I had watched, on television, as a child, the marches in Selma Alabama under the leadership of a sincere man named Martin Luther King Jr. I saw on TV the police brutalize African-Americans because they were involved in a peaceful march to get the right to vote (something already given by law but not supported by any penalty like the recent transgender rights “given” to us by NV legislature) I watched as newscasters spoke nervously of a radical, Malcolm X, who promoted the hatred and violence (bullshit but you get the idea) of decent white folk through a thinly veiled practice of Islam. I lived 16 miles from the HQ of the Black Panthers in Oakland CA as the party grew from the remains of RAM, I remember Huey P Lewis and Bobby Seale. I remember the Panthers carrying loaded shotguns and rifles in their neighborhoods (almost exclusively poor black people) and the Panther mission as the defense of community. The Panthers’ famous “policing the police” drew attention to the spatial remove that White Americans enjoyed from the state violence that had come to characterize life in black urban communities.
I remember when Black men and women stopped nodding and smiling when someone called them “Nigger” and the people of color started saying “I don’t dig that word, Honkey” then someone would say it a while later and they would get an angry black fist or more in their mouth. Even though my skin was pale white, I grew up with these wonderful emotional people, living in the bay area I rejoiced when I saw them say “I’m not your nigger” and back it up. I remember the fear black skin could incite in a large group of white people. I remember thinking “Something is happening, I was 8, but I was inspired. Even to this day, I see people not of color look around nervously before saying that hated word. Fear prevents them from being too stupid. Fear born of many angry black fists raised in the air and raised in violence against injustice and ignorance.
Today I am still white, and red. That means little to me, because now that three years ago I have transitioned, I am in the same place as my cousins in Oakland in the mid 60′s. I am called “Tranny” and “She-male” and “Lady Boy” and a myriad of other things that hurt and marginalize and destroy my humanity. Things that make me inhuman so it is easier to beat me, rape me, rob from me, discriminate against me and deny me the right to be a living human being. When Gay men smugly tell me “Its all right, I know a lot of trannys and they don’t mind me calling them Tranny at all” I have stopped saying “Well, please don’t use the word with me, it is offensive” then I moved on to “Knock it off faggot – how do YOU like it” To finally grabbing someone by whatever article of clothing or available handhold I can get and threatening (promising) to beat the shit out of them if they say it again or even try to justify it to me.
I am called crazy, I am called a bitch. I am called a cunt. Never to my face after I decide to promise someone the ass beating of their life. But I am still called that. I get people telling me “Get over it” “Lighten up” and the inane “Try smiling a little more” as if it’s all okay cause we have trite little phrases we like to throw up rather than ugly truth. Instead of saying “I understand that as a Trans person you are routinely denied even basic human rights and are understandably upset” my frustration and anger with being dismissed is compounded by some Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Straight asshole telling me “It gets better”.
Listen up, Mr. and Ms. “Not me”, IT DOESN’T GET BETTER TILL A FEW MORE HEADS ARE BROKEN AND YOUR FEAR OF PHYSICAL REPRISAL OVERRIDES YOUR CISGENDER PRIVILEGED ATTITUDE ! Do you understand what I am saying? I am a radical trans person, I will hit you, I will knock you down and stomp you, I will slap your mouth, after enough abuse I may be willing to set your car on fire, I may even be willing to start my own form of harassment against you, to see how YOU like it. Will your gender privileged friends tell you “Get over it” or will they worry that they may be next? Will it take a lot of us rioting? Burning down YOUR homes and shops? Beating random cis gender privileged people beyond a simple street fight? Maybe to death? Before you see enough is enough and your privilege does not mean SHIT to the oppressed?
Am I advocating lawlessness? Yes, I am. I have had enough of people asking me about how I have sex, what my genitalia looks like, what I prefer men or women or do I like under age persons. I have had enough of YOU. Judging me, making up stereotypes of me based on bad porn movies (WTF are you watching that shit for anyway if you hate me so much?). And Gay males, you are NOT me so shut your fucking mouths and stop speaking for me. I am NOT a gay male, what I am has NOTHING to do with my sexual behavior; it is all of me, 24/7. Quite like black or brown or yellow skin, I cannot hide this, I cannot safely retreat to a closet and pretend I am cis gendered like all the normal people when it means possibly losing a job for being who and what I am. My image does not stop at the bedroom door like you can get away with SO DON’T SPEAK FOR ME EVER AGAIN! Speak of your Gay sex and your Gay causes and how it is so wrong to say “Gay” when you mean lame or weak. Speak of your own shit and stay the fuck out of my neighborhood.
