cbooth4gws-blog - Tumblr blog

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

Extra Credit Post: BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER

In the video, Trans activists of color Cece McDonald and Monica James held a talk and discussion on black trans issues, with the main issues being targeted being the institutional racism and it’s relationship to trans people of color and transmisogyny within the trans community. Cece McDonald is a black trans woman who was charged for defending herself in a fight with a man who she called a “neo nazi”, whom had a swastika tattoo. After the assault, she was arrested and sent to an all male prison. Monica James has been targeted by the police for years and now uses that experience to shed light on the abuses tran women receive from the criminal justice system.

Cece starts off making a powerful point that she might not have been there for the discussion if she was roaming the street alone when she was attacked, that she could have been “another name on a day that is given to us to remember our fallen sisters”; and that we should not wait to celebrate our trans activists when they are gone, but to appreciate them and are behind them and support them in the now. I also like that she pointed out that just because trans stars like Laverne Cox and Janet Mock are on TV, does not mean that the struggle is over, and that cis people should think about how to acknowledge those innate privileges on a day to day basis and think how can use that to help trans women of color without taking the space of trans women, with an emphasis of agency. Monica James talked a lot about the activism needed, and how proud she was of the black trans presence at the event. She goes on to talk about that trans women make up 5% of the US population, yet they make up 20% of the prison population because of being targeted by police. She mentioned again that there needs to be more people involved in this movement because it was by chance that her and Cece were able to get out of facing many years of jail time, and if they would have been put away, who would be helping advocate for them?

I knew that there was a disparity between trans women of color being targeted by the police than white people, as there is in regards to most minorities, but that number shocked me. It is really hard to fathom that even though Trans POCs make up 5% of the population that 20% of them are put away in prisons.The systematic erasure of the black trans woman is real! I appreciated the fact that these ladies were able to get their points across in way that was understandable and relatable, which is something that I don’t see often from people who are well knowledged on the topic they are speaking about. Over all I found this to be a very insightful video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEr9q7594tA&feature=youtu.be&t=5m44s

#gws #gws 294 #gws294 #Black Trans lives matter #cece mcdonald #monica james #trans studies #prison industrial complex

4 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Text

I found it surprising that even though Miss Major is still alive that no one wanted her first hand knowledge of the Stonewall Riots. The fact that time and time again, the most oppressed groups for example, minority trans people, put themselves in the face of the movement, that it is still not enough to stop their erasure.

Fifth Post: Black Transgender Activists: In-Depth

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha Johnson was one of the pioneers of the LGBT movement. Her activism started as one of the original instigators of the Stonewall Riots. She was the cofounder of STAR, an organization that provided support in the form of shelter, clothes and food to other transgender women.

Johnson also worked as an activist and founder of the Gay Liberation Front, which fought for equal legislature for LGBTQ people. Johnson also was an activist during the AIDS epidemic and fought against the violence against poor queers by the gross inflation of medication for AIDS

Miss Major

Miss Major is a transgender woman activist that also originally instigated the Stonewall riots. She has been doing activist work for over four decade, focusing specifically on prison abolition and transgender womens rights.

Currently, she runs the Transgender, Gender Variant, Intersex Justice Project, which focuses on fighting oppressive facets of society that affect transgender women of color.

#gws #gws 294 #gws294 #stone wall riots #miss major #marsha johnson

3 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Text

Your presentation struck me when you were talking about how trans women are seen as a “threat” in gendered sports, but trans men are not seen as threatening in sports of the idea of biological determinism of strength and superiority in sports.

Fourth Post: “’FTM Means Female to Me’: Transgender Athletes Performing Gender”

Sports are ran especially hard space to move through as a trans person. Two researches conducted a study to see to tell the narratives of some trans athlete and to see how their genders affected their sport participation. The first was Bamby a transwoman who played soccer. She had difficulties being part of sport teams after a certain age, and trouble reintegrating as a trans woman. She says that with soccer being a sport with a lot of Latino men, the machista sentiment was what turned her away from teams when she was older. What concerns she had on playing in women’s teams she said she was worried they would be uncomfortable with her, but feels that there might be a connection through womanhood. Semerjian & Cohen believe Bamby is an example of someone who believes gender is in their mind not body because she doesn’t want the surgery.

Conor had a very active sports life when he was a kid, but that diminished in high school because he was dealing with a lot of his trans identity. He later took it back up in college. He felt that being read as a girl hindered him because the limitations placed on girls in sports. He also believes that him being trans made him more willing to take risks in sports, but also in his life. He noted, on several occasions, that not having a penis mostly impacted what he wore or his reactions to getting kicked in the groin.Chris had been in sports since Chris could remember. Chris says she transitioned at the age of 10. Chris has the hardest time with pronouns of all the participants and says that Chris does not like being called he or she, but accepts that most people call Chris she. I will be referring to Chris by she/her pronouns the way the author did. Chris prefers to change her body through body building. Chris perceived her breast as masculine.

