Marti, over at TransAdvocate, and I have certainly had our differences. I disagree with her on many if not most issues, however, I do respect Marti because she is passionate about her position. Though I read TransAdvocate, I hardly ever post a comment over there anymore…for that matter, I hardly ever post a comment on any of the GLBT blogs anymore. I mean, what’s the point; I have better things to do than argue with homosexuals. However, last week I came across a piece that compelled me to put my two cents in. It was titled The Death of United ENDA Part III: The Funeral. It wasn’t so much the essay that caught my attention, as it was the comments. Surprisingly enough, there was actually discussion that addressed the transgender breaking away from the GLB…although it was laced and dripping with insecurity…you can read it HERE.
Anyone who has read this blog, or any of my posts elsewhere, knows that I am no fan of the GLBT and hate with a passion the term transgender. The transgender, of course, hate the fact that I hate the term, transgender. I am continually insulted in other forums by middle-aged crossdressers decked out in cheap blond wigs and clown makeup with profiles that describe themselves as a “mom” or a “partner”…or others of whose user name has tg somewhere in it and of whom can’t seem to offer any better insult than to fling self-loathing at me…yet do not have enough integrity to debate me on my blog…or theirs. And it is those people…the fetish queens, crossdressers, gender queer, etc who make up the very vast majority of those who identify as transgender. I don’t know one single classic transsexual who would ever identify as transgender. Classic transsexuals are just not into transgender period, regardless of what the Donna Roses and Calpernia Addams of the world say.
There are tens if not hundreds of thousands of post op transsexuals throughout the United States alone. If one added to that number those pre op TS who are serious and will have the surgery come hell or high water (like other classic transsexuals), that number climbs even more. The very vast majority of those are straight heterosexuals. And they want nothing but NOTHING to do with the GLBT.
Now, I don’t think anyone that is sane would say that the GLB has the majority support of the straight world…if they did, they would not continue to suffer defeat after defeat as state after state passes legislation to limit their ability to marry…and make no mistake about it, the GLB is all about marriage. With that said, it should come as no surprise that the GLBT does not have the support of the heterosexual classic transsexuals either.
QUESTION:
Why do the trans activists ignore the straight, classic transsexuals who make up the majority and continue their association with a group, the GLBT, that many of us not only do not support, but like the rest of straight society, want nothing whatsoever to do with?
ANSWER:
They continue to ignore us because they are homosexual themselves.
Straight, classic transsexuals have no problem with homosexual classic transsexuals who want to be politically active. What we do have a problem with is…
homosexual classic transsexuals advocating for transgender rights…under the banner of homosexuality…
instead of…
advocating for transsexual rights…under the banner of transsexuality while leaving sexual orientation out of it completely.
The trans activists ignore that question. They don’t address it and will not admit that it’s even a valid premise. Instead, the blogosphere is clogged with a bunch of trans activist whiners lamenting day after day about how mistreated they are by the homosexuals, i.e., the HRC. It’s a pathetic position, yet one that is held on to by them like a child refusing to give up their security blanket. I don’t see how these people can look themselves in the mirror. Their identity is cast in stone next to the GLBT roll call.
They just don’t get it.
Straight, classic transsexuals, a group that is tens and tens and tens of thousands strong, do not want to be associated with the GLBT or transgender. Though we are concerned that our rights are being compromised, we don’t see those rights being preserved by a group that doesn’t represent us, the GLBT.
We are the engineers, physicians, lawyers, and other professionals who work for a living, more often than not quite successful and of whom have a bit of money. Though we may not have the overall wealth of an HRC type organization, no one would be able to convince me that classic transsexuals don’t have a per capita wealth that is just as high as that of the GLB. As well, as a whole, no one would be able to convince me that we have given even one penny of that money to a GLBT organization…much less the Human Rights Campaign.
Why should we?
Why would we want to support organizations that further the cause of a group of people of whom we don’t identify with, in many cases, don’t even support, and fear our rights will be compromised if we associate with…the GLBT?
