Open Forum: Transmen and Their Invisibility In The "T"

The "T" in LGBT is supposed to represent crossdressers, drag queens/kings, transvesites, transsexuals, and those who are genderqueer. Often you find that not only is the transgender component of LGBT non-existant or minimal, but amongst the transgender community there seems to be a lack of attention to issues faced by trans men.

As an outside observer it seems a lot of transgender advocacy and resources is designed for male-to-female transgender individuals, and that there is a lack of information for people who are female-to-male.

Do you find that there is some sort of discrepancy in the amount of effort placed on the f2m dynamic of the transgender movement? Is this transsexism, or are m2f's more privileged because they started off as males, and males are more privileged in our sexist, male dominated society?

New FtM Book - "Labor of Love"

Thomas Beatie an FtM man shocked the world in April of 2008 announcing he was pregnant. He and his wife Nancy were featured on Oprah and scored dozens of interviews about "the pregnant man." This story was beautiful, touching and highlighted the plight of female to male transsexuals and thrusted trans issues into the national spotlight in a way never seen before.

The story wasn't without controversy, as witnessed by trans-bashing done by Morning Joe, and by the Fox News show Red Eye. Even many in the transgender community were angry and afraid that this story would reflect negatively on their lives.

Well, Mr. Beatie had his baby and the sky has not fallen. The media frenzy is over, and transgender people still face misunderstanding by society, but none that has been exacerbated by "the pregnant man."

Here is a short snippet of the story provided by Queerty:

"Labor of Love chronicles Thomas Beatie’s unique life experiences: his less-than-idyllic childhood in Hawaii; his transition from female to male; his marriage to his wife, Nancy; his legal battles to live as a man; his fight to conceive a child; and the birth of their daughter, Susan, in late June. Labor of Love is a groundbreaking book because it tackles social, political, and legal questions about gender, marriage, and family. Thomas and Nancy’s uphill battle to have a baby is both fascinating and touching. They are a normal couple who wanted a family, and yet the circumstances surrounding their desire to get pregnant and their journey to get there are truly extraordinary."

I think the Beatie family has a beautiful story, and I look forward to buying their book shortly.

National Survey on Transgender Experiences of Discrimination in the U.S.

You are invited to participate in a research project regarding transgender and gender non-conforming people in the United States. Your responses will be part of an important report on transgender people’s experiences of discrimination in housing, employment, health care and education.

"This is an absolutely critical national effort. We urge all transgender and gender non-conforming people to take the survey to help guide us in making better laws and policies that will improve the quality of life for all transgender people. We need everyone's voice in this, everyone's participation." Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality

https://online.survey.psu.edu/endtransdiscrim/

Open Forum: Transition - Choice or Necessity?

Some people under the transgender umbrella elect to undergo hormones and/or Sexual Re-Assignment Surgery (SRS) in order to transition into the gender that feels more appropriate for themselves.

People often say "sexual orientation is not a choice" while others maintain that it is a "lifestyle choice" and some go onto further explain that sexual feelings are not a choice but the behavior and actions are. Is the same true with sexual re-assignment surgery, are the gender identity feelings not a choice but electing to do something about it is? If we maintain that sexual behavior and gender transition are choices we face the question of whether the individual could go on living their life and it factors into the equation variables such as suicide, depression, etc. If we maintain that it is not a choice how do we deal with the fact that not all transgender people opt for any hormones and/or surgery. The transgender umbrella has pre-operative, non-operative, and post-operative trans people.

The question this week is a complicated one and as such I expect a variety of different responses to the query.

When it comes to transitioning gender, do you think this is a mere choice or a necessity for the person who is transgender?

(Oh, and in case you are wondering the picture is of Theresa Sparks who made history as the first transgender woman elected to head a major metropolitan city's police commission in the United States).

Word of the Gay: "Cissexism"

"Cissexism" is the belief and treatment of transgender and/or transsexual people as inferior to cissexual (non-trans) people.

The Cisgender Privilege Checklist

"There appears to be little in the way of a comprehensive cisgender (non transgender) privilege list. These lists are generally written in the first person relative to having the privilege. Number #1 speaks to both heterosexual and cisgender privilege. The remainder of the list focuses on cisgender privilege."

Please read and re-post this list to make people aware of the hardships often faced by transgender individuals that cisgender people take for granted on a daily basis.