Alyn also started sports at an early age, but was on track to go into an “elite completive sport ” In school people read Alyn as male, and when they realized he was born female, he face violence. The school held Alyn responsible for the violence.Alyn now uses sorts as a way to transform himself. Alyn found a lot of support through skating.Trans individual struggles greatly to recognized in space like sports, mostly due to safety reasons. Semerijam and Cohen conclude that for trans people in sports are spaced that can be “queered” by the presence of trans people and their gender practices. They also call for the us to see people as people, not oppressing them through gender, race, or class.

I included this article because I think it shows something it greatly televised on Spanish speaking TV and has the testimony of trans men. I think that what can be connected it here is there was an absence of both trans people i sports and trans men coverage in my research. I think this because trans men are less marketable than trans women. I also believe that in spaces like sports, the machismo of spanish speaking countries can over ride conversations. We see this with Bamby who quit he sport entirely because her team mates were actively misgendering and verbally degrading her based other gender. I think the lack of visibility of trans people in sport on Spanish speaking TV can be harmful because it can lead younger trans people to believe that there is no place for them in sports.

Further more, I believe that this lack of visibility is damaging to the trans community on basis of opportunity. Without a doubt there are many talented tran people, and not allowing them to enter professional league sports without scrutiny closes the doors for them. I think allowing trans people to be visible in sports would normalize the notion that gender does not change your qualifications. This would no doubt require major reconstruction of how we see sport divisions, but I feel it is a necessary change.

Semerjian, Tamar Z., and Jodi H. Cohen. “"FTM Means Female to Me��: Transgender Athletes Performing Gender.“ Women in Sport & Physical Activity Journal 15.2 (2006): 28-43. Print.

#gws 294 #gws294 #trans sports #trans professional sports #trans sports and physical activity

1 note · View note

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

I appreciate that you were able to find information on trans latinxs family dynamics that were healthy. As you mentioned before, for some reason latinx families are painted to be homophobic, but it was interesting to find out that trans latinx individuals are usually connected strongly to cisgender female family member

Post 10: Reflection

I had a really good experience researching this topic because, even though I am not Trans or Gender non-conforming, I felt that I learned valuable knowledge about members of my Queer Latinx community. I came to a better understanding as to how homophobia/transphobia manifest in Latinx communities. I also learned about the roles that Latinx mothers and other cisfemale relatives can play an important role in affirming and advocating for Trans Latinxs. Additionally, I came across several resources for spanish-speaking families of Trans Latinxs.

Overall, I have definitely expanded my conception of family and what it means to be Trans and of color, specifically Latinx. I hope that the information from this blog is useful for people to expand thier conceptions of what a trans, Queer, and/or Latinx experience is like. Also, for Trans and gender non-conforming Latinxs to find resources to talk to their families. I also think it can be useful for Latinx parents/relatives of gender variant Latinxs to gain a better understanding of these experiences. I think in general, the experiences of gender variant Latinxs and trans POC in general can show a lot about the inter-sectionality and fluidity of identity and how it shapes people’s lived experiences.

#gws 294 #gws294 #trans latinx #trans latinx families #trans families #trans intersectionality

18 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

It is always so much easier when people don’t always try to go and us how “smart” they are like using very complicated words, and actually convey their message so that it is digestible to someone who may not know anything about trans issues. Things get lost when you say thing that go over people’s heads , but they did a very good job of making it easy to understand and engaging.

Extra Credit Post 2 - Black Trans Lives Matter Video

This Chicago Panel was designed to discusses the issues of transgender people of color (because as Monica James discussed, this is also a problem faced by gender variant other people of color) specifically the trans-misogyny, institutional racism and its resulting systemic violence. The panel had two primary speakers, CeCe McDonald who was previously charged with murder for defending herself against her attacker, and then had to navigate the prison system. The other primary speaker was Monica James who has been targeted multiple times by police, and has fought locally and internationally against violence and abuse exhibited towards trans women of color.

