Part of the old medical model was you have to integrate into society, if you couldn’t blend into society you couldn’t transition. The gatekeeper were inflexible, it anyone could identify you are trans you couldn’t transition, the gender binary was absolute!
Lesbians and gay went through the same period, back in the late sixties and early seventies they didn’t want any “Flaming Gays” or “Butch Dikes” they only want lesbians and gays who could assimilate into society, they wanted to be able to say “See we are just like you” and that was the goal of our gatekeepers… “See trans woman are just like you.”
But that attitude didn’t get us our rights; it just got us another closet.
Laverne Cox: Trans People Shouldn't Have to Blend InThat is one reason why we have such a hard time with finding our past because we went from one closet to another closet.
"If you can tell I'm trans, that's not only okay—that's beautiful."
Ellie
By Antonia Blyth
April 28, 2017
Thanks to the work of activists like Laverne Cox, public perception of what it means to be trans has been slowly evolving in recent years. The Orange is the New Black actress has frequently spoken out about her experience, and at the WE Day event in Los Angeles on Thursday, she talked about transitioning at a time when that ideally meant "blending in."
"Back when I started transitioning," Cox said, "way back in the day, the goal of transitioning was to blend in, to never let anybody know that you were transgender. And I never blended in. Could you imagine?" Unfortunately, trans people still often need to hide, she said, and it's something that needs to change.
Cox says it's important to acknowledge the challenges trans people face, and not expect them to hide who they are. "I believe it's important to publicly claim all these components of who I am with pride because I've not always been able to do so," Cox said. "Growing up in Mobile, Alabama, I think I can safely say there was nobody else like me. Now, sure, I have a twin brother, but in many ways our similarities were superficial, because the way that I saw myself and the way that world saw me were two very different things. Although I was assigned male at birth, I always knew that I was a girl. But I was bullied and shamed for how feminine I was. My gender was constantly policed by the other kids at school, by my teachers, by folks in church, and by my mother, and it kept me from really claiming my girlhood."But at the same being “out” has created a backlash. What was hidden is now out in the open.
Lesbians and gay went through the same period, back in the late sixties and early seventies they didn’t want any “Flaming Gays” or “Butch Dikes” they only want lesbians and gays who could assimilate into society, they wanted to be able to say “See we are just like you” and that was the goal of our gatekeepers… “See trans woman are just like you.”
But that attitude didn’t get us our rights; it just got us another closet.
Lesbians and gay went through the same period, back in the late sixties and early seventies they didn’t want any “Flaming Gays” or “Butch Dikes” they only want lesbians and gays who could assimilate into society, they wanted to be able to say “See we are just like you” and that was the goal of our gatekeepers… “See trans woman are just like you.”'
ReplyDeleteI am not so sure if the gatekeeps have truly succumbed to whatever such folks die off from. We hear it every June, “Why does the news media have to show drag queens, and half naked men.” Can’t they just show normal people like us? You know the types that surround the rainbow colored ATM machines and play Frisbee with TD Bank. (Terrible folks who sponsor the Dakota Pipeline)Folks who cry we made it and hug the CIA, the war machine and the worse of all straight institutions, mimicking like monkeys, and answering like pretty little birdies. YES YES. You know the types mommy and mommy and daddy and daddy, the dream of the parents marching in the street for equality all prettied up in their rainbow colors. Looking as straight as the next neighbor.
We hear it now from the gay and lesbian right. Nasty comments about the Transgender community and we have heard these views over and over again and again from lesbians and gay movement folks in our own state. Anyone who have been in the movement more than 6 months has witnessed or been in many a battle against such degrading crap. We fought off such nonsense here in Ct.
We know that our people broke the number one rule of those who are oppressed. That is allowing the oppressor any room to define us or by using a straight measuring stick, our allowing allies to lead us. I have rallied against that for years and have lost many a friend and mere acquaintance over my positions. Does that deter me. Never. Was I happy that I got my rights in Ct and not my sisters and brothers, never! In fact, I told them, take my rights back.
We still suffer from and are beholden to folks and groups who fit this quote to the T.
“A gay elite has hijacked queer struggle and positioned their desires as everyone’s needs-the dominant signs of straight conformity have become the ultimate signs of gay success.”
There is no fooling, no getting around it, no debating, no even considering that the quote is not truthful. It is true and will continue to be true as long as we now allow the political gatekeepers to define what actions we must take. As long as we allow them to set the agenda we are doomed to the straight worlds definition of what and who we are or should be. This is not what we fought for back in the day. This is what is called murdering the very soul of our movement.
A real battle is looming. One that will be a life and death struggle. The shots have been fired at the Trans community and the regime in DC is getting ready to do us in. Those who continue to linger within the straight world will damn us all. Some will have to be thrown under the bus or overboard by them so their positions are assured within the confines of the straight world. How many times must we see it to know it?
My real heroes are those who do not fit the straight worlds mold. Let me leave you with words written many years ago in what was called The Gay Manifesto by Carl Wittman. Mr. Wittman wrote and I quote, “The straight image of the gay world is largely defined by those who have violated straight roles. There is a tendency among Homophile groups to deplore gays who play visible roles—the queens and nellies. As liberated gays we must take a clear stand. 1. Gays who stand out have become our first martyrs. They came out and faced disapproval before the rest of us did. 2. If they suffered from being out and open it is straight society we must indict not the queens.” Ponder those words by an early liberationist. Here is a link to the complete manifesto.
http://www.againstequality.org/files/refugees_from_amerika_a_gay_manifesto_1969.pdf
For the trans community it was the "gatekeepers" because we were required to get therapy first. Over time the rules have slacken but there still is a requirement for an "evaluation"
ReplyDeleteI remember that from the research I did via the Cannon Clinton Jones archives. Who does the evaluation now? How long is the process? Can they evaluate and say no? This is a bit too much if they can. What criteria do they use? I would think that a person would know themselves first and foremost and wouldn't need a gatekeeper. Like we don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows. Fill me in more Diana.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to point out in my little rant how our own community has been and many still are gatekeepers allowing some to the table, it is breaking down but not fast enough for many of us who have been fighting the same old battle over and over.
Here is the link to the Standard of Care v7
ReplyDeletehttps://s3.amazonaws.com/amo_hub_content/Association140/files/Standards%20of%20Care%20V7%20-%202011%20WPATH%20(2)(1).pdf
this is a very fundamental change that we have gone through in eliminating the need to go stealth. Besides many of us cannot because we don't go all the way or we don't pass in the conventional way. Hence we become visibly trans and can identify as such.
ReplyDelete