We Didn't Start The Rad Fem War On Trans Women-We're Reacting To It

Denise Brogan-Kator sent me a note entitled Rad Fems and Trans* women that she compiled.  

And as you probably guessed, I had an opinion about the laughable radfem charge that trans women are 'violently attacking them' in a Julian Vigo post and another one at that cesspool of transphobia Gender Trender that I refuse to link to.

What I said in this June 1 post is apropos here:
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You TERF's don't get to play that game in which you gleefully oppress and attack trans women's humanity and then climb on your white femininity pedestal and claim you're being 'bullied' or 'attacked'. You're getting called on your transphobic crap and if you don't like it, tough.

 But here's Denise's Facebook note with my comments  

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A few weeks ago I got an email from my friend and former law professor, Catharine MacKinnon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharine_MacKinnon). She was reaching out to me for my reactions because others had reached out to her about one or more incidents of violence and/or hate speech between the communities of transgender people and radical feminists.

This “problem” has been nagging at me as I’ve continued to read each side’s “position” and its complaints about the other side. This writing will attempt to describe my personal conclusions and thoughts on these issues, which I suspect will, forever, be a work in process.

I would like to state unequivocally that I am opposed to ALL forms of violence, for whatever reason. The incident in question occurred at a recent “Law & Disorder Conference” held in Portland. [1] I am told that there have been other incidents of violence, but I’ve not seen any specific references.

Caveats: I do not hold myself out as, nor believe myself to be, a leading thinker or researcher with respect to sex and gender. I do not have an advanced degree in queer theory or feminism and I do not have an advanced degree in neurobiology. What I do have are core beliefs, through which I shape my actions and which are subject to change with new information and evidence.

I believe:

That gender and the entire system of gender is a social construct that has worked to keep women in a subordinate role and, as aconsequence, has retarded humanity’s positive growth toward an ideal society where men AND women can accurately be said to be created equal.

That violence, short of defense, has no place in our world and that it not only fails to advance the cause of feminism and social development, but also actually reverses it. I believe that violence of any kind reinforces the patriarchy and diminishes us all.

That patriarchy is real and pernicious. It is the common enemy of all fair-minded feminists of any sex and gender.

That sex and gender are not the same. I believe that sex has its basis in biology and that gender and its attendant roles is the exclusive domain of socialization.

I do not know, but I doubt, that sex is anything more than the size of the gamete produced by the body. In other words, I do not know but I doubt that our brains are different in any way that matters.

That said, I do believe there IS a biological difference between men and women – and that biology, especially the effects of sex hormones, do influence behavior (to a greater or lesser degree that is unknown in individuals). HOWEVER, the suggestion that such a difference leads to an inherent male dominance is absurd and destructive. We need not deny the physical differences between men and women to condemn the destructive effects of patriarchy. Difference should never be used as an excuse to dominate.

I believe:

That trans-women such as myself, despite an outward appearance which arguably reinforces the system of gender actually help, in every real sense, toward the deconstruction of gender.

That gender is made not born and, because gender is performative, I also believe, as Catharine put it to me, that there are many ways of becoming a woman including, sadly, sexual assault.

Although I have survived multiple sexual assaults, I believe that I will never fully know the fear that many, if not most, girls and women are all too familiar with. I was 17 before I experienced my first sexual assault. Until that point, I never had a concern about being alone with a man, walking after dark, or in a parking garage. I grew up with many forms of privilege, but this privilege is often overlooked.

That radical feminists’ attempts to deny transgender people our expression of gender – no matter how based in stereotype such expressions may appear to be – operates from a form of essentialism that contradicts their analysis and diminishes our joint efforts.

That in order to change the system of male dominance we must both allow and honor individual expressions of gender (even when, as with myself, that expression of gender is borne of male privilege) and engage in collective social activism.

That the increasing animosity and hostility between the radical feminist movement and the transgender movement is destructive to our mutual goal of the liberation of women from male dominance.

That Julian Vigo is right to observe that “[i]f gender is inherently detrimental as the radical feminists maintain and if trans identification occurs in part because gender is rigidly interpreted and represented through normative modalities of behaving, then there will be unceasing dissonance between these two groups.” [2]

Nevertheless, I do not think that the two groups have to be at war with one another. We need not trade verbal barbs and comments that denigrate the other. And, most of all, we need not inflict violence upon each other.

I wish we could find a way to lift up one another. I think that the system of gender has hurt us all for so long. I do not want the voices of radical feminists silenced. I just wish they would focus on the very real threats to women (and, in this, I agree that a physical assault is of course a real threat!) and not turn their anger at this hateful system against trans persons. On the flip side of that coin, I wish my brothers and sisters in the transgender community could either find a way to lift up the voices of radical feminists in areas where we so obviously agree, or at a minimum, ignore the arguments and words with which we may disagree.

Let us commit to working, together, for common values like the true liberation of women, the advancement of women in this society and around the world. The real problem here isn’t whether or not trans-women get to claim womanhood. It’s about the number of women on the bench, in Congress, on boards of directors, in the CEO chair of Fortune 500 companies, and being paid less than men. It’s about the ongoing problem of a rape culture and the struggle it took to pass the Violence Against Women Act and the subsequent striking down of its key civil remedy provision. It’s about the mass murder and mutilation of women around the world. Please, let’s put our priorities in the right place.

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And my response to it.

I'm tired of people trying to ignore the fact that transwomen didn't start the war between radfems and trans women. Radfems did in the 1970s. It is radfems who went after trans women, viciously outed them in GL and feminist circles, wrote papers to the federal government in the early 80's that led to medical exclusions on trans medical care in insurance polices and Medicare and Medicaid and keep instigating and pushing the poisonous rhetoric that has led to far too many non-white transwomen dying.. And now you're trying to expand that poisonous anti-trans radfem BS internationally

You're not victims and it's laughable to me as a trans person of color a bunch of predominately white women are trying to claim they are being 'attacked, silenced and oppressed'; when this a natural reaction to what has been done to transpeople by predominately white radfems gleefully exercising their white female cis privilege since the 70's.

And yes radfems, you are the oppressors. Passive-aggressive oppressors with four decades of blood on your hands. I don't see radfems getting shot at, stabbed, involved in videotaped beatdowns or brutally killed year after depressing year or facing crushing unemployment or underemployment because of radfems embedded in GL organizations fighting the inclusion of gender identity in human rights legislation.

Oppressed people get tired of being fracked with and eventually will strike back against their oppressors. That's a historical fact. If you don't like being called 'oppressors', 'radphlegms', 'white radfem womym gone wild', et cetera, then stop the nekulturny four decade old oppressive behavior that pisses trans women off or do you part to call out and stop the people in your ranks who are gleefully engaged in it.

And when I see radfems doing 40 years of good to HELP the trans community in its just human rights struggle, maybe I'll change my opinion about radical feminism and feminism in general.   

Another GetEqual Fail- White Privilege, Black Blaming and Dissing The First Lady

I've been on GetEqual's ass since 2010 about their one sided penchant for protesting this White House but not having the same vanillacentric zeal to protest their Republican oppressors.

I've also questioned at times if anybody in the org paid attention in their government or political science classes.

Once again their lack of vision and bad timing bit them in the behind when GetEqual's Ellen Sturtz interrupted First Lady Michelle Obama at a recent private fundraiser event.  The stated purpose was to call attention to getting the POTUS to sign an incrementalist ENDA executive order that the 1% white gays have been pushing that won't protect the entire community like comprehensive ENDA legislation will. 

And oh by the way, the First Lady doesn't have the power to write and sign executive orders, her husband does.   It's not a good idea to piss off the person who DOES have the power to issue that executive order you'd like them to sign by disrespecting their spouse. 

The only attention it has gotten was on how rude Ms Sturtz was, how problematic the optics were on this and how once again, predominately white led Gay Inc orgs pull these stunts that play well in the white gay community but piss off gay and straight African-Americans weary of the unprecedented levels of disrespect aimed at the Obamas. 

The timing also sucked because African-Americans trans, gay and straight were already pissed off about being blamed by loud and wrong gay pundits for the Illinois marriage equality legislative FUBAR.

Denise Oliver-Velez comments on this latest GetEqual fail in her DailyKos post that features comments from a certain blogger y'all know.

Bullying and Where Are the Parents?

Guest post from Renee of Womanist Musings

I have come to hate the term where are the parents because it ignores that parents can dedicate every waking minute to fighting for their kids and not make any progress because the system is not designed to be helpful.  I have also come to hate the term zero tolerance policy in reference to bullying because it's a lie. When my children were born, I promised to love them unconditionally, to support them and fight for them whenever necessary.  I have kept this vow but it has not been easy. The first time my oldest son was bullied, he was five years old and he was being called "brown boy." Today, the taunts have escalated and now he is being called the N word.

For the last two years, one boy on my son's bus has delighted in being a bully.  My son hasn't been his only victim but being Black, he is the only one being called a racial slur. I have talked to the school bus company and the principal and the best I have managed is to get the child booted off the bus for a week at a time.  This means my son gets a week of safety and comfort but as soon as the boy starts riding on the bus again, the process starts all over. In desperation, I called the NRP (Niagara Regional Police), hoping to push the idea that this amounted to harassment, but they wouldn't even take a report, let alone go out to the school and talk to the child in question or investigate.  They advised me to tell my son to just ignore the racial slurs and to tell him that the bully was simply maladjusted.  Apparently, what the bully is doing is not a crime.  I suggested that this situation was going to end up with my son seriously hurting this kid, the kid seriously hurting my son, or my son in a body bag, because this is what happens when bullying is ignored. The cop was quiet for a moment and simply said these things happen.  Apparently, someone has to be hurt or die for this to be taken seriously.

