The Ongoing Journey To Womanist-hood

Six years ago today I wrote a post that was my declaration that I was a womanist and I embraced it over feminism, which I consider profoundly problematic and far too white feminine centric.

I also rejected it at the time because of the deafening silence of white led feminism to the TERF (trans exterminationalist/exclusionary radical feminist)  wing that in some cases had people openly advocating for the genocide of trans women to deafening silence from Feminist World.

Six years later there has been movement in Feminist world to condemn and call out the TERF''s and make it clear by their creation of the TERF term they are not radical feminists or part of their trans feminine inclusive movement.

I've noted that Gloria Steinem has recanted the ugly anti-trans remarks she made back in the 70's-early 80's, but I and other trans women and our allies are still waiting for her's and feminism's deeds to catch up with their lofty words.

But I'm still a proud womanist.   Said TransGriot commenter Hypathia at the time, "Womanist theory can handle the intersectionality of race, class, and gender, all of them simultaneously and in connection with each other.  Because it can do that, it is the most powerful theory. Womanism is the first movement to ever achieve that synthesis, which today we see as vital to progress. We have Womanism to thank for the progress that has been made."

And I've said it before and will continue to say it, I have yet to see or have happen a womanist disrespect my humanity as a trans woman or push laws and policies that negatively affect me as feminism's adherents have repeatedly done.

I don't have any problem with self identified Black feminists either, but  I am, and still identify as a womanist.   Womanist theory not only aligns with my political and personal human rights beliefs, it's also a plus that I have womanists in my life who see me as their sister.

And  that sisterhood is deeply appreciated and reciprocated as I continue my ongoing evolutionary journey to womanist-hood. .

Still Ain't Feeling Feminism

Feminism, according to a popular bumper sticker is the radical notion that women are people, too. Many feminists have forgotten over the years that the word 'people' also includes their Black, Latina, Asian and native American sisters as well as their transgender ones. 
--TransGriot  Ain't Feeling Feminism   January 23, 2009

While we transwomen have had a contentious thirty-six years of drama with the feminist community, it pales in comparison with the ongoing parallel struggle that women of color have with them. They have fought the ongoing silencing of their voices in the feminist movement, got tired of being dissed, ignored and being accused of or being labeled as 'crazy' or 'racist' anytime they critiqued their treatment.
---TransGriot   January 23, 2009 

Those words I wrote in 2009 are just as prescient now as they were four years ago.  I took the predominately white feminist world to task for their four decade long pattern of attacking trans women and their ignoring or silencing of Black, Latina voices in the feminist movement to the point where both groups have said adios and see ya to feminism. 

And yeah, they've also done the same thing to native American, Asian and other women around the world as well, but that's another post.    

The simmering pissivity blew up once again between white women and women of color fed up with a feminist movement that seems in the last few years to only care about a Feminist Prime Directive of power and privilege equality with white males and clocking dollars.   

And they clock those dollars while gleefully appropriating the work of Black and Brown women of color.

It led to another contentious and needed discussion and the #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen hashtag created by Mikki Kendall that went viral. 

It also began to create another moment of conversation on the issue of women of color and feminism.

Hell, myself and other trans women have been calling out feminism for years over their transphobia and their cricket chirping silence over the four decades of hate speech the trans exterminationalist exclusionary radical feminists (TERF's) have aimed at trans women.  It's also a major reason why combined with my pissivity over the erasure of women of color from its ranks that I dislike feminism and identify as a womanist.  

You gotta love a movement like womanism that is not only is rooted in your culture, as of this point in its development it has embraced me as a trans woman, hasn't disrespected my humanity and encourages mine and the input of other trans women to make it better and more inclusive when it comes to our issues as African descended trans women.

As I wrote in 2011 and it is still true today, since my March 31, 2009 'I am a womanist' declaration, I have yet to run into a womanist who disrespected my evolving feminine journey or has actively worked to deny me and my trans sisters and brothers human rights coverage like people who call themselves feminists repeatedly do. 

I hope and pray I'm able to continue saying and writing that critical difference point about womanism and womanists for the rest of this decade and beyond.