The panel had two primary themes, intersections of oppression and activism. CeCe McDonald a lot about how systems of oppressions make black trans lives vulnerable to violence and how there are a lot of people are forgotten and disregarded because a discussion on intersectional oppression would be ‘too complicated’ do dissect. What she was really trying to emphasize to the audience was that these lives are worthy of a movement, and worthy of being protected and advocated for (by both inside and outside the community itself) on a larger scale than the individual. Monica James discussed the need for activism, and how this meant that many people of all different kinds of skillets needed to be involved in order to create large changes. She also discussed how ‘activism’ also need to me ‘advocating’. She talked about how black and poc trans individuals needed to be involved in the systems of change, that means both in the social activism as well as governmental changes. There needs to be a demand for these voices to be the ones involved in these conversations because its the only way meaningful change will happen.

youtube

The first thing I think I took away from this panel was that the language you use for advocacy is important. Its very easy for people that have been studying and researching and advocating for years to slip into statistics and very technical speech. And while I think there is a place for this I also think that when you’re trying to address the public in order to engage with them you need to speak in an understandable vernacular, which I think the members of this panel really made a point to do.

I also think that CeCe discussed something that I personally grapple with. She discussed how while she was in prison, she was receiving letters of encouragement but also letters asking her to become a leader and an activist. She spoke at the panel how she didn’t know at first how she could use her voice for activism when she was still trying to advocate for herself in a very immediate way. It was when she realized that she wasn’t advocating alone, even when she felt she was, that activism became her path. I really appreciated knowing about her transition to activism.

I also really appreciated how black trans women were the primary speakers of this panel. I think that there is a lot of value in the people being affected by something also being the voices that speak out. I think that their personal narratives only added to the political narratives both CeCe and Monica were discussing.

#gws #gws 294 #transgender studies #Black Trans lives matter #trans studies #gws294

4 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

I think this was beautifully executed and I can definitely see the connection of ethnic culture and trans identity and how they are both interwoven within a person <3

EC Post: Instructive Art

For my blog project, I wrote about Trans Latinxs and their relationships to families of origin. Of course I found information about conflicts and tensions that occur when a Trans Latinx comes out to their family of origin. However, I also found a decent amount of family members, specifically mothers and sisters, who eventually or immediately accepted and embraced their Trans family members and even got involved in organizations to help promote awareness and fight for Trans rights in their communities. Through this piece, I wanted to portray the feeling that it is possible to be accepted by the Trans and Latinx communities not separately, but existing as both identities always in both communities. This is why I painted the Trans flag in the form of a zarape (this is how my abuelita says it, but also known as “zerape”, “sarape”, “serape”, or even “saltillo” in some places) a traditional Mexican blanket which is also used as a ”gaban” (not going to translate/explain references anymore, si no sabes, just google it) similar to a “rebozo”. The zarape to me in itself symbolized a fusion of, or more so adaptation out of survival, of indigenous art and “tilmas” with Spanish influences. This seemed perfect because I wanted a visual representation of the blending of Trans and Latinx identities, so I used the patterns and colors of the Transgender flag in a zarape style. I used the silhouettes of a parental figure and a child figure to symbolize family. It was difficult to choose what symbol I wanted to represent family because there is really no general family formula and I did not want to stereotype the family structure. However, I did focus on family of origin for my project so I chose some sort of parental/guardian figure and some sort of child figure. Overall, I hope that when people view my piece, they get a positive sense of a Trans Latinx identity that can include love and support from families of origin.

#gws 294 #trans latinx #trans #transgender #transgender studies

7 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

Monique is that the lush Mask? I think I have the same one. I love it!

Monique (they/them)

GWS major, looking to find more diplomatic discourse about transgender people to help me feel valid.

Genderfluid.

#gws294 #gws 294 #gender #trans studies #gws

11 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

Your cat is so cute, and I don’t even like cats lol.

Introductions Hi, y’all. My name is Lulú, and I am in the Gender and Women’s Studies Dept, in my last year at UIC. I go by she/her/hers & they/them/theirs. I look forward to learning and expanding my mind on Trans Studies. —— Pictured above is one of my kitties, Misitu, whose name means “cat” in Purépecha, a spoken language & an indigenous group of people of Mexico.

#gws 294 #gws294 #trans gender studies #gender #gender variance education

8 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

I was dragging my feet to go to the screening when I saw that the episodes were online, but I am so glad that I did go.It was just a really awesome experience to speak with the people who wrote the script and performed in it. I found their effort to ensure that the people who were working on production of the film to be trans identified even greater because it shows how to make a project be for the people, by the people in every way, and because trans women are often discriminated against in the work place, having a safe work environment and a work environment period just seemed really important to me and the fact that it was their goal to have trans people working on the project every step of the shows unity of a community.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the Her Story viewing and panel event (because I had to work), but I was able to watch all of the episodes online at http://herstoryshow.com - if you haven’t seen these, you definitely should take the time to watch the 6 episodes! Her Story follows the experiences with dating and identity of trans [and queer] women in Los Angeles. It highlights challenges faced by trans people and queer people with dating, and does a great job doing so. The series shows a lot of misconceptions society has about trans people and then dis-proving those misconceptions, including lesbians saying and acting in transmisogynistic ways.