At present, I am trying to get in touch with the superintendent and getting the run around.  This recent incident isn't even a case of my son's word against the bully, because not only did other children confirm his story, so did the bus driver.  When I spoke to the bus company this morning, they admitted that the child in question has a history of this behaviour and promised to have the bus driver try to look out for my son.  How exactly can he look out for my son when he has to pay attention to the road? They cannot even institute a seating arrangement to force the child to sit up front, so that he is away from other children because that apparently would be too stigmatizing. My son has been hurt for two years by this bully but apparently, the bully's fee fees are more important.


So, where are the parents? Well, this parent is fighting to try and protect my child and it is the system that is failing our family.  I don't want to hear condolences after something serious happens, I want my baby boy to go to school in a safe environment and get a good education.  That is what my tax dollars pay for and what I have every right to expect as a Canadian citizen. A parent can call the schools, interact with the school board and even call the cops, but unless the system meets them halfway nothing changes.  Bullying continues to happen because despite their mediocre diversity classes and seminars on bullying, school officials don't give a damn and are not interested in substantive change.

It disgusts me that our story is not unique.  Across North America, there are families just like ours fighting.  We have had parents send their kids to school with stun guns, we have had a mother show up at the bus stop to beat up their child's bully, and we have had a father get on a school bus to cuss out their child's bullies and nothing changes. The parent gets into trouble and even in some cases arrested and charged, but what choice did they have?  There have been movies made about bullying and despite all of the lipservice being paid to ending bullying nothing has changed.  Yet, when a child dies, the refrain is always, "where are the parents?" More fool me, for teaching my son that the right answer is to trust the system to do its job and faithfully report these incidents. Every time there is a PSA on television, they advise children to speak to an adult and promise them that the bullying will stop, if they just manage to build up the courage to tell someone.  It's a lie and they are giving children false hope because it won't stop, even if they have parents dedicated to fighting for them.

So where do I go now? Yes the little ass is banned from the school bus for a week and it will give my son a small reprieve but given his history, it will simply happen again. I also have to worry about my youngest son who rides that same bus everyday.  He has heard the taunts and sees his brothers pain.  Bullying doesn't just effect one person but entire families.  I have demanded that he be removed from the bus or be forced to sit at the front and I don't think that this is asking too much.  I'm tired of being encouraged to have sympathy for the bully.  I was even asked how I would feel if the child had a disability, as though being disabled gives one license to be a bigoted asshole.  This is what they mean when they say zero tolerance - have tolerance and pity for the bully.  Our education system is broken because it is failing in its responsibility to protect marginalized or otherwise vulnerable kids. In short, the parents are here and we are fighting but nothing is changing and our kids remain vulnerable each and everyday this allowed to continue on unchecked.

Jada Pinkett-Smith Questions Whether White Women Should Grace the Covers of Magazines Aimed at WOC?

Guest post from Renee of Womanist Musings

Like many women of colour I grew up looking at magazine racks with row upon row of White faces staring at me.  I would be lying if I said that it didn't have an impact upon how I perceived my race and gender growing up.  Things have not changed much and now I find myself wondering how this exact same circumstance is going to effect my niece as she grows up.  As a woman of colour, I cannot divorce my race from my gender.  This is why the row upon row of White women staring back at me from magazine racks continues to impact me. Even when I look past it and validate my own self worth, it does not mean that those I interact with see me as an equal, let alone human.  There can be no doubt that Whiteness continues to represent the idealized form of womanhood.  Sojourner Truth's Ain't I a Woman speech, is still highly applicable today.

On her facebook page, Jada Pinkett-Smith wondered if the best path forward to deal with the ongoing equality in magazine covers, is for magazines created for POC to be more open about having White women grace their covers.

There is a question I want to ask today. I'm asking this question in the spirit of thinking outside of the box in order to open doors to new possibilities. These possibilities may be realistic or unrealistic. I also want to make it clear that there is no finger pointing here. I pose this question with the hope that it opens a discussion about how we can build a community for women based upon us all taking a deeper interest in one another. An interest where skin color, culture, and social class does not create barriers in sharing the commonality of being... women. With love and respect to all parties involved, my question is this...if we ask our white sisters, who tend to be the guardians of the covers of mainstream magazines, to consider women of color to grace these covers, should we not offer the same consideration to white women to grace our covers? Should women extend their power to other women simply because they are women? To my women of color, I am clear we must have something of our own, but is it possible to share in the spirit in which we ask our white sisters to share with us? I don't know the answer and would love to hear your thoughts.

