Missing the Point...

In what seems like a blast from the past, there is a new controversy over an attack on "transwomen" by a "radical feminist/lesbian separatist."  The controversy started with an article at a site called the "Magazine Project.  That article, entitled "Transwomen" are Merely Castrated Men was attacked by ultra bigot Monica Roberts.  Roberts' rant became fodder for an article by transgender activist Suzan Cooke.


Now, on the one hand, the original article is pretty nasty, and the author, as is typical of extremists, paints with a very broad brush.  But that does not mean that she is completely wrong.  The sad thing is, there is a lot of truth in the article.


For one thing, some transgender people cannot understand why many, if not most, women are put off by them.  They simply cannot grasp that they really are acting like men, and have no real female essence.  But they want to call themselves "lesbians," and they cannot understand why real lesbians are not lining up to enjoy their, well, as Roberts would put, neoclits.  Well, duh....


Of course, these same kooks can't quite seem to grasp that some men are going to lose it when they find that their new girlfriend is physically a male.  Now, I don't excuse the violence that results, but I also think people need to use some simple common sense.  I mean, really, women learn to avoid certain situations, but men think they have some sort of privilege.


The problem with the original article is that the author ignores science and relies on feminist myth.  Yes, there are a lot of "transwomen" of the sort she describes.  But they are not representative of transsexuals.  Of course, the author, as a I said, paints with a broad brush.  I suspect, like some men, she fears having sex with someone who was once physically a male.  But, this person, like Roberts, and Cooke, is an extremist.  For her, the world is simple, and well, she is completely right, and everyone she disagrees with is completely wrong.


Likewise, Cooke and Roberts are so insecure that the very idea that there is someone out there who just might seem them differently than the way they see themselves sends them into fits of outrage.  Does it bother me if someone attacks my identity?  Of course.  But I also consider the source.  I could care less what some radical feminist/lesbian feminist, who has never met me, thinks about me.  Trust me, there are far more reasons for her to dislike me than my history.  There is little in her narrow minded philosophy that I would not find reprehensible.  There is little of my world view that would not send her into fits of outrage.  So why should I care if she is even more bigoted?


I tend to ignore people like her.  She is not even worth addressing, except that she does make some good points, that are lost on the other kooks.  They only focus on the hatred, to avoid the truth.  It's sad.  They all have something to learn, but none what to see it.

Huh?

"Autumn" Sandeen has an article on Pam's House Blend called "Conflating Gay And Trans -- And More Religious Right Fear Mongering About It."  I have to say, I am a bit puzzled.


I mean, isn't that the whole idea?  I mean, what did the transgender extremists think would happen when they forcibly joined LGB to T?  Did they think that the Religious Right wouldn't assume that "transgender" was just another form of gay?


Oh, I know the idea is supposed to be something about "sexual minorities," which is why some try to add even more letters.  Like "I" for intersexed, and two "Q's" for queer and questioning.  And some want to add another "T" for transsexual.  And an "A" for asexual, an "O" for omnisexual, and a "P" for pansexual.  I can think of a few other "sexual minorities that would not be so welcome, so that idea sort of falls apart quickly.


But back to the point.  What did Sandeen think was going to happen when he dressed up in Navy drag and chained himself to the White House fence in support of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  Even he is not so extremist that he thinks that trying to get "transgender people" able to serve openly is a valid cause.  He was there is support of gays, lesbians and bisexuals.  That sort of makes it more likely that he will be perceived as a gay male by many.


And then he has the audacity to wonder why people with HBS want no part of transgender?  We simply want to live our lives as women.  Not as men who become women, not as women who used to be women, and certainly not perceived as gay men who just got carried away.  But that is exactly how the transgender movement causes us to be perceived. 

Too Funny for Words!!!!

Well, once again the boys of Bilerico has shown their true colors. On more than one occasion, some gay man has seen fit to set transsexuals straight about how things should work. Well, this time they allowed things to go a bit too far.

Ron Gold, who apparently is a long time gay activist, wrote a post entitled "'No' to the notion of transgender." (After much hesitation and a great deal of anger from the gender fascists, the article was remved from Bilerico. But it was preserved by Google, and so I have a link.) Now, as good as that title sounds, the article itself is quite nasty, full of bad information, and generally shows what this gay man thinks of transsexual women. And in this article, I am going to respond to what he says.

Of course. the gender fascists are up in arms, even though the article is not so much about them as it is about those who should not even be labeled "transgender." In Gold's twisted imagination, there are basically drag queens and transsexuals:

What is transgender? Well, there are two sorts who seem to be covered by the name, the drag kings and queens so good at portraying cartoon imitations of straight people, and transsexuals, the folks who report that from an early age they've felt themselves trapped in the wrong bodies. Despite the equipment they were born with that belies their assertions, they say they are really men or really women.