I really wish I would have been able to attend the event to hear the cast speak about the show. As I was watching the series, it was very clear to me that this show was written, cast, and produced by majority trans people, because of the way that many topics were dealt with. I applaud HerStory for having trans women play trans women, and show the stories and experiences of trans women. The challenges of dating as a trans person is not something that the general public might understand to be such a serious challenge, but this show did a great job portraying those challenges.

When I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it to the event, I was upset, and was hoping I would be able to find the episodes online. I was SO EXCITED, for many reasons, to find the episodes so easily online - it’s amazing that something like this is free for anyone to watch at any time. The messages in Her Story are ones that are so important for society to see and hear, so it’s great that this is so easy for people to find and to watch.

#gws 294 #gws294 #herstory #her story #jen richards #angelica ross #trans

6 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

I really hope that they are able to get picked up by a network, I think this would be so educational and relatable for both trans and gender variant people, but also cis people as well. I really did love the fact that the story lines were their own lived experiences. It made it so much more authentic.

I attended a screening and panel discussion on the series Her Story at UIC. the series is 6 short episodes that describe the many themes that are present in Trans people’s lives. The series focuses on Transwomen, with topics such as exclusion from Lesbian feminists circles, dating cismen and ciswomen, abusive relationships, intersections of race, sexuality, and gender identity, and more. Three of the main characters were present at the event and were the panelists in the discussion. See a link to the Her Story twitter page here: https://twitter.com/herstoryshow.

I thought that this event was very useful. I loved the show because it was something very different in that the focus was around Trans women, including a Trans woman of color, the roles were played by Trans women, and the story line was very complex in that it touched on different aspects of their lives not just the idea of “transitioning”. It was amazing to be able to have the creators and actresses from the show there talking about their experiences and the backstories to the Her story story line. They talked about how the themes for the story were based off of their experiences and experiences of friends. One thing that came up was the possibility of including some Trans men and gender non-conforming people in the next season. The creators had originally planned for this to be a private project about their experiences only for their community of friends. Now that it was so well-received, it seems like the creators are thinking about expanding the stories and characters as they push for another season. They are now pushing for a network to pick up their show if they see that there is wide support, so watch the 1st season and tweet about it!

#gws294 #gws 294 #herstory #her story #trans #gender variant

4 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

Her Story Screening

I was able to go to the screening of a show called “Her Story”. It was a 6 part film comprised of 60 minutes of viewing. The show centers around the character of Violent, a trans woman who is coming to terms with her possible lesbian identity;and it also focused on the relationship between trans women and queer people, and how complicated they can be at times, but this is definitely an oversimplification of what this show truly is. “Her Story” was so multi-dimensional and touched on many struggles of being trans in the 21st century, from being rejected from lesbian/ feminist peer groups, to disclosing, to abuse, to outing. And there was even more themes than that this 10 minute per episode series. Because there is a focus on trans woman, not them being supporting characters but them being the storyline, it was awesome to watch because there is not nearly enough shows based solely on gender variant people as there is with cisgendered people.

What was even more exciting that that were able to talk to main characters Jen Richards, Angelica Ross and Fawzia Mirza, who surprised us in the audience. There was a question and answer session that was facilitated by S. and questions taken from the audience.

One of the greatest things about this project in relation to gender variance is how they made it a point to hire all trans and gender queer people who were working on the film, the director to even the smallest of jobs. It was really important to them to showcase trans and gender queer talent because there is plenty of talent that is not typically seen, but also because they know how hard it is for trans women to find work. It seems that one of Jen and Angelica’s main focus when going into a project is making sure that it is made for people like them by people like them, to help break through so that we can have visibility of trans people on television.Angelica Ross, who plays the character of Paige, even has her own company called TransTech Social, where she she employs and trains trans people in graphic design and web design to name a few.

Another thing that was brought up that relates to gender variance is disclosure, or disclosing to a potential partner that you are trans. As Jen and Angelica said, a lot of the story lines in the show are taken from there daily lives, and disclosure was something that they struggled with a lot, and Angelica brought up a reason why some trans women struggle with disclosure is because of the fetishization of trans women, with her anecdotal evidence being that when she disclosed early on before meeting people that she is trans that men approached her in overtly sexual ways whereas when she did not immediately disclose being trans, men were trying to “get to know her”.