What Jada fails to acknowledge is that these magazines were created specifically because of the erasure of our experiences in the mainstream media. While her approach is well intentioned by allowing White women to grace the covers of magazines that have been created for women of colour, it reinforces the idea that there isn't a single place where Whiteness does not belong.  Historically, people of colour have always been asked to turn the other cheek and hold out an olive branch to Whiteness, even as it works daily to ensure that we remain second class citizens.  This olive branch which Jada suggests, will not force Whiteness to be more inclusive; it will simply reduce already limited opportunities for women of colour.

The truth of the matter is that we cannot pretend that we are simply a community of women.  This is the same argument that feminists have used for years, even as they try to erase the effect that racism has on the lives of women of colour.  It is naive to expect the White owned and run media to suddenly capitulate and work towards more inclusive coverage.  No powerful force in history has ever just handed over power, or even consented to share power and why Jada thinks that this would suddenly be the case, if only people of colour would consent to share our spaces is beyond me.

We cannot treat Whiteness as though it is some benign force, when it wages war against people of colour across the globe daily. The sales of the all Black Italian Vogue show that there is a market for inclusion and still yet these magazines refuse to capitulate.  Clearly, maintaining White hegemony is far more important than the bottom line.  Since this is a fact, I must ask, what reasonable sense does it make to open up the few spaces reserved for WOC to White women? If they cannot be motivated by their own financial best interest, why would our sacrifice cause a moral quandary?

What we need to do is act from a position of strength.  It's already bad enough that in many ways businesses that target Black people, have either been bought out by White run companies, or controlled by White management.  How much of our power can we afford to give away?  We have already seen that as a result of these actions nothing has changed. It's a foolish person who keeps repeating the same action, while hoping for a different result.

When integration occurred, the Black community lost institutions that have been our backbone for a very long period of time. We have seen as a result, less cohesion and less forward movement. This is not to say that integration didn't have positive results, but that it came with a cost. It was a compromise that never should have been made because Whiteness has no interest in the dissolution of its social, or institutional power. While I agree that we need new ideas moving forward, making room for White women is a backward step and nothing good can come of it.

TAVA Wants You For A New Mission

TransGriot Note:  There were people in the community alarmed when I posted the comment on the TAVA 10th anniversary post from founding TAVA president Monica Helms that consideration was being made to shut down the organization.

Here's a guest post by TAVA founding Vice President Angela Brightfeather.

At present, TAVA is tacking to the right and looking for new help and resetting it's course. The more we talk about all this, the better of and faster we can get on course.

The one thing that has really irked TAVA from the start has been the big elephant in the room every time that anyone puts the words, Transgender, military, serving, together in one sentence. That is the uneasy and unspoken fear and feeling that Trans people will join the military so that they can get their GRS for free. This strawman argument has historically been easy to prove wrong and only a fear that has it's basic foundation sunk deeply in the transphobic beliefs of the unkowing, dating back to the 1960's and that still hangs in the air like a bad smelling and outdated saucer of sour milk, is keeping us from obtaining equality on every front.

The truth is best viewed in the light of day. The new mission and primary cause for TAVA should be to acquire full and equal rights for our Trangender Veterans and that includes GRS. It is wholly unfair and totally judgemental to think that GRS should be the only thing that is specifially pointed out in the White House Directive issued about fair treatment for Trans Vets, that GRS is something that will not be contemplated. No reason was given for the exception to our equal treatment, but the suspicion is that it is bred in the same illogical thoughts about Transgender people specified in the DSM, which also by the way, specifically states that no Transgender person should be discriminated against due to their "condition".

The case FOR Transgender Vets being able to obtain GRS in the VA system, needs to be noted as the bellweather case and proof of discrimination against Transgender people in general created by the DSM and shoved right down their throat as the "real life" test of their definitions and their affect on people and how hypocritical and hurtful their judgment really is.

The VA's and DOD's use of the DSM as a reason to discriminate is a convenient yet unjust example of cowardice in the face of reality, by those who are supposed to be our most supportive and brave people in a system dominated by the directive for protecting all of us.

If TAVA is to grow and be led by our best and bravest people in this fight, the battle starts with the recognition that GRS is not cosmetic surgery, but that it can be a cure. As a priority, this fight is equal to or more important even than being able to serve in the military because those of us who already have served know and understand that when we devoted that part or time of our lives to defending our country, we did so based on the need, love and pride we had as Americans and that because we are Transgender Americans, the commitments and promises we proudly made and kept, must be met fairly by the VA and DOD.

TAVA is looking for a few good people to fight this new fight and if they don't show up, the odds are that we will not win the war.

Dyssonance: Cloud Atlas Is A Film For Us

You know I enjoy my Arizona homegirl Dyss' thought provoking posts because she has the same talent of not only fearlessly and intelligently saying what needs to be said, but at time occasionally pissing you off in the process. 

