Monday, February 11, 2013

Perhaps We Should Thank Sandeen

I imagine some of my regular readers, seeing that title, might think I have slipped a cog...  That I might have blown a fuse...  That I might suddenly have taken leave of my senses...  That I might now be a few French fries short of a Happy Meal...  That I might just plain have lost my mind!

But!  There is something we might well thank "Autumn" Sandeen for.  He is, quite frankly, the exception that proves the rule.  That is always an interesting phrase.  It is hard to explain, until an example happens along.  And then one suddenly realizes, "Here is just such an exception."  Of course, that is not completely accurate.  The "exceptions" are not really exceptions, but why quibble over such details.  For example, in Sandeen's case, he is not a transsexual, or a woman.  But he claims to be both.  Worse, he tries to force transsexuals under the "transgender umbrella."  He is a constant source of bad information, and seems to do his best to make transsexuals look as bad as possible.

But, in doing so, he provides us with a unique opportunity.  On very rare occasions I find myself in a debate with someone who is trying to argue that I am "not really a woman."  Such a person is usually approaching this from, to at least some degree, a rather bizarre mix of religious and pseudo-scientific arguments.  That is where someone like Sandeen comes into the picture.

Sandeen is such a bad parody of both a woman, and a transsexual, who claims to be both.  He provides a perfect example of something that can be pointed to and shown as a counterpoint to true transsexualism.  One can offer up Sandeen and say, "Now here is a classic example of what you are accusing me of being, and here, quite frankly, is where Ihe  differ from such a person."  And more to the point, it would be near-impossible to find any meaningful areas where I, or any other true transsexual, has anything in common with Sandeen.  Aside from the relatively superficial argument that we were both "identified as male birth" there really isn't anything else.  In that sense, Sandeen becomes the example of a person who identifies as transgender, but who is lying when he claims to be either a transsexual or a woman.  Clearly, he is neither, and as such is the exception that proves that we are different.  His counter-example provides evidence for our veracity.

Think of it as having a known standard to compare something fake against.  Looked at alone, it might be hard to tell if something is real or not.  If, for example, you don't have a real Rolex, you might be fooled by a good fake.  If it looks well made, if it is heavy enough, and there is nothing obvious to give it away, you might be fooled.  But next to the real thing, the fake becomes more obvious.  This is also true of any number of other things that are often copied.  In isolation, the fake may, or may not, look pretty convincing.  But compared to the real thing, the fake quickly shows it flaws.

Sandeen, I will admit, is pretty obviously flawed.  He is more like a cheap imitation.  No one seeing a video of him flouncing about in an outfit that no real woman his age (or probably any real woman, period) would ever where, acting like a bad caricature of how women act, or in a classic, explaining the virtues of a device that allows women to pee standing, would ever think...well, that might be a real woman.  But put him next to a real woman, and the differences are all the more apparent.

So, perahps, we should thank Sandeen for giving us a strong argument for the veracity of our experiences.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Have you considered a possible correlation between pre-corrective persons who retain male anatomy and the professed incidence of lesbianism among pre and post-corrective people?

I would have been "gay" had I WANTED to be male. Sex is important to me, and my orientation never changed. Retaining the anatomy would have narrowed my mating pool to an undesireable segment of men. I wanted to be married and have a hetero-priv normal suburban life. Correction was as much a necessity as an internal need.

BUT, if one wishes to "be" a lesbian, as they conceive it, perhaps they see some value in it??? I do not KNOW, and I'm playing devil's advocate, but I suspect there MAY be a correlation.

That is NOT to say post-corrected women who identify as lesbian are the same as perpetually non-corrected "transitioned" people, or to say aside from sexual orientation all proto-TS and post-TS women are the same, but I see a trend.

If you see what Im trying to express, perhaps you can express it more eloquently than me? Your thoughts?

Just Jennifer said...

No, sorry, but it does not work that way.

First off, sexual orientation and gender identity are two different things. And, beyond that, you have to understand that, for example, gay men do not want to be women. Gay men want to be men, in a relationship with a man, that they see as a man, and who sees them as a man. Likewise, a lesbian wants to be a woman, in a relationship with a woman, who they see as a woman, and who sees them as a woman.

Yes, there are some exceptions where someone's own homophobia may cause them to seek out a transgender partner. You have, for example, guys who have a fetish for being penetrated by a "woman," and equally bizarrely you have a steady stream of guys who claim to be women, who have no qualms about being the active partner.

But, the bottom line here is, if you are happy having a penis, and particularly if you are happy using it to have penetrative sex, then as Austin Powers said, "It's a man, baby!"

Now, it should also be noted that sexual orientation is not always as immutable as some claim. First off, at the simplest level, there are people who actually are bisexual. Or, as one I knew said...trisexual, he would try anything at least once... Further you have men, in prison for example, who will resort to homosexual conduct, at least for the time of their incarceration.

And it is not all that unusual for women to actually change sexual orientation in reaction to various situations. Some women become lesbian after suffering abuse. Others tend actually become lesbian as a "political statement."

Now, Sandeen has claimed to be "bisexual," though I suspect the only "woman" in his life, is the fantasy of being a woman.

Rosenkreuz said...

Sandeen has either taken a sexual obsession to a frightening extreme or he's just a glorified drag performer who is more at home on Springer. Maybe both?

Though imo, you can't properly call Sandeen and his ilk "men" either. Maybe let's make up a third gender for transvestite transgressonists. Or a fourth, or a fifth. They can have all those silly pronouns the tumblr social justice crowd keeps coming up with.

Maybe taking their social manhood away might be the wakeup call they need but I doubt it~

Rosenkreuz said...

Also as far as the bathroom issue, I know exactly 3 transsexual women. None of them stood up to pee, before transition or after. They all used some variation of "weird, or unnatural or uncomfortable" describing it.

Just Jennifer said...

Well, Sandeen has a long history as a crossdresser. Like a lot of crossdressers, he never had any true gender issues until he reached middle age. At that time, he suddenly decides he wants to make his, shall we say, hobby, a bit more full time. It is all very strange.

Just Jennifer said...

There is a joke I remember from the book "In Search of Eve." How can you tell a transvestite has been in ladies room? The seat is up...

The thing is, it is not really a joke.