Breaking news: WA transman assaulted by his own family

Our economy is crap. American families are facing homelessness in numbers not seen since the Great Depression and, like in the Great Depression, we find ourselves returning to family with greater frequency. This can be especially complicated for the individual with gender variance, especially when the transperson’s family is trans-ignorant or downright transphobic.

Friday night, a local transman in this situation (I’ll name him Terry) was visiting a sibling’s home along with the rest of the family when a family member took exception to his declared identity and assaulted him. Terry fought back and was kicked out. While he appears to be physically well, he is shaken–and he now has no job, no home, and his only pair of shoes was broken in the altercation.

I’m hoping you can help him out. I’m taking donations for his needs–food, clothing, shoes, hygiene supplies–and seeking safe shelter and other resources for him. Please help meet Terry’s needs by clicking below!

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’Matthew 25:36, The Message

And remember: if you find yourself alone, Call the United Way Helpline, usually 211, or call 866-4-U-Trevor 24/7!

Transmen Against Misogyny

Hat tip from Backstage – The Actor’s Resource, pic from source too

So they’re making another rehash of 80s media–a live action Smurfs movie. Value-add: it’s got Misogyny! Tasty, tasty misogyny. Mmm.

The cattle casting call for ‘Sophie’, played by an 8-10 year old, describes the character in part as follows: “though always appealing, she is often socially awkward and doesn’t fit in”. As someone who grew up assigned-female, someone who has fathered an assigned-female child of his own, I find this entirely sick.

She can be awkward, intelligent, and not fit in, that’s ok–as long as she performs (is appealing)! Her older brother, he doesn’t need to appeal. But a prepubescent girl (in the same age range as my child, probably part of why this irritates me) is already being pressed into the performance model.

I dare say that is the single unifying characteristic of feminine gender roles–the expectation to perform. I asked a female friend of mine what it was that made women accept this sort of policing. Her response was thought-provoking: “[M]y initial thought is that it’s expected, and when women don’t go along with it, it results in negative social responses. so to avoid these ramifications, they go along with whatever will keep that conflict away.”

How is this enforced? It starts with gender training that involves teaching female-assigned folks to rely on socioemotional rewards for self-worth, rather than allowing them accomplishment in their own right. If you think I’m kidding look at the gender-based school studies that are ALL over the place. From there, it’s a matter of harassment for noncompliance. My birth name will always be a special hell. Maybe because I was a dude, maybe not, but for some reason I simply was not capable of performing the roles asked of me. From kids at school I got:

“That’s not a boy, that’s not a girl, that’s a Judy!”*

And worse.

This is why I’m a transman against misogyny (among other forms of discrimination). I don’t want ANYONE harassed this way: Cis or Trans; Masculine, Androgynous, or Feminine; Gay, Straight, Queer; Color, Class, Ability; whatever. Help me dismantle this element of society. Help me create a world where we raise people to believe they’re valuable in their own right.

*not my birth name. You want to know what my birth name was? Ask Calpernia Addams, she knows.

Bryan Fischer disses Autumn Sandeen

Browsing what’s fun and new this morning, I found yet another verbal (textual?) assault on the trans issues front. Bryan Fischer, formerly the executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance (position papers here), starts his article by personally insulting Autumn Sandeen, a veteran and a hero of mine. Not only does he straw man her refreshing discussion on the realities of ObamaCare’s relation to Gender Confirmation Treatment, he goes on to refer to everyone undertaking this difficult journey as

“confused Americans who want to surgically mutilate themselves…the attempted suicide rate among transgendered individuals is many times higher than among the heterosexual [sic] population, certainly a reflection that the inner dissonance they live with is terribly self-destructive.”

Right and wrong in one: suicidality in transfolks is an unfortunate reality, but the APA knows reparative therapy isn’t the answer. So does the AMA–who say coverage for treatment is medically necessary.  So Fischer harasses people, and makes the wrong recommendation–which is to be expected–but he’s categorically insulting all of us–gender-matched folks too. After all, if you’re not transphobic, you’re enabling.

So here’s how you can speak up on the issue: Get yourself a Reality Check from Whitehouse.gov. Then Contact Renew America, the blog on which he posted this opinion piece, and share this article with others. Talk talk!

(thanks to [transgendernews] for the tip)