Start an organization that is independent of the GLB, is ONLY concerned with the rights of pre and post operative classic transsexuals, and of which addresses gender while leaving sexual orientation completely out of the discussion…and the supporters would be legion.
3 Comments
I have to agree that trans-activists are for the most part solidly bonded with and even a product of the GLBT.
Are they homosexual first and tran-whatever secondly? Perhaps.
Unfortunatly there are many of them out there setting themselves up as messiah’s hearding the forgetten people to the holy land with promises of equality and freedom from oppression.
The problem goes much deeper than to label the trans-activists as homosexual. The problem begins with the shrinks and therapists who themselves now promote the term transgender without even thinking about it’s over all implications. The fact that it is a broader term as opposed to “transsexual” which is pretty hard for therapists to prove in any given individual, lead them to opt for the wider term and label all those that seek their help as transgendered. The hapless patient becomes a part of the collective without even being properly diagnosed and soon join the throngs of the other’s in the herd. Transsexuality and transgendered become interchangable synonyms and the herd mentalitity, as you are painfully finding out, is really hard to break.
Will the classic transsexuals ever find their way out of the GLBT clutches after that? Well, some of us do and I will tell you exactly which ones do.
THOSE THAT PASS MODERATLY OR BETTER.
Those that don’t, really need the support and are praying for laws that will protect them. They have trouble in all areas of society from housing to jobs and just going shopping. For them there is no way, no matter what they label themself or what they would like to project from their inner being that will enable them to live their lives in any sort of normalcy. For them it’s easier to stand up and shout loudly and bravely than to try to live in relative stealth.
I once saw a picture where a self admitted crossdresser was lecturing to a group of students at a college. Behind this person, emblazoned in large projected lettering on the wall was the statement .. “It’s tough to be a Transsexual” ! Well actually… NO it isn’t. It’s not at all tough to BE a transsexual. What IS tough is to be a crossdresser or a homosexual or a gender queer trying to convice society that they are a Transsexual. That is unbelievably tough. Society isn’t that dumb and even small children and most pets can tell the difference between a man and a woman, something that Monica helms over at bilerico.com has trouble with by the way.
The whole idea behind the transgender push to obliterate the gender binary is a self serving attempt to allow men to enter women’s space no matter that they look like a bad drag queen at a cocktail party. It is to include ALL the flavors of homosexuality, bi-sexuality and the not so lucky transgender men that will never pass successfully, to use women’s space and force employers to hire or not fire them.
Thats why the trans-activists ignore the straight, classic transsexuals that for the most part assimilate into mainstream, and if you think your gonna change that, your dreaming.
Check out the latest from Autumn on Pam’s Houseblend. In a blog on “would you date a trans” I responded to Autumn winding up with a comment about her whining about the use of transgendered rather than transgender…..basically I told her until she and other TGs learned to respect the identity of others by not defining them, they did not have the right to complain.
For this I received a notice that I am not welcome at Pam’s for demeaning trans people.
Like you, I absolutely detest and loath the term transgender(ed) applied to myself and have heard from literally hundreds and hundreds of other women of transsexual history in person and via email that they agree……..yet TGs still feel the right to impose this on us knowing we feel it is insulting and demeaning……and those in the position Autumn has conned herself into at Pam’s will misuse that position to silence us about it….
Of course, I couldn’t agree more. I checked out the Sandeen piece over at PHB. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I can’t seem to get logged in over there to post; I’m still working on that.
Overall, I thought the piece was hilarious…particularly the nitpicking over whether it is transgender, or transgendered…what is insulting…what is not…when to use and when not to…noun or verb. Just too funny. And, you are absolutely right. Those who expound transgender are quick to jump if they don’t feel they are addressed correctly. However, they have absolutely no qualms about lumping classic transsexuals into a group they know we not only don’t belong, but vehemently detest being associated with…as though there is somehow a common bond or variable.
I would like to think they don’t “get it”, but know they do.
On a slightly different note, I thought your post on the 100 Transpeople We Love 2008 post at PHB was defining:
THAT… really says it all.