I want to talk about something I just saw on Reddit. It was regarding the US election, and it was a Democrat saying something to the effect of how he can agree with “the other side” on one thing.
No prizes for guessing: it’s trans women. Specifically, he regards the idea that we can participate in society in any meaningful way (you know, like being able to use toilets in restaurants and stuff) as “insane”.
And of course, he got to talking about “penises” straight away, which tells us a lot about how people like him see us, because I don’t know about you, but when I think about women, “penis”. Is not my go-to. Hell, when I think about ANYBODY, I don’t tend to think about sex organs. Only really comes up in a sexual context.
Not only do these people not see us as women. They don’t see us as PEOPLE. To a considerable number of cis people, we are “some sort of weird sex thing”. That’s it. That’s the bit of their brain we occupy.
People have hopes and dreams and lives and people they love and who love them, and need to use toilets occasionally. Weird sex things don’t do any of that.
So of course the Democrats treating us as human is “weird” to them.
And he was massively up-voted, and congratulated about “finding common ground with political opponents”, and the comments saying, “what the hell? These are humans you’re talking about!” were all a long way down, and not popular.
This is how cis people see us. Not all of them, but a lot of them. An awful lot. Of the ones who don’t, a lot of them will only support us as long as it doesn’t require any personal awkwardness.
Anyway, my point here is not to wallow, but to present the context in which we fight for equality, because I think it’s clear that these people will never grant it to us voluntarily.
Not only are there no consequences for them to treat us like shit; they are CONGRATULATED for it.
And they will only stop if they are MADE to.
That’s the context in which our struggle operates.
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Looking for explanations…
Unknown parent • • •Alanna 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Unknown parent • • •randygalbraith
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •Thanks @Sarah Brown. As I wrote that bit about sex organ related disease, I was thinking about who, other than the individual, would be rightly concerned about our sex organs. So my point is, I know details about my sex organs, my wife Wendy knows and has legitimate interest and during a doctor's visit, medical professionals of my choosing may concern and interest. But a co-worker? Ah, no! A fellow congregate at church? Ah, again, no. Some random poster on Reddit? Most certainly not.
"if you tried to find my prostate in the traditional manner, you’d discover that my vagina is in the way" 😀 You are so open! Us cis gender folks can learn so much by just listening to members of the trans community.
Thanks for the trust comment. That makes sense. The relationships you have with wider cis gender world would involve levels of trust you and a cis gender friend reach. However, in the wider world, discrimination
... Show more...Thanks @Sarah Brown. As I wrote that bit about sex organ related disease, I was thinking about who, other than the individual, would be rightly concerned about our sex organs. So my point is, I know details about my sex organs, my wife Wendy knows and has legitimate interest and during a doctor's visit, medical professionals of my choosing may concern and interest. But a co-worker? Ah, no! A fellow congregate at church? Ah, again, no. Some random poster on Reddit? Most certainly not.
"if you tried to find my prostate in the traditional manner, you’d discover that my vagina is in the way" 😀 You are so open! Us cis gender folks can learn so much by just listening to members of the trans community.
Thanks for the trust comment. That makes sense. The relationships you have with wider cis gender world would involve levels of trust you and a cis gender friend reach. However, in the wider world, discrimination should be unlawful wherein an anti-trans individuals or groups are prevented from bringing harm. That so many Americans have recently decided to throw trans and other minority under the bus, is awful.
I'd only ask folks outside of the USA to appreciate many of us here are deeply concerned about the road ahead and are looking for ways to help shield minorities from harm.
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John_Loader
Unknown parent • • •Sarah Brown
in reply to Alanna 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ • •@Alanna yeah. There’s a bit of guesswork because our breasts tend to be younger, and lots of us don’t take progesterone. They don’t know enough.
I had my first mammogram in Portugal at 49, but I never told them I’m trans.
Sarah Brown
in reply to Looking for explanations… • •Ailbhe
in reply to John_Loader • • •Sarah Brown
in reply to Ailbhe • •@Ailbhe @John_Loader first line treatment for prostate cancer is the drugs that the media insists on calling “puberty blockers” (yes, exact same ones).
And since we already take blockers, or are castrated … well.
Ailbhe
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •Looking for explanations…
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •