One of those issues I felt the need to comment on is a trans dignity and respect.
I was perusing my Facebook feed and noted a comment from a well known activist who was recounting a transphobic experience she`d had at her local hairdresser.
She was getting her hair done when a conversation started in the shop about last week`s SCOTUS marriage ruling. She was stunned and pissed off to hear the beautician working on her hair express a negative reaction to it, and then take a potshot at guys and girls like us by adding that she couldn`t stand people who `changed their sex.`
Little did the transphobic hairdresser know that she was working on the tresses of one of those people she hated.
The person in question didn`t elaborate on how far along she was in the process of getting her hair done at the time the transphobic comment was uttered. But having been in a similar situation back in the late 90s when I was getting my hair done and another beautician not working on my hair at the time made several derogatory comments about Black Americans (she was Nigerian), I ripped her a new anus.
So what is Moni`s moral in this story? The bottom line is that if you are so inclined and the situation calls for it, we need to call out disrespectful commentary and negative treatment of trans people. I understand it`s a judgment call as whether or not you feel safe to do so, but if you are in a reasonably safe space, put them in check.
How you do it is your call.
Now why am I saying this? Because the odds are that transphobes aren`t going to let their negative commentary loose unless they think they will have majority support in whatever venue this is happening in.
If we let transphobic comments slide for whatever set of reasons, then it will happen again to someone else until the transphobe finally gets checked on their nekulturny behavior.
Maybe missing out on some service fees plus tips or getting checked by their supervisor after you have a chat with them will speed up that process
Neither should we trans peeps spend our precious T-bills with people or companies who don`t respect our humanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment