Passing Privilege, the Gender Binary, and the Productive Power of Stereotypes

Dana Beyer, 3/30/16

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-beyer/passing-privilege-the-gen_b_9575736.html

Smashing the gender binary is dangerous political provocation in today's climate. Ignoring stereotypes that are ingrained in the American psyche is inviting failure. Demanding that passing privilege shouldn't matter, when it clearly always has, and should have no role in marketing the community to its neighbors, is a mistake.

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This author advocates for making "passing" the criteria for Bathroom rights. I don't know if the author is trans (I doubt it) or gay (more likely). She never defines what "passing" is other than reference to stereotypes - and therein lies the problem and her complete misunderstanding of what it's like to be trans.

She appears to push the baby steps approach to this and cites the advance of gay rights as being successful because of it. She calls out the HRC and Trans Equality for doing nothing, which is true.

But I think it may be a cop out. My feeling and opinion is that the LG part of LGBT is worried about backlash into their world. The several gay friends I have (most are married) have no opinion or subtly negative opinions about trans rights (read as: I got mine, screw you). My two cents worth - sorry if I offended anyone.

Her argument almost sounds believable, except that we, collectively were thrown under the bus for gay rights. "We'll come back for you" was a lie. I can't help thinking that it's still a lie now. The people she says they can help right now, those with passing privilege, don't need it, they're passing. So who are they helping?

The point seems to be to use those with passing privilege as a way to pass laws for those without it. It says this is how it was done for gay rights previously.

I'm still unsure if the general public is ok with trans who pass or just oblivious to their existence.

Quote from: laurenb on April 04, 2016, 06:33:23 AM
I don't know if the author is trans (I doubt it) or gay (more likely).

She is a well known trans woman, which is why I'm shocked that she seems to have put so little thought into this.

How does one define passing? Who decides?

"Passing privilege" can be gone in the blink of an eye. All it takes is to be outed..

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Quote from: Dee Marshall on April 04, 2016, 06:53:12 AM
Her argument almost sounds believable, except that we, collectively were thrown under the bus for gay rights. "We'll come back for you" was a lie. I can't help thinking that it's still a lie now. The people she says they can help right now, those with passing privilege, don't need it, they're passing. So who are they helping?

i get much better treatment from straight cisgender people than the few gay men that I've met.  They didn't like me and it was clear. 

Quote from: Serenation on April 04, 2016, 07:52:37 AM
The point seems to be to use those with passing privilege as a way to pass laws for those without it. It says this is how it was done for gay rights previously.

I'm still unsure if the general public is ok with trans who pass or just oblivious to their existence.

I think though that she (the author) is wanting to use those with passing privilege to bust the stereotype of what the average person thinks a trans person looks like. (Most do pass and blend right in.) Her thinking is that busting this stereotype will help those that don't pass well, but I don't think that alone will help. The are many cis-woman who get mistaken for trans (like Rain Dove) and I think the combination of busting the stereotype and show cis-woman who do get mistaken for trans will help. However I do agree that it will have to happen in steps, but I think it will happen a lot faster than it did with gay rights.

I distanced myself yrs ago from the lgbt because they didn't stand firm on trans rights. I've felt for yrs the trans community should go it alone,maybe more would come out of the closet. Just my 2 cents.

If the gay rights people are ignoring trans rights then it appears to coming back to bite them. It looks like we're all in this together.

Lesbian Teen Kicked Out Of McDonald's For Using Women's Bathroom, Failing To "Prove" Gender
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,207537

Quote from: AnonyMs on April 09, 2016, 03:43:51 PM
If the gay rights people are ignoring trans rights then it appears to coming back to bite them. It looks like we're all in this together.

Lesbian Teen Kicked Out Of McDonald's For Using Women's Bathroom, Failing To "Prove" Gender
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,207537

This is true! But there are gay people that dislike the trans community for exactly this reason - they feel like they're getting dragged into something that they're not involved in. Some lesbians don't like being asked if they're trying to be male, for example, and they blame transmasculine people for it... remember the 'drop the T' petition? Some LGB people feel like the T is getting them into trouble, incidents like that one won't help with this

Quote from: Peep on April 09, 2016, 03:48:14 PM
Some lesbians don't like being asked if they're trying to be male, for example, and they blame transmasculine people for it... remember the 'drop the T' petition? Some LGB people feel like the T is getting them into trouble, incidents like that one won't help with this

Not much they can do about it even if they do drop it, its not going to change how mainstream society thinks of them. I think they are actually better off with the 'T' as we make them look relatively normal.

 

Any bashing of any groups will not be tolerated.

ToS 9. If you disapprove of people who are Transgender, Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual; or activities which cross gender boundaries; take your arguments to a more appropriate website.

I'm bi, in a male/male relationship - I don't have anything against LGB people. I'm just saying that those opinions exist and that incidents like these are one of the reasons why.