#event #gws #gws 294 #gws294 #herstory #her story #jen richards #angelica ross #fawzia mirza #trans representation #trans tv

1 note · View note

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

I appreciated the fact that this narrative came from a person who both identifies as gender queer and disabled, because it is very beneficial to get critique on the idea or concept of “trans-ness as a defect” from some who has experiences with both marginalized groups. Clare’s speech not only made a point to untie trans-ness and disability but also disability as a disability, which I also found eye opening. The emphasis on uniqueness and the rejection of defects is something that I took away from this article.

4th Post: A Course Reading

Eli Clare’s “Resisting Shame: Making Our Bodies Home” talks about the shame that people feel on their bodies, especially trans, gender non-conforming, and people with disabilities. Trans people often feel shame when it comes to their bodies and as a result they tend to look at their “trans-ness [as] a birth defect,” (459). Framing trans identity as a disability not only pathologizes trans identity but it also erases disability as an actual issue. Clare also discusses how trans people describing their “trans-ness” as a defect and claiming that they want the same health benefits as people with disabilities is problematic because once again it ignores the issues that people with disabilities face and erases the fact that they also endure inequality in the healthcare system.

I felt a connection to Clare’s article because the feeling of shame is central to a lot of issues. Clare mentions trans identity and disability, but it is also central to issues of sexuality and race. Getting at the root of why people feel shamed in their bodies can help to unravel and expose systems of oppression. This article helped to explain other reasons for the health disparities in gender variant people and how a lot of it is rooted in shame and how that affects mental health. This article also did a great job of highlighting how comparing trans identities to disabilities is problematic and it should be a take away from this article.

Link to article, click here.

#gws #gws 294 #gws295 #eli clare #Resisting Shame: Making Our Bodies Home #lgbtq studies

9 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Text

I agree with you about the idea that not everyone (gender variant or cisgender) can readily take on that role of “fool” and ridicule themselves before others do. Sure, it may be empowering in a way that you are “beating them to the punch”, but it also puts a lot of pressure on a marginalized group to force their acceptance in a sense, rather than holding those who ridicule accountable for their actions, and it also does not point out their ignorance either.

My Favorite Article

So far my favorite reading is Kate Bornstein’s Send in the Clowns. It is a short and sweet article that officers an alternative way to react when faced with push back from society. Bornstein makes some excellent points regarding how society enforces certain norms without question. Humiliation is used as a tool (Bornstein says a whip) that is used to control how people behave. When one does not fear humiliation that tool can no longer be used against them. Without that whip there’s not much control society can have over that individual. Bornstein states that acting as a fool in a play in these scenarios can help diffuse tense situations by making a joke of how ridiculous societal norms can be. This can be more effective than simply becoming defensive.

Although I really enjoyed this article and the points Bornstein was making, I could not help but think that the role of a fool cannot suit anybody and everybody. People are going to have different reactions depending on their personalities. A person who is shy or short tempered might not be able to effectively play this role. I myself am quite shy and do could only wish to achieve this method. What I would like to place emphasis on is the power of humiliation. I have learned to not let the words of strangers too seriously. They do not know me, plain and simple, making it easy to blow them off. This may not teach anybody anything, but I am one of those people who would not feel comfortable playing the fool. Those who can, should! Because making a joke of societal norms has the potential to get people thinking.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12784237/GWS%20294%20Spring%202016/Bornstein%20-%20Send%20in%20the%20Clowns.pdf

#gws 294 #gws294 #bornstein #send in the clowns #gws #trans #trans issues

3 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

Response to: Resisting Shame: Making Our Bodies Home by Eli Clare

In this speech given at the Gender Odyssey Conference, Clare highlights the idea of shame, an internal feeling that is invoked in many people who are struggling with gender and sexuality issues, or imposed upon them by individuals who judge them for how they identify; but also how it creeps up in daily life in situations such as job interviews, sexual intercourse, getting dressed, and even when looking at ones own reflection. Clare’s main emphasis in this speech is how we can challenge that shame and try to shun it from our being. Clare goes into detail about a personal experience he faced while on a biking tour, being self identified as genderqueer and disabled. On this trip, he overheared his partner being bombarded with questions from fellow bikers about what exactly is “wrong” with him. “Does he have MS or Parkinson's?” “He's so brave; what kind of trike does he have?” Clare also encountered people assuming that his partner was his caregiver or chaperone, all the while with no person directly asking Clare about his person narrative. Shame sets into Clare as he sees the distress in his partner’s face,thinking to himself “whats wrong with me, why won’t anyone talk to me?”

Clare ties this narrative into the statement he has heard that “trans people should have access to quality healthcare like any other disabled person”, with some likening it to a birth defect that is in need of a cure. He rejects that idea, and says that we should embrace our differences. When asked about if he would cure himself of cerebral palsy he said no, because he doesn’t know his body or himself any other way. Rejection of disability as a medical issue that needs solving and instead doing away with ableism is the real issue that needs to be fixed, because to claim ones trans body is defective, ignores the experience of many disabled people, but also leaves trans people “wide open to shame”.

