Mercedes | February 21, 2008 |
Transadvocate (http://transadvocate.com/transphobia/sometimes-we-just-have-to-pay-full-price.htm)
"We've been in hiding ever since. Don't get me wrong — I'm on record as defending a woman's and man's right to go stealth if they feel it's best for them. We earn that. But the wholesale movement toward stealth — the lack of barely anybody to stay behind and educate the masses — has meant that we've only made small strides during that time. The first known piece of trans-inclusive legislation didn't happen until 1993, and most of those strides have been since then. And without adult transfolk there to lay that groundwork, a crisis has developed. Because now it is children on the front lines.
I apologize for wandering, but I think this is what has been bringing me to tears, the fact that the battles that transfolk largely hid from are now being fought by Lawrence King and the girl in Denver who has fortunately as yet not been outed by the media. Maybe this is what's been causing the dreams — guilt for not taking the bullet, in hopes that in some way, they might not have to."
Until 1990, there where very very litle TS around and the social
environment was brutal, so almost all of the TS out there where stealth.
So, I don't think blaming stealths on slow progress is correct.
There was nobody of any kind available and a deep pathologising
of the medical community towards TS's.
Now, with the social environment slowly shifting which leads
to a greater prevalence of TS and an even larger group of T's,
there is naturally more activism.
The problem now is that T's, which will always be more numerous and out,
are getting the spotlight and some TS are afraid that they'll be conflated
with them and their own needs will not be served right.
Since its impossible to be more out than most T's, I'm not sure if just destealthing
is the answer to this. Maybe, just be sure that our voice is heard in larger organisations
is the way to go without going into the media.