In this post she discusses the just released Wachowski sibling film Cloud Atlas and adds her observations about it. 

This won’t make much sense to a lot of people, but Cloud Atlas is Our Film. And there isn’t a trans person in the film. But truly, this is a movie that is as rich and complex and deeply moving as the lives of Trans people, and it carries forward with so many themes that it resonates soundly with transness in a way that it id challenging to describe.

It is a movie for those who love, and for those who are loved. It is a film for those who struggle, who wonder, who hope.
It is awesome, and if you haven’t started making plans to see it, then you really should start to do so now…

This post definitely deserves to be signal boosted, and you can read it here.

Dyssonance-Bitter, Sweet & Stout

When I visited the University of Arizona a few months ago was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call in my room letting me know that Toni had driven down I-10 from Phoenix to hang out with me for a few extremely pleasant hours.

I'm so happy to see she's writing her thought provoking posts at her Dyssonance blog again to the chagrin of her haters, and this one needed to be signal boosted.

It's called 'Strong Drink-Bitter, Sweet & Stout', and here's a taste of it (pun intended).

This line in the sand is one ingredient, however, in the stuff that I promote.  First, there are rights.  Concomitant with all the rest, and underlying the efforts for all the rest, one must keep in mind that all people have these rights. That includes the idiots and the fuckwits and the generally crappy people who think that all people shouldn’t have the exact same rights.|

People like Maggie Gallagher. People like Bryan Brown.  People like Orson Scott Card (who’s hit novel is about to become a movie and which funded and will continue to fund efforts to oppress us). People like Cathy Brennan. People like Elizabeth Hungerford. Organizations like the Alliance Defense Fund, the Traditional Values Coalition, Focus on the Family, the American Family Association. Companies like Chick-Fil-A. Religions like the Baptist Conventions and denominations, the Catholic Church, certain sects of Islam. And all the people who support them and their ideas.

All of them firmly believe that all people should not have the exact same rights, and yet, if asked, all of them will naturally say they do believe in such.  The proof is in the pudding, in the way they talk about those things, in the measures of actions, not words.

And all of them have taken actions to ensure that everyone does not have the same exact rights.

You can read this post in its entirety at her blog

Apparently, Black Women Are Making a Mistake Not Wearing Makeup

From my Timmy's Ice Capp drinking homegirl at Womanist Musings who is all that and four bags of ketchup flavored chips.

I don't know about you, but I am not particularly happy about men deciding what I should look like.  Sam Fine is a makeup artist and Fashion Fair Creative Makeup Director. He recently did an interview with Fashion Bomb Daily.  Fashion Fair's makeup is specifically targeted to WOC, which means that it is one of the few lines where you don't have to struggle to find a product that matches your skin tone. Considering that many makeup companies are hard pressed to cater to our needs, Fashion Fair is important. I do however reject the idea that I must wear makeup to be beautiful.

“I think the biggest beauty mistake is really not wearing makeup.”

I know that it is his job to sell this product, but seriously, who does this man think he is? With his explanation, he only manages to put his foot, even deeper down his throat.

“I think the biggest beauty mistake is not understanding how to enhance your beauty,” Sam added. “And I think a lot of [women of color] are scared that makeup is going to make [them] look fake, ‘It’s not gonna look like me, they’re not going to have my color.’ I think that they just tend to step away from the category when a brand like Fashion Fair, is releasing a liquid foundation in July to add to the range of colors. Nineteen shades! There will be 17 shades in liquid! And if you look at that, that’s not a range that’s broken up for general market vs. African Americans. So you really are getting a wealth of coverage options and colors. I think the biggest mistake is not participating in the game at all.”

 Silly women, with all of these choices, how dare you walk around with no makeup on your face.  Just look at what Fashion Fair has done for you.  How dare you be so ungrateful.  It's not really about your comfort level.  Don't you know that as a woman, it's your job to be beautifully made up everyday.  That's right ladies, fake it until you believe it.  Look how generous he is,  he's not even asking that you wear a lot of makeup.

“Pressed powder, mascara, and lip gloss, because I think those things aren’t intimidating,” he said. “Once you get past the shade of powder, I think that becomes easy to apply. But if I had to go two steps further, I always start out with some kind of a coverage product. A concealer, or a foundation that you can use as a concealer. Underneath the eyes is the thinnest area of skin, so you really want to make sure that any redness or discoloration can be covered.  Also powder. Powder’s going to set the foundation or the concealer so it can stay on longer. I always say powder is to foundation what topcoat is to nail polish. It really holds it in place and keeps it from rubbing off and settling in fine lines.”

With the application of these products, you can be fit to leave the house.   No one wants to see your make up free face. As a woman, beauty is your job and you are shirking your responsibilities by avoiding it and not supporting Black business.   