I personally connected to this reading because the idea of shame and discomfort in ones body is not an issue that only pertains to gender variant people, but to cisgendered people as well. I look in the mirror and second guess ever feature of myself, from clothing, to body shape , to hair; almost everything. Reading this speech made me reflect on the uniqueness of my body, and how no one else in this world looks exactly like me, has the exact shape, personality, mentality, or daily life of me. And thats okay. This speech made me give a second thought to the shame that I carry with me, and why I carry it with me. Rejecting what we are told is ideal, what is considered, normal or abnormal, is the best thing that I-- that we can do. Embracing our differences, instead of obsessing on how we can fit into the mold.. Is what I took away from this Clare’s speech.

This speech impacted how I view gender variance because it made me think about how great it is that we are who we are, that we can be who we want to be and there is nothing wrong with that; and it is not necessarily always important to try and change these things. If anything, Clare’s speech made me loosen my mental constructs of gender even more; and made me see how the idea of what is normal and abnormal in terms of gender and sexuality is shame in and of itself. I hope that others who read Clare’s speech can take a away some solace and comfort from the words spoken. Understanding that whether you are gender variant, disabled, both, even cisgendered; that you are person, a unique person and that these differences do not make us weird, or abnormal; that they just make us, us.

Link to Clare’s speech

http://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sjsj/vol8/iss2/2/

#Resisting Shame: Making Our Bodies Home #gws294 #gws 294 #disability and gender variancy #lgbtq intersectionality #eli clare

4 notes · View notes

cbooth4gws-blog · 8 years

Photo

https://docs.google.com/a/uic.edu/presentation/d/17UO5Zhar-T4G8KdA278-vUEMHJTHPly-NXx-QMPcmF8/edit?usp=sharing

@skimuyu

@femmeb0i

@misitu2015

@cbooth4gws

@bianca-curlworld

@whowhatsomethingsomeone

Group 5 members: Michael Amaya, Monique Morris, Bianca Herrera, Lulu Martinez, Harley Galeski, Codi Booth, Jackie Park

History of TERFs: What is a TERF?

Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists, or TERFs, share the idea that women are only defined by their biological characteristics and birth socializing.

Their main argument: trans females have benefitted from male privilege and socialization so they must not be accepted in the same light as a womyn feminist.

A lot of them mostly extend this idea towards excluding them from “womyn only” spaces and others refuse to acknowledge transwomen as a part the women/womyn feminist personal and professional community.

History of TERF: 1st wave feminism

First Wave Feminism: Term used to denote the 19th century and early 20th century movement for women to get the right to vote and have access to birth control . Lasted from the late 1840s until the 1960s.

Major players :Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth,Elizabeth Cady Stanton- 1848 Seneca Falls Convention

Major Issues: Not allowed to vote, had to follow rules without representation, no property rights, men had full control, in custody and divorce battles it favored men, access to education etc.

History of TERF: 1st wave feminism (cont.)

Whose Left out?

Minorities, Lesbians etc.

Agenda was to not fall below the black man in class and opportunity. Other people’s issues cast aside to help their own personal advancement prosper.

History of TERF: 2nd Wave Feminism

Period between the 1960’s and 1970s where the main issues of the movement were to address sexism and patriarchy, legalize abortion and birth control for all (at one point, birth control was only legal for married women), equal rights in the social and political sphere, and sexual liberation.

At the beginning of the second wave of feminism, still very exclusionary and was focused on the rights of privileged white women. Still not accepting of lesbians until lesbian activists pushed the women’s movement to accept them. Some feminists after the 60s even advocated that women “become” lesbians because all heterosexual sex is rape.

http://www.makers.com/rita-mae-brown

History of TERF and Resistance: 3rd and 4th Wave

3rd Wave:

Started roughly in the early 1990’s

Is more inclusive of women who aren’t heterosexual and white

Major Players: Rebecca Walker

Queer theory is introduced: “posits that gender and sexuality are fluid categories, and do not easily map onto binary understandings of ‘male’ and ‘female”

Criticism: with a focus on individuals there it is more difficult to achieve “wide-reaching change”

4th Wave:

“Contemporary feminism” , starting around 2008

Major focus on intersectionality

Driven by the internet and social media, which have made it easier to challenge sexist and misogynistic behavior/remarks

WoC (women of color), cis, and TERFs became more prevalent terms in social media amongst feminist activism.