But back to the current drama.  Will anything substantive come out of this round of calling out feminism?   That is the $64,000 Question.  Or has the fissure between white and Black feminists that has over a century of contentious history predating the Schwyzer faux feminist mess become an impossible to bridge Grand Canyon?

Time will tell us what the end result will be, but I'm betting that four years from now I'll be writing another post if this blog is still in operation as to why I'm still not feeling feminism. 

Womanists Haven't Disrespected My Humanity

One of the questions that I get asked from time to time is why I am a womanist as opposed to being a Black feminist or a trans feminist?

It's a fairly simple answer for me as to why.  I don't see womanists engaging in the nekulturny behavior aimed at transwomen that has angered and turned me off for a long time.   It's led me to reach the same epiphany that my African-descended cis sisters and other POC women have that feminism in the 2K10's or in whatever wave it's in at this point in time is of, about, by and for white women only and not only maintaining their privilege, but expanding it so they have the same equality, status and privileges as white males. 

It also seems like elements of them want the ability to oppress others, then cry white women's tears when you call them on their crap.  Many white feminists also continue to ignore the fact that race and class intersections impact how women of color live their lives vis a vis theirs. 

Don't even get me started about the issues of transwomen of color. 
 

Think that's over the top or harsh?  Look no further than the behavior of radical lesbian feminists and the continued ongoing exercises in spewing disco era hate at transwomen and transmen, their hate screeds in their blogosphere and their attempts to codify it into law at the local, national and now international level.. 

I can also point to the fact that as I write this no womanist, unlike a depressingly long list of radical lesbian feminists such as Julie Bindel have repeatedly erased my womanhood, made disparaging remarks in print or online about us or openly and are actively opposing my transsisters march to human rights coverage.

From the time I made the declaration that I was a womanist, I have been welcomed with open arms and treated with respect by other womanists as they broke it down what they envisioned womanism to be, what it meant to them personally and shared their individual journeys with me in arriving at that point.

I'm more of an Africana womanist, which means I'm not only concerned about women of color here at home and the issues that affect them but across the African Diaspora.

Note I said women of color. Africana womanists take a more inclusive view of it.
They believe that no matter whether you came out of the womb with a feminine body at birth or you morphed into it as I did later in life, you're a woman and you are our sister   The advancement of our human rights and tackling the issues that impact our lives is most important
.

It's that element of it and that kind of inclusive thinking I most appreciate about womanism as a proud African descended transwoman.  I want to not only uplift my race and my African descended transpeople, but do my part along with my African descended transsisters of being compliments to Black womanhood, not caricatures or impediments to it. 

But like any movement it isn't perfect and it also has some schools of thought emerging in it since the initial break with feminism in the 90's.  I'm concerned about a small cadre of faith-based womanists who are spouting anti-trans rhetoric that would make radfems smile and are hiding behind their religious beliefs, cisgender privilege and Bibles as justification for their transphobia. 

I'm happy to note the faith based ones are called out on a regular basis in internal FUBU womanist discussions.and as a trans womanist who is also a Christian I don't want that kind of faith-based trans ignorance gaining a foothold and fouling mainstream womanism.  You only need look at feminism to see what kind of toxic damage virulent transphobia has caused over three decades in that movement. 

I have enough issues on my plate fighting anti-trans bigotry and for trans human rights inside and outside the trans community.  I don't want or need that drama erupting in womanist circles and the faith based womanists need to buy a vowel and get a clue that transwomen exist and aren't going anywhere.  

As Alice Walker said, "It's so clear that you have to cherish everyone. I think that's what I get from these older black women, that every soul is to be cherished, that every flower is to bloom." 

It's an opportunity to cherish transwomen and let our flowers bloom. We  transwomen wish to continue dispelling the myths, misperceptions and outright lies routinely propagated about us by others .  

At the same time we need clarification on what we African descended transwomen can do to help womanism seize on its golden opportunity to embrace their trans sisters, continue building on the inclusive principles that attract us to it in the first place and shape its growth and forward momentum in a positive direction.   

Since my 'I am a womanist' declaration, I have yet to run into a womanist who disrespected my evolving feminine journey or has actively worked to deny me human rights coverage like people who call themselves feminists repeatedly do.  I want to continue to be able to say that for the rest of the 2K10's and beyond.