29 January 2014

My Feminism Includes Trans Women

What the hell, feminists? Did you know that we're being assholes to trans women? I didn't. But I do now. Privilege got me. I didn't know. Sorry. I'll work on it. I don't think I've been an asshole myself, but I have been clueless! Big time. Because it's not my issue, and I don't have a problem with trans women. Kinda assumed, incorrectly, that most other people didn't either. Figured they had it about as bad as gay people, which is bad enough. But no.

You know what? If someone dresses as a woman, changes pronouns from him to her, wears women's shoes (seriously, you don't do that unless you're a woman or a transvestite!), risks life and limb, risks friends and jobs, or any combination thereof, she's a woman. Please have the courtesy to just live and let live.

And when you see this bullshit, don't let it go:
Cathy is a real piece of work.


You see this? This bully, this feminist bully, gave Sophia's birth name, place of work, and asked people to destroy her business via Yelp.

This needs to stop. And only we can stop it. Like Sophia says, by calling her out on her bullshit, which this is.

edited to add:
Oh and someone helpfully pointed out to me that there are trans women of colour too, and they really have it rough. My feminism includes EVERYONE. I don't write about race issues much, because I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it any justice, given my upbringing and my current community is so white... so very very white. Like you can't take a picture with the flash on because the glare off the people's faces is s... Okay. I exaggerate slightly. There are some FN people and I think I saw a black guy last week.

Let me say this once to be perfectly clear: I have a considerable amount of privilege being white and cisgendered. Even being married to a man gives me a certain amount of privilege. I have money. Lots of it, comparatively. Yes, sometimes all fucking hell breaks loose and we struggle for a few months, because we have a mortgage on our little townhouse, and three kids with autism who are expensive. But we're not in any danger of homelessness or not eating. Like our neighbours are. Or like we once were. I recognise my privilege most of the time, and don't mind being called out on it when I miss it. Please do!

So, I know there are a lot of things I don't know about. I know that FN women, black women, Asian women, trans women, Muslim women, any number of other categories of women, and any cross-section of them, have different issues than I have. And I know that I know jack squat about them. I'm reading. I'm learning. And I'm trying to boost the signal when I see them asking me to. Other than that, I'm shutting the hell up, because ffs, I have no clue. And that doesn't for one second mean I don't support each and every woman on this planet. Even the ones who are actively against us (*cough*Sarah Palin*cough*). I'll call them out on their shit, but I won't put up with anyone shooting misogynistic slurs at them.