Advocates, stopping high fiving when you get legislation passed that says it is illegal to discriminate against us. When I specifically ask a BUNCH of you where is the enforcement and NOT ONE of you have ever been able to tell me. ACLU, fuck you too. Trans cases are hard to win when we aren’t physically abused on camera and your case is made easy for you. When the case gets a little tougher, like the clear violation of the brand new wonderful trans equality legislation and you haven’t any photo proof you back away from it so fast you leave skid marks GO THE FUCK AWAY. I will just beat the shit out of the next medical professional that calls me by the wrong pronoun after a warning.
Do I sound ungrateful? Do I sound unappreciative? Do I sound dangerous? Do I sound radical? Do I sound violent? Do I sound militant?
Good, your beginning to get the fucking idea. Live in fear, your days of privilege are numbered, the sooner you learn, the safer you will remain. War has been declared, and the battle has already begun.
Hey Lady,
Very cool and of course I get it. 62 YO Bieber Babe, fired cuz I transitioned on the job, etc. Have you read the SCUM manifesto? Society to cut up men….
I’d like some powerful militants to protect me, get vengence , and draw lots of attention to our cause, however, we don’t have the troops! There might have been 40 million Blacks back in panther days and larger % populations in cities. Maybe we have 40K and you know very few would fight. Blacks had strong young men with much muscle and a big support base where they lived. We’re less concentrated and have female muscle. Ya Know, the FBI murdered most of the Panthers and the Weather Underground eventually got locked up.
I used to ride w/ a dyke MC around PHX AZ. We all carried guns to keep the rednecks from running us off the road. Back then I would have liked to beat the shit out off the transphobes who got me fired, but I didn’t want to go to jail.
Now I’m older and more depressed. I’m not quite at the point of suicide by cop. Anyway, I just have the feeling, maybe I’m wrong, that the cops around here are better people than the religious right and the misogynistic good old boy red necks. Maybe I should blow-up a cowboy bar and/or an evangelical mega-church (just kidding Feds).
Not sure if I should look forward to you making the news again.
Good Luck
Renee
I am an intergendered transvestite. Transvestism is incurable so it doesn’t get better! I don’t think it ever will. I don’t believe heterosexual impartiality can exist in present society for it seems all cultures hate us.
A true test of a heterosexists’ impartiality is this.
Set the scene.
Doctor.
I’m afraid Mr & Mrs Doe, your foetus is transgendered. These days we can medicate your wife during pregnancy so the child will be born ‘normal’ or do you want the pregnancy terminated. Alternatively we could let the pregnancy proceed untreated and your child will be transgendered.
Which would option would you prefer Mr & Mrs Doe.
Ask any heterosexual parent this question and you KNOW what the answer will be!!!
It’s worse for transvestites because I see transvestism as an advantage not a curse. It enables me to better cross gender lines and it gives me an infinitely more varied appreciation of life whilst lending me several extra dimensions to my life. However, you can bet your bottom dollar that if my parents had been offered some sort of pre-natal ‘remedy’ they would have adopted the treatment and thus denied me the variety I cherish and demand the right to enjoy!!!
Well you started talking about the 60′s, so let’s start there. It was Dr King’s NON-VIOLENT crusade that brought a lot of change and understanding. I’d rather have understanding than fear. I don’t think violence is the answer. Especially in economic times like these, violence most likely result in more violence and marginalization in response.
Next, Renee described the trans community as having “female muscle”. Congrats on forgetting the other half of the community. You know, the trans men?
Allrighty. Lets start on your errors. I did NOT forget Dr King Jr, he is mentioned in the first paragraph. And as far as non-violent ? Your right, it was just the
Coloreds” that got hurt in those marches (yeah, I watched them, and I didn’t see any whites getting hosed, beaten or attacked by dogs) so non-violence is great, if both sides wish to play it, but there were over 200 Transgender deaths last year as a result of trans hatred, the other side doesn’t want to play non violent.
I didnt forget about trans men. Did you see where I said “DON’T SPEAK FOR ME” ? That goes for gay men, sociologists, gay women, straight anythings, and trans men. I do not speak for them because I am NOT a trans man. Most trans men enjoy deep stealth because after only a small amount of testosterone they start growing facial hair and it seems if the breasts are hidden and there is facial hair present then it is okay to identify them as male. And God bless em, I wish passing was as easy for the MtF but it isn’t, and typically it is the MtF that suffers the brunt of the attacks, the hatred, the discrimination. I know the same thing happens to trans men, but not in the same numbers and not as universally.
No one “forgot” anything. We were staying within our realms of experience. I invite any lucid trans man to contribute and would easily accept input and assistance or even education from them. I mentioned many times my “Brothers” those are trans men. And Trans men are far from half of the community. They are a much smaller fraction and deserve our help when we can give it to them.