TERFs and resistance: Janice Raymond and Sandy Stone

Our Article: The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttransexual Manifesto,

Written by Sandy Stone as a rebuttal to Janice Raymond’s The Transsexual Empire

Transsexuals can provide a new insight from outside the bi-gender boundary

Criticized the foundation of her arguments by deconstructing the idea of gender as a fixed binary and encourages people to resist the necessity to “pass”

Called passing “aiming to disappear” thus ridding one of the ability to express an authentic experience that only transsexuals have

TERFs and resistance: Janice Raymond and Sandy Stone (cont.)

Our Article: The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttransexual Manifesto,

Pushed for Transsexual as a genre rather than as a “third gender”

Covered a brief history on MtF surgeries

The Transsexual Phenomenon (1966) by Harry Benjamin coined “Being in the Wrong Body” and the book was used by many patients to get affirmation

“Wrong body” (~pre-1980) —> GID (2015) still a requirement

It’s basically a euphemism for the same phallocentric word

Cathy Brennan

An attorney, radical feminist, and well-known TERF

She famously has been against a United Nations policy that would recognize trans identity and help protect trans individuals from discrimination

Has been known to “out” and harass trans women (complaining about them to doctors, attacking them online, contacting their employers and family, etc.). Generally bullying trans women online

Considers TERF a “slur”

She is by all means a hateful speaking person as upon research this photo was the first to come up:

Photo credit: Planet Transgender http://planettransgender.com/sorry-about-your-dick-an-interview-with-cathy-brennan/

Lierre Keith

TERF and co-founder of Deep Green Resistance, a super militant pro-environment + radical feminist group (200+ members)

Not against the use of violence to achieve group goals

Talked about how female behavior is a “ritualized submission” a result of society forcing them to be “ sexually attractive, nurturing, and deferential”

Says transfemales that demand to be called female have “aggrieved entitlement”

Compares transgender to the concept of transethnicity, says no amount of surgery will change someone’s biological and socialized identity

Current TERFs: Michigan Womyn’s Music Fest

Was a music festival in Hart, Michigan held every August from 1976 to 2015 for women (it was run by and attended by women/womyn)

It’s organizers were radical feminists (Lisa Vogel in particular) who saw that the event should be attended by “womyn born womyn” and assigned female at birth women, yet this isn’t listed anywhere in any literature for the event

Using that framework the organizers were able to defend themselves by saying transgender women “were not outright banned” “ but the womyn-born-womyn framework was for the “benefit of the transsexuals’ safety and the safety of the women attending the festival”

There were a handful of occurrences where trans women were asked to leave the event, like Nancy Burkholder in 1991 “She told that I had I had to leave the festival and that I would not even be allowed to return to my campsite to retrieve my equipment. I realized that Chris and Del were expelling me in spite of all the irrefutable legal and anatomical proof that I was a women. I knew there was nothing more I could say to these women. I resigned myself to the fact that these women were expelling me from the festival.”

Current TERFs: Michigan Womyn’s Music Fest (continued)

Due to a decrease in overall attendance and an inability to book big name bands and performs 2015 was the last year of MWMF

This inability to book performs and keep people interested is due to the bad reputation the festival has because of it’s history with trans exclusionary rules, which has received backlash from several different organizations (Equality Michigan, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Center for Lesbian Rights) and attendees who, unlikely those who started the festival, weren’t transphobic

With people like Lisa Vogel who are unwilling to grow and be more inclusive of transgender women. The festival stagnated and faded away with it’s outdated trans exclusionary ways

Current TERFs: Women’s colleges

Wellesley college allows Transmasculine students to stay; Transfeminine students not accepted

most female-only colleges don’t allow transwomen unless they have gender on documents, but many are changing policies to be more inclusive of transmen.

NYTimes article: Transmasculine centered

Transmen “know what it’s like to be treated as female”, “Wellesley needs to maintain its integrity as a safe space for women”

Arguments are at the heart of TERF logic: Transmen = “born female” = can relate to ciswomen; Transwomen = “born male” = threat to ciswomen via 1. Sexual assault or 2. Infringing on “women’s” (read ciswomen) space

46 women’s colleges as of 2014: 6 have policies surrounding transgender individuals and they vary on their level of inclusivity (from requiring birth certificates to have sex and gender match to allowing anyone who self-identifies as ciswomen, transwomen, intersex, or non-binary)

Current TERFs: Shelters and LGBT petition

65% refused at women’s shelters and 75% at mixed gender

Two of the reasons refused housing:

Employee made reference to genitalia or surgery in order to be accepted to the shelter

Employee made reference to other shelter residents feeling unsafe

Same arguments made by TERFs

Change.org petition to drop the T in LGBT:

The idea that Transfolk (specifically Transwomen) are a threat to LGB people (specifically ciswomen i.e. rape)