Yeah, I am simply not impressed by this shit at all.  Fashion Fair is great, but it's also damn expensive compared to drug store brands.  Make up as a requirement means women who already earn less than men have yet another unnecessary expense.  Please keep in mind that on average, Black women earn less than White women.  We are in the lucky position of negotiating both a gender and race based income gap. As women, we already pay more to get our hair done and more for clothing.  How far does this man think a dollar stretches? When phrased as Sam Fine did, makeup becomes a female tax.  Black women already spend a ton of money on hair due to a Eurocentric beauty ideal, and the idea of then being pressured by a man to conform more is beyond distasteful.  A WOC could spend her entire paycheck on makeup, but as long as we live in a White supremacist world, we are always going to be seen as unwomen.

Makeup should be a choice for all women, not something we need to wear to be acceptable to appear in public.  It is worth noting that men have no such requirements on their appearance. I am thankful that Fashion Fair exists, but I refuse to feel duty bound to purchase or utilize their products based in my race and gender.  As far as I am concerned, Sam Fine can have a big cup of shut the fuck up.

Barack Obama is NOT The First Gay President

Guest Post from Renee of Womanist Musings

Check out this week's cover of Newsweek.

Last week, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to state unequivocal belief of same sex marriage.  This is an absolutely historic thing for Barack Obama to do however, it simply places him on the right side of history.  I don't believe in giving people accolades for doing what is morally right.  There has been the suggestion that because he did this during an election year that he has risked the possibility of a second term in office.  Despite the loud screaming from republican troll Mitt Romney and the like, the truth is that majority of Americans are in favor of same sex marriage, and this number continues to increase. Being in favor of something when it is politically expedient to do so, should not be cast as a great risk.

I normally don't comment on U.S. politics, though I stay up to date on all the issues, but the above image really irritated me.  What Barack Obama did does not make him the gay president, anymore than Bill Clinton was the first Black president.  You don't take on the identity of a marginalized person simply be attempting to be an ally.  Now, to be clear, I'm not pulling a no homo here, I am talking about the appropriation of a marginalized identity in order to give the appearance of being liberal, inclusive and tolerant. A straight man, cannot by definition be the gay president.  He can advocate for GLBT rights and in fact should do so, but I reject this appropriation.

I have never seen Obama as a true leftist, despite the way that the American right tries to paint him as the second coming of Karl Marx.  He only appears to be left, because the right is so far out of touch with reality.  The left right continuum in the U.S. is well and truly fucked, and I believe as an outsider, it's really easy to see. 

What are your thoughts on the Newsweek Cover?

Gay Men Just Don't Understand Transwomen

Guest post by Pamela Hayes

Janet Mock crafted a well-written article about how Don Lemon, a black gay man, a CNN correspondent had no grasp of trans people because of dumb questions he asked Chaz Bono. And she is absolutely correct. Don's questions were stupid, juvenile and cursory. But I doubt if he meant a bit of harm. From my experience, a lot of gay men usually don't get us. Gay men, like many straight-identified people think trans women are simply gay men, who refuse to accept that they are gay. So we take hormones and "mutilate" ourselves to mimic women and buy vaginas to justify having sex with a man. And some gay men go positively bonkers when they see trans women with handsome, worthwhile men.

I remember reading where southern writer, William Faulkner-- author of such short stories as A ROSE FOR EMILY, DRY SEPTEMBER, to name a few--said that it was the responsibility of white people to bring black people along, to teach Negroes the importance of manners and education so they could comport themselves effectively and prosper in a democratic society. I don't know when Faulkner uttered these bothersome words because many (blacks) had no chance of prospering or receiving adequate education prior to the Civil Rights struggle.

But I digress. Trans women should take Mr. Faulkner's advice and tweak it to meet our needs. We have to bring gay people along, let them know who we are, our likes and dislikes, our dreams, hopes and aspirations. And make no mistake some gay folks will be impervious to our tutelage.

And in all candor, I doubt if that would be fruitful because the sad truth is, SOME gay people don't give a damn about trans people for a variety of reasons, one of which is envy.

Over the years, I've heard countless gay men tell me that they wouldn't do what I did (switch sexes) because they would make an ugly woman. What an incredibly shallow comment.

I and other trans women have had gay men fight us, out us, embarrass us, disrespect us and I've gotten negativity from lesbians as well. So trans women cannot bring those types along because they are unwilling to learn, but I still say try. And it's unfortunate that gays and lesbians don't believe in the old adage about there being strength in numbers. If we all worked together, we could accomplish plenty.

The CeCe McDonald and Trayvon Martin Cases; How Are They The Same Or Different?

