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Instead of speculating or making assumptions, why not try listening to trangender people? For instance, Erica Rose tells us what it is like for people who are not trans to assume they know what it is like for her to be transsexual. (Hat Tip Some Notes on Living)
You may also want to check out Erica Rose's YouTube Channel. Of course, listening to one transgender person is hardly listening to transgender people in general, but it's a start.
Some Notes on Living and ENDA Blog are good places to keep listening to transgender people, even when it might make you uncomfortable.
Psycho Woman Throws Knives At Children
13 years ago
You don't really know a whole group of people, ever. Generalizing about people you know nothing about is a really absurd.
I've watched a couple of documentaries featuring Dr. Marcie Bower and some of her trans patients. Hearing their stories has given me an education. Also having had a good friend in the past who is trans and knowing the stories of two of my daughter's friends. Otherwise, I tune out what people have to say about what trans people are or are not. I try to apply this viewpoint to every group of people.
Thanks for this. It's good.
Indeed our voices are as unique as any population - and that is why it is critical for the American Psychiatric Association to listen carefully to their clients experiences and to the clinicians who themselves are transsexual or transgendered to some degree, there is a spectrum of gender. Thank you GLH for taking the time , to help us keep on learning. The most important thing is an open mind.
And we are all still learning - much like sexual orientation is innate , gender spectrum and variance is innate , complex and very human naturally occuring phenomenon - the oppression is emmense and like sexual orientation when gender variance threatens the patriarchal system of oppression of both the feminine and the male power elite - the powerful seek to pathologize , what is not pathological at all.
There are some wonder resources out there, books, blogs, voices, from all strata of society - and lets not forget the great Kate Bornstein and her book Gender Outlaws - its a classic - all of us , lgbtq are at the very least in societies eyes.
Gender Transgressors. Kinsey broke ground decades ago when he documented how varied human sexuality truly is - its time for this country to grow up - and its past due for the lgbtq to not be used as the political wedge issue -
and of course as the post above this one points out - its WAY past due for the religious to stop meddling in public affairs. We are not a theocracy , we are a melting pot.
Thank you for listening to many voices. When we listen to each other we learn. Its very important to the leather community that we all keep an eye on the DSM reform process , as they want are reviewing sexual practices many of which between consenting adults are NOT pathological at all.
Like Kinsey found out , there is a lot more to sexuality then the missionary position. Plus those who write these critiques are often steeped heavily in their own biases..
we have a lot of education to do , thank you for caring. Together we will all see our equality i have no doubt. I try to remember to take my anger at injustice and get active.
pptg.
oh one other really excellent book is Whipping Girl by Julia Serano - she is amazing , and her work on the scapegoating of femininity in our culture is a break through work - a road map to the future. The book is so thought provoking it reframes so many constructs we have labored undered and sets a path way towards liberation for all of us gender offenders or transgressors. So much of the roots of homophobia have to do with misogyny.