Hate 101: Gay and Lesbian Transphobia – Historical
Posted by CA_Medicine_Woman • February 20, 2010

http://standingwatch.net/2010/02/20/hate-101-gay-and-lesbian-transphobia-%E2%80%93-historical/

On Saturday, June 28, 1969, at about 1:20 am, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a local nightclub in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, catering to mainly gay men. Generally, those with identification were released and free to go. Those without identification were arrested until their identity could be confirmed. One thing certain to get one arrested on nights police raided the Stonewall Inn was cross-dressing (dressing in the clothing of the opposite anatomical gender). Those thought to be cross-dressing were taken aside by female officers, and literally subjected to a genitalia check. Once cross-dressing was confirmed, the "offenders" were arrested, and more often than not subjected to physical abuse by police in the process.

On this night, however, things went very different. While all the gay men outside milled around waiting for what is often called "the perp walk" from the club to awaiting police vehicles, Sylvia Rivera had decided to act. Various accounts have her throwing items at arresting officers, ranging from loose change (taunting police about the regular payoffs they get) to a beer bottle. The result was a full blown right that took place over several nights. It would turn out it wasn't gays and lesbians who started the resulting riots, or who headed up the gay rights movement, but transwomen.

Part of the reason anti-trans gays & lesbians reject us is they are trying to distance themselves from the obvious, that transgender is the tie that bonds all of LGBT.  Effeminate men and masculine women are both believed to be gay because of their cross-gender expression.  Cross gender = transgender. 

Their transphobia is an attempt to keep the TG stigma from sticking to them (understandable) but by openly engaging in it, they are stifling the educational progress that would more quickly end the stigma.

Mainstreamers want manly men and girly women.  When someone crosses the socially acceptable gender lines, they get uncomfortable because they think "they must be homosexual" and that too has a negative stigma, mostly because of cross-gender expression.

The LG transphobes need to think their transphobia out.  They need to see they are really hurting themselves by sending the message that cross-gender expression is bad.

Also the GF comuunity was more into assimilating rather than fighting for equality. They were more concerned with protecting their identity. Cross gender people really had nothing to lose. Sylvia Rivera knew this all too well.

While I do support marriage equality, what good is it if you're routinely fired from a job or kicked out of your house because you're transgender. This is what the GL community fails to see.

Gennee