Okay, right there, he is off to a bad start. He seems to condense what is properly called "transgender," those who, almost always after puberty, suddenly decide that they want to live as members of the opposite sex but in the majority of cases wish to keep their genitals intact, with those who are HBS (also known as classic or true transsexualism) who knew from an early age that something was wrong, and who exhibited issues from an early age.

Now, from this unstable foundation he goes down hill...

What does it mean to be really a man or a woman? Since it's not about genitalia, it must be about personality, and what, one asks, is a male or a female personality? Even straight people nowadays concede that some men are the warm, loving type that used to be thought exclusive to women, and some women are the strong, action-oriented sort that used to be thought exclusive to men. And lesbians and gay men have always known that people of the same gender can be very different from each other. Isn't it true that those we form mated relationships with are always complementary - even polar opposites - to ourselves?

At first it appears that he is spouting the classic transgender "We can be women while keeping our penises," silliness. But it quickly becomes obvious that he is actually trying to deny the reality of the experiences of true transsexuals. His words seem to echo the ridiculous views of those like Janice Raymond and Julie Bindel. And worse, he seems to be pandering to outdated stereotypes and myths about gay men. He seems to be saying that they always pair as nelly queen with a butch male. How truly bizarre.
Just so there is no mistake about where he is coming from, he empatically states:

Let me state it categorically. There is no such thing as a male or female personality. Personality is not a function of gender.

And not surprisingly, his remarks are clearly, and dare I say, catergorically, a complete load of bovine excrement. No one, with a shred of common sense, would ever make such a dogmatic statement. Granted, this misconception is at the very heart of radical, extremist feminism, but no one, except the transgender community, really takes them very seriously. Everyone else just rolls their eyes, and recognizes their views as just plain silly. Some on the Left might extend them some slack just to be politically correct, but they don't really buy into such idiocy.

Gold continues on in confusion of transgender and transsexual and his attempt to set us all straight:

So where does that put the concept of transgender? In my view, down the tubes! And that leaves the further questions of how transsexuals got to think the way they do, and what to do to resolve their dilemmas. I hope I'll be forgiven for rejecting as just plain silly the idea that some cosmic accident just turned these people into changelings. What happened, more than likely, is that, from an early age, when they discovered that their personalities didn't jibe with what little boys and girls are supposed to want and do and feel, they just assumed they mustn't be real little boys and girls.

No, it is not some "cosmic accident," just something that interferes with the sexual differentiation of the brain in utero. And what he dismisses, refering to it erroneously as "transgender," is exactly what transsexuals experience. But he doesn't think that such an experience has any real meaning. And, of course, it is more than just realizing that one's "personality" doesn't jibe. It is much deeper than that. It is a sense of discomfort with one's body. Gold clearly does not accept that the obvious fact that boys and girls are actually different. But they are. All the efforts at raising a gender neutral child either fail, or result in a child who is deeply confused.

Next Gold presumes to tell parents how to deal with such a child, providing truly bad, and potentially harmful advice:

So, parents of such little boys and girls, do not take them to the psychiatrist and treat them like they're suffering from some sort of illness. Explain to them that, whatever the other kids say, real little girls do like to play with trucks and wear grimy jeans, and real little boys like to prance around in dresses and play with dolls. And make sure the teachers are on the same page.

While children may go through phases where such behavior occurs, for a transsexual it is more profound. And no, while "tomboys" and "sissies" exist, and often grow up to be normal, healthy children, that is not what we are dealing with here. Transsexuals, even as children, are not simply little boys who want to wear dresses and play with dolls. They have a brain that is wired like any little girl's, which inclines them to like the things that girls like. Telling them that this is okay for little boys is not going to change that, and will probably, ultimately, just lead to even more confusion.

It is when he comes around to advising adults that we get to heart of what is really bother Mr. Gold. In truth, that was obvious all along, and he does not hesitate to let us know what he is really concerned with:

As for adults struggling with what to do about their feelings, I'd tell them too to stay away from the psychiatrists - those prime reinforcers of sex-role stereotypes - and remind them that whatever they're feeling, or feel like doing, it's perfectly possible with the bodies they've got. If a man wants to wear a dress or have long hair; if a woman wants short hair and a three-piece suit; if people want romance and sex with their own gender; who says they can't violate these perfectly arbitrary taboos? A short historical and cross-cultural survey should establish that men and women have worn and done all sorts of stuff. I recall reading something by Jan Morris in which it seemed that he thought he needed a sex change because he wanted men to hold doors open for him and kiss him goodbye at train stations. For starters, I'd have told him that I've had these nice things happen to me and I've still got my pecker.

What a classic statement. Here we have the real reason that so many gay men have problems with transsexuals. They fear the lost of their, uh, pecker. Well, Mr. Gold should rest assured...no one wants to take his pecker away from him. No one is going to pressure him into having sex reassignment surgery to correct his behavior. In fact, Mr. Gold should be aware that actually be a gay man is considered a contraindication for having SRS.

