In discussions about transandrophobia, someone who is opposed to the concept will almost inevitably bring up Whipping Girl, or other [trans]feminist texts.
One of the biggest claims about the term transandrophobia, is that its a misuse or misunderstanding of feminist language and/or theory.
What people fail to understand is that the term is not a misunderstanding of feminist theory, it is an intentional critique of it.
Unfortunately, much of feminist theory completely ignores the existence of trans men. When we are acknowledged, we are typically treated as an afterthought. Our oppression is frequently diminished, and we are often treated as "collateral damage" - people are only ever coincidentally harmed in the aftermath of attacks on women. It is almost never recognized that we can be the direct targets of violence.
Our existence and our experience with oppression is treated as an inconvenience, or an exception case - because we challenge the core assumption that men as a class benefit from misogyny more than they are harmed by (i.e., that all men have male privilege).
Many people who are not trans men will make claims about our oppression and experiences, while completely leaving us out of the conversation. The preservation of pre-established academic theory is prioritized over giving us a voice to challenge those preconceptions.
The actual lived experiences of trans men can and should take precedent over currently standing academic frameworks. If trans men's discussions of our lives doesn't fit into feminist theory, than its the theory that should change - not the actual human beings who are speaking up about our experiences.
Feminism, like any other social theory, has always been flawed in some ways, and has historically excluded many oppressed groups. Until eventually members of those groups spoke up, made their voices heard, and didn't stop until those frameworks changed to be inclusive of their experiences.
We are no exception. No matter how uncomfortable it makes you, we are here to challenge people's assumptions about gender-based oppression. We have read the theory people keep citing and we are criticizing it because it leaves us out of the conversation. Telling us over and over that our experiences don't fit those frameworks will not silence us. If our voices don't fit into your understanding of feminism, its time for your understanding to change!
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the transandrophobia/transmascphobia discussion would be a lot easier if people could think for a moment that androphobia does not strictly mean the oppression of men and could instead mean the prejudice of men. it’s such a simple concept but so many people are scared to dive into it because of MRA’s but that’s exactly the problem. stereotyping groups is always an issue but especially when it is causing you to think so shallowly about issues that directly affect you. the prejudice of men is such an important conversation when talking about (specifically binary) transphobia and how it affects how trans people are seen / treated, especially in the case of trans men being invisible and trans women being hypervisible. i think the core of binary transphobia for a lot of people boils down to bioessentalism, where trans men are women that need to be protected and trans women are evil men (in the eyes of transphobes). trans women are constantly being called out for any small sign of “aggression” while many trans men aren’t seen as “real men” until they show some sign of “aggression” / the idea that trans men are all aggressive after transitioning. (think of the rumor that testosterone makes you more angry.) this stems from the bioessentialist and MISANDRIST idea that men are naturally aggressive or cruel, instead of seeing aggression as an environmental or situational or etc etc response. this also really affects how mental health is treated and viewed, and can tie into discussions about ableism as well.
if we want to really think deep and have important discussions about transphobia, amongst other forms of oppression and prejudice, we have to be open to the idea that misandry / androphobia can and does exist as a redefined concept.
*many of these ideas are talking about afab trans men and amab trans women, but i recognize that for people outside of these specific labels that transphobia and bioessentialism can look very different. this was also not an attempt to misgender trans women or trans men by either means, but rather to talk about very specific forms of transphobia
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So here's the thing:
Transmacs do not need fucking permission from non-transmascs to coin a word.
This is not a committee decision with the people who hate us.
It doesn't actually matter what word we use because the people who hate us don't believe we're oppressed in the first place and therefore don't "deserve" a word in the first place.
Fuck you.
I'm sticking with transandrophobia. But if I see someone using transmisandry, that's ok too. So is anti-transmasculism. And transmascphobia. THEY'RE ALL FINE. They've been fine the whole time.
Don't let people who hate you decide the language you use, because they'd prefer you use NO words.
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i think there’s an interesting discussion to be had about how white able bodied straight gender conforming trans men (notice how many caveats i had to add to that) benefit from male privilege, but i feel like a lot of the discussion regarding trans men’s oppression or “lack’” thereof ignores the fact that while passing trans men experience male privilege in day to day life, there’s a systemic bias against us that stems from misogyny and transphobia directed specifically against trans men.
we aren’t viewed strictly as women, but we’re not viewed as men either (in the general societal view, not the day to day interactions). we’re viewed as failed women or ‘things’ and degendered entirely, an experience that a lot of queer people face.
i’m apprehensive about the term ‘transandrophobia’ because while our oppression is intrinsically tied to our manhood, it’s not experienced in the same way transmisogyny is. i don’t think it has to be to warrant its own term but people may misunderstand it as the ‘guy form of transmisogyny’ rather than the unique experience it is itself.
idk. just rambling thoughts on trans men and our oppression. its a really interesting topic to think about with how our manhood intersects with our oppression, given that manhood is usually thought as a privileged class, but in trans men specifically’s case, i think its more complicated.
this is far far far from all my thoughts on the topic, and if anyone has their own feel free to chime in! its something im very passionate about and a topic i find fascinating.