Guest Post by Cheryl Courtney-Evans of the abitchforjustice blog

First, I feel "honor bound" to say that I am NOT a separatist; I believe in respecting and caring about ANYONE (be it man, woman, child, black, white, gay, straight...etc.), as long as I get the same treatment from them. By that same token, I am not one to close my eyes to truths and calling 'em like I see 'em. And after the last few days of watching the Trayvon Martin case unfold (and being angry as hell about it), it occurred to me that there was another case that seemed as important but hasn't gotten (in my opinion) enough attention, so I decided to post this.

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I don't know what is going on in this country, but it seems to me that since the advent of President Obama's election, the ugly animal of racism, who had been thought by many to have been thoroughly "slayed", has only been sleeping; an atmosphere that has continued to be just below the surface has burst through with an intensity that's so obvious it's astounding to behold...

Now I know there will be those so naive as to say, "You all are always 'pulling the race card'..." when it's pointed out, but there are also those who say the same thing, because all along they know it exists, and only want us to believe they believe it, or are that we are mistaken...

Now, although we are righteously incensed at the recent murder of young African American Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL.  by a Caucasian George Zimmerman (Feb. 26, 2012), I don't believe we can view this as a "down South thing"; there has been another case whose injustice has been carried on since June 6, 2011...that is the arrest and continued prosecution of African American CeCe McDonald, accused of killing Caucasian Dean Schmitz in Minneapolis, MN. 

My piece today is to show the differences in these two cases, while also showing how the ugly beast of racism seems to be hard at work in both.





Dean Schmitz


CeCe McDonald



Trayvon Martin


George Zimmerman

The most glaring evidence in the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case is the fact that besides being unarmed, he was a young Black man walking down the street minding his own business; he was breaking no law...just running a "refreshment call" to the local 7-11 convenience store for Skittles and a can of ice tea. He was alone, so there was no eyewitness; so police only took into consideration the claim from Zimmerman that he'd shot Trayvon "in self-defense". The police then allowed this claim to keep Zimmerman out of jail, uncharged.

In the CeCe McDonald/Dean Schmitz case, CeCe was, by eyewitness accounts, also minding her business; walking to a neighborhood store with a few friends. Their route took them by a neighborhood tavern, where they were accosted by a group of loitering Caucasians who verbally assaulted them (using racial and gay/gender identity slurs); when CeCe refused to accept their insults and responded, she was attacked and injured by a female in the group busting a glass in her face, a brawl ensued and Dean Schmitz was stabbed. CeCe was the only one arrested that night and charged with murder, and her claim of self-defense was ignored. Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman, has a history of racially "slanted" law distribution...he has refused to drop the charges, and she remains in jail awaiting trial.

So now, what are the ways in which these two cases are the same?
1. Both folks who seem to be getting the "short end of the stick" with regard to 'justice' are Black. (On his own word, armed [and by the way, he was much bigger physically than Trayvon Martin], non-injured Zimmerman was allowed to walk and has not been arrested & charged YET [and in hiding]; CeCe with eyewitnesses to her attack, sustaining 11 stitches to her face after being the first to be attacked, had her claim of self-defense ignored and is still in jail.)

2. Both Blacks were minding their own business; doing nothing illegal or infringing on others...just OWB (Out While Black).

3. Both are atrocious miscarriages of justice that cry out for attention and correction.

4. Both cases appear to be hate crimes.

How are they different?
1. Trayvon was an African American young man, a presumably heterosexual (was talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone the night of his death) member of the "mainstream", while CeCe is an African American transgender woman, a member of a community that is the most marginalized in the United States (perhaps that's why, although her case is very nearly as heinous, it's gotten almost NO media attention or "community support").

2. CeCe was arrested for Dean Schmitz's death the same night, but Zimmerman is still free after 3 weeks.

3. Trayvon's case occurred in "the South", and CeCe's case happened in "the North" (so I suppose we can see that the "beast" is nationwide).

So in conclusion, here's what I propose. That ALL Americans of good conscience make their outrage known about these and other cases like them that may have slipped under the radar of public attention. We have to rout out the bigots who have intensified their efforts to erase the progress made this far to create a more equitable America. And we have to advocate for one another regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity...we're all part of the HUMAN RACE.

Where Is The Trans Community For CeCe?

Guest post by Pamela Hayes 

This morning, after sipping my apple juice and reading the headlines, I went online and ran across a disturbing story about CeCe McDonald, a young trans woman who got into a physical altercation with bigots, which led to a man losing his life. According to the article, CeCe is in jail on two counts of second degree murder.

Cee Cee was merely defending herself and in the course of doing so, a person lost his life. Imagine being locked up, stripped of your freedom for defending yourself. Talk about a huh moment.

What happened to CeCe could happen to any trans woman. Actually it could happen to any person. But in this post, I'm talking about trans women. Any trans woman could be out and about grabbing a bite to eat, shopping for groceries, or in the post office buying stamps and encounter a hateful bigot, who pelts her with epithets. And knocks her around a bit.