It is kind of ironic in a way. Many of the gender fascists, in attacking Mr. Gold, have tried to compare his statements about how there is no such thing as a male or female personality to things from the Religious Right. In fact, such a few is contrary to what the Religious Right thinks. They strongly believe that men and women are quite different in terms of personality. What the Religious Right does believe instead, is the silliness Mr. Gold presents here...that transsexuals are really the same as gay men, and should not give up what he clearly sees as his most prized possession. Again, he just doesn't get it. I guess Mr. Gold is so worried about his own penis that he feels he has to be concerned with everyone elses as well. Sort of a "No Penis Left Behind" program.

He concludes with more ignorance:

Perhaps it isn't needless to say that a No to the notion of transgender does not excuse discrimination against cross-dressers or post-op transsexuals in employment, housing and public accommodation; and I strongly support legislation that would forbid it. I would, however, get after the doctors - the psychiatrists who use a phony medical model to invent a disease that doesn't exist, and the surgeons who use such spurious diagnoses to mutilate the bodies of the deluded.

Apparently Mr. Gold felt a need to play a bit of CYA. He wants to deny people needed medical care because he fears for the safety of their penises (funny how FTMs are suddenly not a concern) but he doesn't want anyone discriminated against otherwise.

As to the rest of his comments, they are simply the ignorant rants of a gay man who is terrified that some penis might be removed. In his mind, apparently becoming a woman is mutilation. The simple fact that he ignores is that transsexualism is a well documented disease, with research increasingly showing that it has a physical cause. In his ignorance, he would spare transsexuals from discrimination, but he would consign us to a living hell.

Much has been written about this article. Mr. Gold was immediately removed as a contributor at Bilerico (of course, censorship is their standard response to any controversy), a number of articles have been posted condemning Mr. Gold, and Bil Browing is in full retreat. He has yet, as far as I can tell, failed to explain why this article was allowed to be posted. Perhaps he thought that, since the primary target was classic, true transsexuals, the gender fascists would embrace it. This is not the first time that Bilerico has allowed a gay man to condescend to transsexuals, and it will probably not be the last.

I suspect that, truth be told, this probably reflects Bil Browning's true opinions more than he wants to admit. In fact, it probably actually relects the true feelings of many gay men who simply cannot comprehend the real nature of transsexualism. And once again it goes to show why it is a mistake for transsexuals, both women and men, to allow themselves to be linked to the LGBT.

Transgender Myths...#1 Association with the LGBT Has Not Hurt Transsexuals

I am starting a new series of articles that will look at various "myths" perpetuated by the transgender community. By "myths" I mean those false beliefs that they cling to desperately, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

I'm going to start with a common one. Many will claim that being associated with lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people has not caused harm to those who are HBS, true transsexuals, or classic transsexuals. This is based on the argument that "transphobia" existed before the "T" (which they insist includes transsexuals) was added to the LG and B. The oft cited example is Janice Raymond's nasty book, The Transsexual Empire.

Now. there are several problems with this argument. First, it is simply a straw argument. No one would deny that what they term "transphobia" (a silly term that will be dealt with at another time) existed before the rise of the modern transgender movement. That is not the point. The issue is whether or not being associated with transgender, and thus the LGBT has mad things worse for transsexuals.

And the answer to this is a quite resounding yes!

The ways in which transsexuals have been harmed are numerous. First off, the nature of transsexualism has become distorted by association with both homosexuality and with the various factions that comprise the "transgender." Transsexualism, or preferably HBS, is not about sexual orientation. A person with HBS might well be straight, lesbian, gay, or bisexual. But, because of the association with the LGBT, many see transsexualism as just an advanced form of homosexuality.

The next way that the association has harmed us, is the fact that we become connected to behaviors that have nothing at all to do with true transsexualism or HBS, such as transvestism, crossdressing, drag queens, genderqueer, etc. These share nothing in common with transsexualism.

We are also harmed by often being associated with political and social views that we may strongly disagree with. For example, transgender is increasingly associated with ideas like gender deconstruction and that gender can be changed at will. These are not only false, but are harmful to transsexual seeking their rights. If gender is meaningless, and can be changed at will, then it can be argued that transsexuals should either just express their gender without seeking surgery (thus countering the argument that the surgery should be covered by insurance) or that we should simply just choose to go back to being the gender associate with our birth sex. One has to wonder if people even think before they spout off some of this silliness?

Finally, transsexuals are harmed by the forcible denial of their identities by many transgender activists, or by having their experiences co-opted by those who wish to falsely claim to be "the same as transsexuals," or who even make such silly claims as being "non-op" transsexuals, which is basically an oxymoron.

So, yes, in spite of the claims of transgender mythology, those who are transsexual, or who have HBS, are harmed by being associate with the LGBT.