Transgender and Radical Feminism

Posted by Anji on Wednesday 18th June 2008

http://shutupsitdown.co.uk/2008/06/18/transgender-and-radical-feminism/

I've never written about trans issues before, and tend to stay out of debates and arguments on the subject. There tends to be a general consensus that radical feminists are 'transphobic', that is, prejudiced against transpeople, so part of my reluctance to discuss it has been based on that. Mostly, however, it has been because I had not fully educated myself on the issues involved and so felt ill-equipped to contribute anything of worth to the dialogue.

But as feminists and human beings we are constantly learning and evolving. I feel able now to at least present my take on transgender issues, transphobia and the cross between trans-awareness activism and feminism, and to invite dialogue from all sides. Comments will be moderated as usual for abusive and pointless content, but aside from that all readers will be allowed a voice. This is a subject on which there are many, many different opinions, and I am interested in hearing every one of them.

Bringing up chromosomes shows that the author did NO research or at least no meaningful research. XX or XY is so 1950s. Science and understanding has evolved, the hater's mindset has not.

Transgender and Radical Feminism

Link
6/18/2008

"I've never written about trans issues before, and tend to stay out of debates and arguments on the subject. There tends to be a general consensus that radical feminists are 'transphobic', that is, prejudiced against transpeople, so part of my reluctance to discuss it has been based on that. Mostly, however, it has been because I had not fully educated myself on the issues involved and so felt ill-equipped to contribute anything of worth to the dialogue."

There comes a point where it no longer even ionger even interests me that we all strive to protect our "innocence" as opposed to realizing that in some fashion pretty much all of us are "privileged" in one way or another. I agree with Mnemosyne that the absence of knowledge about any sort of physical indicators of transsexuality are left out of the discussion by all the parties I managed to read before I simply could read no more.

It sorta recalls to me some of the arguments here about who is 'true' or 'what is worst, most left out.'  After a  while anymore; it simply becomes unbearable for me. Too bad. The OP by Anji at least seemd to be moving toward knowledge and understanding. That she's not there yet isn't surprising: she has years of being oblivious to trans-people or of being 'given' certain assumptions to work through. But, at least she seems on the way to making the attempt.

Nichole

I should note that I have know some radfems that were pretty darn supportive of T individuals. Most of them were not but a few were. A handful had no problem with FTMs but could not stand and even ridiculed MTFs.

Quote from: Mnemosyne on June 20, 2008, 11:34:02 AM
I should note that I have know some radfems that were pretty darn supportive of T individuals. Most of them were not but a few were. A handful had no problem with FTMs but could not stand and even ridiculed MTFs.

Same here. A few supportive, most not. More like a gang-mentality sets up.

I've been to one radfem discussion group in NJ where that was prevalent. It was on my third visit to the group when someone brought up a friend and her broken relationship with a butch transitioned woman. And no, I didn't speak up and say, "but wait." The criticims were unthinking, ueber-prejudiced, demeaning and just plain ignorant, hateful and dispicable. I will suppose that no one knew my origins as they weren't directing anything at me.

One woman objected and was roundly verbally-abused. I kept my mouth shut and felt like I could imagine how a "pass-for-white" person of color might have felt at a really, really virulent Klan meeting. I cried a lot during the hour-long drive back home. *sigh*

And I suppose someone might think I should have been out, proud and agressively defending my sisters and myself, presenting an example that women with transsexual histories were not who was being lambasted. Think away.

But, I could see no good coming from that in that venue. Until you've been there, you'll never know how palpable the sense of oppression and rampant hatred can feel. I literally left feeling like I had been physically pummeled to the ground and then kicked over and over again. It was simply heart-breaking. All of those educated, intelligent and committed women enraged and as ignorant as though they had been raised by desert-hermits.

Nichole