What is she to do? The natural response to that sort of thing is to fight back. Which was what CeCe did.

And unfortunately, a person was killed. But CeCe did not plot this man's murder. He lost his life while CeCe was defending herself. And she shouldn't be in jail.

But CeCe is trans, so of course, anti trans folks are undoubtedly arguing that had she not been out there like that, (translated, being a trans woman) there wouldn't have been any trouble. Well, each of us have a right to live our lives any way we damn well please. And no one has a right to accost anybody with insults or bodily injury.

CeCe's last name triggers memory of the young white girl (Chrissy Lee Polis) who was attacked and beat up in a McDonald's eatery sometime back. When that happened, the transsexual cavalry ran to her rescue. This story made the headlines. News reports were on the Internet. A defense fund was set up for this white trans woman. She didn't go out seeking help. A trans group with power sought her out.

Where is that group now? Why aren't they extending a helpful hand to CeCe? She could certainly use their support. Is a white trans woman getting beat up more important than a black trans woman who accidentally killed a man while defending herself?

Where is the ACLU? Or any human rights groups? CeCe McDonald is in trouble and she needs assistance.

Transgender Or Not WHY MUST African-Americans Continually Justify Their Pride?

Guest post from Cheryl Courtney-Evans of the Abitchforjustice blog

Okay, so it's 2012, we've had the Civil Rights Act passed (1965), three or four actors/actresses win Academy Awards, a plethora of black and black-themed television shows with positive African American images over the airways, yada, yada, yada! One would say, "You've come a looong way baby!" And they'd be right...

BUT...we still have idiots like Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona staging investigations of President Obama's birth certificate, claiming it to be a "fraud, and questioning his eligibility to be president", an asshole in Alaska filing suit against his presidency on the grounds of "questionable citizenship", and a FEDERAL Circuit Court judge, Richard Cebull, circulating a racially-charged email stating, "Obama's lucky he wasn't born a dog...". And we're expected to think the United States is "through with its racism"...REALLY???

And as the rest of society goes, so goes the LGBT community...yes, there is still some remnants of racism and attitudes of "white privilege" in the LGBT community, as much as some would deny it (I mean, this community is suppose to be one of the most acceptance and inclusion, right?).

What's got me talking like this, you may ask.

Well, recently an African American transwoman I greatly admire and respect, Ms. Monica Roberts, award-winning author of the TransGriot, an African American themed blog, was published in another African American themed internet publication, EBONY.com. This article was her "spotlight" of African American transpersons who have proven to be trailblazers in the transgender community; the transgender community being a segment of the African American community who have gotten little enough attention for positive things...we are readily given enough attention when it's regarding the negatives...prostitution, larceny and victims. So WHY is that this article was barely three days old when a person felt the need, via the HUFF Post 'comments' section, to question Monica's effort, calling it "just another effort to divide us racially"! If she (and I think she must be transgender by the use of the word "us") wasn't already thinking racially 'divisive', it seems to me she would have applauded Monica and thanked her for information about her African American transsistas that she didn't have before; hell, I wasn't aware of some of them myself!

WHY is it that we as an African American community, let alone the African American transgender community, always find the need to justify our pride in our heritage, accomplishments or attempts to do for ourselves to some folks?? After all, very often the struggles we face as transgender persons is compounded by our race. Why shouldn't we revel in the fact that we overcame an obstacle in spite of it?

LindaCON's comment reminds me of an incident here in Atlanta, where a group of us (multiracial, by the way) attempted to put together an organization aimed at helping transgenders here find jobs to reduce the number of commercial sex workers (there was a big broohaha about the number of them in Atlanta's Midtown area at the time). Because the predominant number of "working girls" at the time were black, we named the group the Transgender Persons Of Color worker's project (TPOC). As soon as TPOC got a little publicity in the local LBGT publication, the Southern Voice, a white transgender woman (mind you, this girl had already had a job that she'd gotten herself fired from) wrote a 'letter to the editor' questioning "why we weren't helping any white trans people?" AND SHE'D NEVER ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT US OR BE A PART OF TPOC's EFFORTS; she was merely going by the name. (NOTE: Do you think NAACP [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] means there are no whites involved in it? You would be mistaken.) I suppose it's okay if we were to just sit back and continue to be victims, and not try to do for self...

As God is my witness (and He knows my heart), I am as non-divisive as ANYONE; I get along with anyone that treats me with the respect that I give them, no matter what cultural background they come from, BUT I refuse to neglect, ignore or deny my heritage!  I applaud Monica Roberts for her continued effort with this respect, giving our young African American trans women & men the information, education and history, with pride in something they themselves can move forward with...and lest we forget, this same education can be of benefit to all other trans cultures who have the open-mindedness to see it as such...think about it.