The idea that Transpeople (specifically Transwomen) are just trying to infringe upon LGB and women’s spaces

HRC and GLAAD rejected petition (also only 2,815 people signed it; but still unsettling)

Trans activism against TERFs: It’s Time to End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women by Tina Vasquez

TERFs are generally scarce in number, they are outspoken and influential in “legislation and mainstream perceptions of transgender people” (stagnating transgender health care until the 80’s, criticising trans women for using the women’s restroom)

Also in relation to “fourth wave” feminism these TERFs are vocal and aggressive on the internet

There is this transphobic idea that trans women affect the safety or somehow harm cisgender women in certain “women’s spaces”

“It has been said that feminism has failed the transgender community. It’s hard to disagree. Trans women have been weathering a storm of hate and abuse in the name of feminism for decades now and for the most part, cisgender feminists have failed to speak out about it or push against it…Trans women have been saddled with the responsibility of taking on trans-exclusionary feminists for far too long��but it’s not their issue to deal with alone. Cisgender feminists, such as myself, have to make it clear that our feminism loves and supports trans women and that we will fight against transphobia.”

In recent years feminists and queer activists have distanced themselves and argued against TERFS. Leading to more support for trans/gender variant issues and concerns

Trans activism against TERFs: “Why the Feminist Movement Must be Trans inclusive”

Transphobic feminists are a minority; but team up with right-wing conservatives to affect policy

Results in violent and health disparate outcomes for Transpeople (specifically Transwomen)

*Lack of access to shelters

*Excluded from feminist women’s spaces

*Excluded from many women’s colleges

*Need to remove TERFs from the discourse of feminism (hate speech)

*Build communities that celebrate difference not sameness

“We have to recognize trans women as women (and include them in women’s spaces!),recognize trans men as men, and recognize genderqueer and non-binary identifying people as being outside of or in between those categories, defined by their own experiences and expression on the gender spectrum.”

Trans activism that considers TERFs: (source 3)

ways in which knowledge and action are connected.

‘Risk groups’ has no place for transsexual women or transsexual men

asks for some critical reflection on this disjuncture as a way to begin to imagine different models for the production of theory.

Violence against transsexual and transvestite bodies, then, is central to But ler’s feminist theory, as well as to contemporary political activism.

November 21st –Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)

that—somehow!—forgets entirely to account for the specificity of women’s bodies and women’s lives in explaining the question of violence.

Trans activism against TERFs: “Feminism, a fourth wave?”

Feminism: A Fourth Wave? By Ealasaid Munro looks at the waves of feminism up to the current (and debated) fourth wave, this perspective looks at current intersectional activism

Internet activism is huge in this “fourth wave”, an activism that might not create change (in a political sense), but it starts mainstream conversations

There are pros and cons though, like “privilege checking” which is “reminding someone that they cannot and should not speak for others”, but can be used “means of deflection rather than with any hope of understanding”

The internet and social media have brought on new terms to help educate and tackle big issues.”WoC, cis and TERF are invaluable given the 140-character limit imposed by Twitter, and lend themselves to the practice of hashtagging, an online practice that allows information to be quickly retrieved and linked.” When someone like Cathy Brennan does something transphobic, social media is a way for people to rally together and go against any TERF like behavior

Link to the piece: https://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/feminism-fourth-wave

Conclusion

TERF ideals are largely based on transphobia and are spread into conversations of LGB boundaries, safe spaces, shelter/school admission.

A sort of compromise Sandy Stone has suggested is to steer clear of each group’s spaces.

“It’s your place to stay out of spaces where transgender male-to-female people go. It’s not our job to avoid you.”

SOURCES:

Works Cited

Ealasaid, Munro. “Feminism: A Fourth Wave?” - Munro. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

Goldberg, Michelle. “What Is a Woman? - The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

Laura Kacere. “Why the Feminist Movement Must Be Trans-Inclusive.” Everyday Feminism. N.p., 24 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

Namaste, Viviane. “Undoing Theory: The “Transgender Question” and the Epistemic Violence of Anglo-American Feminist Theory.” Wiley Online Library. Hypatia, 16 July 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

Vasquez, Tina. “It’s Time to End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women | Bitch Media.” Bitch Media. N.p., 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

Ennis, Dawn. “Michfest Womyn and Trans Women Ask ‘Why?’ | Advocate.com.“Michfest Womyn and Trans Women Ask ‘Why?’ | Advocate.com. 23 Apr. 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

Williams, Cristan. "Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival.” The Trans Advocate. The Trans Advocate, 09 Apr. 2013. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

#GWS 294 #GWS #gws294 #trans rights #trans misogyny

5 notes · View notes