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On Transandrophobia and Related Issues
How we define Transandrophobia:
Transandrophobia describes the intersection of transphobia, misogyny, and the marginalization of non-hegemonic masculinity & manhood (that is primarily targeted at transmasculine individuals).
Anyone, regardless of birth assignment, gender identity, gender presentation, etc, can experience transandrophobia at any point. However, it is primarily targeted as transmasculine people and adjacent groups.
Similarly, transmisogyny is the intersection of transphobia and misogyny that is primarily targeted at transfeminine individuals and adjacent groups. It can be experienced by anyone, but it is largely targeted towards transfems.
The same goes for exorsexism (oppression directed at nonbinary people) and intersexism (oppression directed at intersex people).
[More talking points below the cut].
"How are manhood and masculinity marginalized under the Patriarchy?"
Any expressions of manhood and masculinity that do not strictly adhere to white, Christian, colonialist, abled, cisheteronormative, allonormative, (+etc) standards can be harshly marginalized under the Patriarchy.
This is because for the Patriarchy to function, rigid enforcement of these standards is mandatory. Any sort of subversion of the status quo must be punished to maintain White Christian Hegemony. There is no room for self-expression, because that is a challenge to the Patriarchy, and may allow room for other people to challenge it as well.
Some examples of marginalized masculinity include Black men, whose manhood is demonized. They are often viewed as inherently violent or aggressive, especially if they display masculine qualities. This often results in police violence, which is usually justified with the fear that police felt simply by being in the presence of a Black man.
Disabled men, conversely, often experience having their masculinity entirely diminished. This relates to the phenomenon of "degendering" in which those who do not fit into certain standards will have their ability to access manhood entirely revoked.
As for transgender men and transmasuline people, our entire experiences of manhood and masculinity are marginalized. The fact that we express these things at all is a slight against the patriarchy, and our masculinity is transgressive by default.
"But trans men have male privilege"
Having male privilege means that one benefits from misogyny on both an interpersonal and systemic level. Because trans men are unilaterally oppressed by misogyny, this means that we cannot benefit from male privilege, regardless of how well we pass.
Some trans men who pass may receive interpersonal male privilege (i.e. being treated with more respect by strangers), but this is extremely conditional. It is conditional upon staying closeted and that nobody ever finds out you are trans. Because the moment that happens, the supposed "privilege" evaporates, and he is now immediately subject to potential violence.
This is very similar to the argument about trans women experiencing male privilege. A trans women who stays closeted and attempts to adhere to patriarchal standards of manhood may receive conditional benefits, but she will always be oppressed by misogyny on a systemic level. So she does not actually benefit from male privilege systemically.
"Saying that trans men face misogyny is misgendering / it's only misdirected"
Saying that trans men face misogyny is a demonstrable fact, and it only appears to be misgendering because of the assumption that only women face misogyny.
However, trans men deal with misogyny on a regular basis, both interpersonally and systemically. Having our reproductive rights controlled is a key example of this, as even a trans man who passes is still impacted by anti-abortion laws and other reproductive restrictions.
It cannot be misdirected when we are the direct targets of it. People often see us as failed women who need to be corrected and put into line. They very much see and acknowledge us and are disgusted by us, and wish to use violence to correct us.
"Androphobia isn't real"
It is not "trans + androphobia" it is "transandro + phobia". As described above, it is the intersection of multiple things. Words do not just mean the literal definition of their roots. By the same logic, cissexism would mean sexism against cis people, rather than the assumption that everyone is cis.
And besides, marginalization of some forms of manhood and masculinity is very real, as elaborated above. The hatred and fear of our masculinity is an essential aspect of our oppression.
"Trans men oppress trans women / transandrophobia implies trans women oppress trans men."
Trans people cannot oppress each other (on the basis of being trans) as they do not have the systemic power to do so. There are no (or very, very few) trans people in positions of power that are creating and perpetuating the system structures used to oppress us.
Trans men also do not materially benefit from transmisogyny in any way. We do not gain anything from the oppression of trans women - and in fact, any attack on the trans community harms trans people as a whole.
Lateral aggression is absolutely a real thing within the trans community, but it comes from every part of the community, not just one group to another.
"What trans men face is just transphobia, not some special category"
Every trans person faces unique intersections of oppression based on the demographics they occupy.
The argument frequently made is that trans men only face oppression for being trans, and not for being men. This is false, and is incongruent with the experiences of many trans men. We are targeted specifically for being transmasculine / trans men. People notice our masculinity and manhood and are disgusted by it, and choose to use violence to suppress it. To say that people only hate us for being trans, is an attempt to separate us from our manhood / masculinity (which coincidentally, is exactly what transphobes do as well).
Also, the idea that gendered violence against trans men is "just" transphobia, while other types of transphobia are more specific, wrongly centers men's experiences as the default, and all others as deviations.
By creating a word to describe this specific type of transphobia, it now puts everyone on an equal playing field where no experience is treated as the default. Transphobia now becomes the umbrella term that trans people are unified in our fight against, and all the other more granular terms are useful labels to describe overlapping types of oppression.
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