Very sadly, I personally know, and know of, quite a lot of people that have encountered this exact situation or others that are similar in nature. Of course, that's just anecdotal and may be highly unrepresentative.
It seems gay men often regard themselves as immune from bigotry due to experiencing (at least) one form of oppression. Flowing from that, those people often fail to see that proclaiming a total lack of interest in women due to not being sexually attracted to them is misogyny, they root the worth of a woman in her sex and ignore her personhood. I think it can be seen in other areas too, such as when struggles for freedom of sexuality and gender are equated with struggles for racial equality. Unfortunately, this isn't helped by the fact that criticism of such behaviour is often defensively branded 'x-phobia.' I appreciate the need to be protective in a very hostile world but not to the point it renders you incapable of empathy too.
As for the article itself, I couldn't agree with it more since I think pride, and wider Rainbow campaigning, is 'mostly [the] gay, white, middle class celebrating that they are getting closer to [the status of] other white middle class men.' Campaigning is now almost entirely about assimilation while the marginalised groups that massively contributed to starting the movement in the first place remain just as marginalised after decades. They're still frequently being murdered and unjustifiably imprisoned by the State forces that have contingents marching in pride parades. They're still being overwhelmingly discriminated against by the companies that wrap themselves in rainbow branding. If the marginalised aren't being ignored then it typically seems to mean their experience is being appropriated instead.
As a general rule of thumb, I tend to think that you're probably doing something horrifically wrong if your activism is being supported and accepted by mainstream society.
Quote from: Dee Walker on July 16, 2014, 11:19:04 AM
I'd have clocked him, and not in the "I know you're trans" kind of way.
Or just zap him with a tazer the minute he gets his hands off of you, or maybe that close some pepper spray in the face.