1. It is unlikely that I will be ostracized by my family and friends, fired from my job, evicted from my home, given substandard medical care, suffer violent or sexual abuse, ridiculed by the media, or preached against by religious organizations simply because of my professed identity or perceived incongruent gendered behaviors or characteristics.
2. I can be confident that people will not call me by a different name or use improper pronouns.
3. I never suffered the indignation of "holding it", when both functional and unoccupied public restrooms are available. In fact, I don't need to be concerned about public facilities segregated by sex.
4. If I am institutionalized, I don't have to worry about being housed in the wrong section of a facility segregated by sex.
5. I am not denied entrance to appropriate services or events that are segregated by sex.
6. My childhood innocence was not interrupted with desperate prayers to a divinity begging to wake up the opposite sex.
7. I never grieve about my lost childhood and adolescence because I was born the opposite sex.
8. I will only experience puberty once.
9. I never worry about potential lovers shifting instantly from amorous to disdain and even violence because of my genitals.
10. I am unlikely to be questioned about my genitals, even less likely to be touched inappropriately or asked to see them.
11. It is unlikely that I would risk my health by avoiding the medical profession for fear of discovery.
12. I never considered hiding my body parts by binding or tucking.
13. It is unlikely that I would consider changing my voice.
14. If I have a professionally recognized and diagnosed condition, I am unlikely to be excluded from medical insurance coverage.
15. As a man, I am more likely to look my age, and have a body similar in size and shape to other men.
16. As a man, I am more likely to be satisfied with the functionality of my genitals.
17. As a man, I am more likely able to father children .
18. As a woman, I am more likely to have a body similar in size and shape to other women.
19. As a woman, I am unlikely to lose my hair before middle age.
20. As a woman, I am more likely able to conceive and bear children.
21. As a woman, I don't have to dilate the rest of my life.
22. I am more likely able to achieving orgasm.
23. I will likely have $50,000 or more to spend or save for retirement.
24. I can't imagine spending months and $1000s of dollars on a therapist so they can tell me something I already knew.
25. If I am physically healthy, I don't think about having a hysterectomy, a mastectomy, massive hair removal, contra hormone therapy, vocal surgery, facial reassignment surgery, or genital reassignment surgery.
26. I have a better chance of reaching old age without taking my own life.
27. At my funeral, it is unlikely that my family would present me crossdressed against my living wishes.
28. I never worry about passing gender wise. I am oblivious to the consequences of someone failing to do so, and consequently loosing my cisgender (non transgender) privilege. In fact, I have the privilege of being completely unaware of my own cisgender privilege.

Crossposted from The Transgender Boards

Word of the Gay: "Shemale"

"Shemale" is a term mostly used as a slur against transgender, and pre-operative transsexuals. A "shemale" is a biological male who has gone through partial transition to present as female. They usually have breasts but still maintain male genitalia. The term rarely but sometimes is used to describe intersex people as well. As with other reclaimed words, "shemale" has been used by some trans people as a form of self-empowerment.

Tyra Banks a True Ally to the LGBT Community

I just watched an episode of The Tyra Banks Show featuring Transsexual models from the world famous Trantasia Trans beauty pageant documentary. In the words of one of the guests who thanked Tyra she said "thanks for not exploiting transsexuals but merely educating."

The Tyra Banks show has consistently portrayed Bisexual, Transgender, Gay and Lesbian people in a positive light and has done a lot for the visibility of our movement and to share our stories.

In that spirit please join me in thanking Tyra Banks for her commitment to sharing our stories and educating about the lives of LGBT people.

Email Tyra! (Tyra sends all who email a free autographed photo as a special thank-you gift)

Word of the Gay: "RLE - Real Life Experience"

RLE is short for "Real Life Experience" and is also sometimes called "RLT- Real Life Test". It is the process whereby a transgender person lives in their preferred gender role for a period of time to show they can function and are happy within that role. This process has historically been a requirement by the medical establishment before any hormone treatment can be administered or an individual can go through sex re-assignment surgery.

Transgender Inequality Video

This is a powerful video on Trans inequality, I'd recommend passing it along as we are always in the business of changing hearts and minds within the community and beyond.

What Does Transphobia Look Like?

1. Assuming that everyone is either male or female.

2. Continuing to use inappropriate gender pronouns after being corrected or calling someone "it".

3. Continuing to call someone by a name which they no longer identify.

4. Believing that Transgender people cannot be "real" men or "real" women.

5. Assuming that there are appropriate for ways for men and women to look.

6. Considering transsexuality to be a mental illness or a disorder.

7. Thinking that cross dressing is a sexual fetish or perversion.

8. Expecting all Transgender people to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

9. Believing that Transgender people will automatically feel included by adding "T" to the label "LGB."

10. Feeling uncomfortable around someone who is androgynous or who challenges traditional gender boundaries.

11. Expecting all Transgender people to be transsexual and want to transition completely or at all.

12. Believing that women cannot be cross dressers.

13. Thinking that people identify as Transgender because it is trendy.

14. Assuming that Genderqueer individuals are confused or undecided.

15. Believing that Transgender youths cannot be trusted to make decisions about their gender identities.

16. Thinking that transsexual women are really gay men who are so afraid to admit that they are gay that they would rather consider themselves heterosexual women.

17. Belieiving that someone is using the wrong bathroom because they dont appear gender typical.

18. Treating hormones therapies and gender re-assignment surgeries as elective medical procedures, rather than basic health care for transsexual individuals.

19. Asking someone what their genitals look like.

20. Failing to rent an apartment, give a job or promotion, or to provide a service to a person because the person is assumed to be transgender.

21. Excluding a Transgender person from activities, discussions, or decisions because that person "doesn't fit in."

*Courtesy of the UMass Amherst Stonewall Center