I've found some important writings regarding the subjects written about in my posts about trans women.
First, regarding the debate at all:
When I listen to people ‘debating’ ‘letting’ trans women, trans men, and/or trans people as a whole into women-only [sic] spaces such as the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (Michfest) and domestic violence shelters, the experience is profoundly frustrating, even when it’s my allies I’m listening to. It’s the wrong structure, the wrong conversation, and the wrong participants. When a cissexual1 woman or a trans male spectrum person says “all woman-identified women/all trans people should be allowed into women’s space [sic],” I feel almost as disempowered and silenced as when they say that we shouldn’t. Though well intentioned, they represent independent moral/political judgments and statements of principle—not the voices of trans women.2 Do their statements correspond to the wishes, needs, and priorities of trans women? Do they empower trans women’s voices, or contribute to their erasure? More to the point, do cis women (let alone trans male spectrum people) legitimately have that power, to decide whether or not trans women should be allowed into “their” spaces?
Read the rest of this post here: http://takesupspace.wordpress.com/beyond-inclusion/
Also, regarding socialization: http://www.questioningtransphobia.com/?p=2884
Of course, I should have looked for these sources to begin with. I am now trying to decide if I should delete those posts, saturated as they are with privilege and misunderstanding, or if they should stand as a testament to a learning process.
Update: Deleted the first post that spawned Thinking Again and Thinking Again Part 2, as it was the worst of the offending posts. As a result Thinking Again (1) may not make as much sense, as it refers to things said in the other post.
June 7, 2011: Deleting the first post was a mistake. It was a rash action borne of guilt and ultimately designed to save face, and not in any way geared toward holding myself accountable for my mistake.
First, regarding the debate at all:
When I listen to people ‘debating’ ‘letting’ trans women, trans men, and/or trans people as a whole into women-only [sic] spaces such as the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (Michfest) and domestic violence shelters, the experience is profoundly frustrating, even when it’s my allies I’m listening to. It’s the wrong structure, the wrong conversation, and the wrong participants. When a cissexual1 woman or a trans male spectrum person says “all woman-identified women/all trans people should be allowed into women’s space [sic],” I feel almost as disempowered and silenced as when they say that we shouldn’t. Though well intentioned, they represent independent moral/political judgments and statements of principle—not the voices of trans women.2 Do their statements correspond to the wishes, needs, and priorities of trans women? Do they empower trans women’s voices, or contribute to their erasure? More to the point, do cis women (let alone trans male spectrum people) legitimately have that power, to decide whether or not trans women should be allowed into “their” spaces?
Read the rest of this post here: http://takesupspace.wordpress.com/beyond-inclusion/
Also, regarding socialization: http://www.questioningtransphobia.com/?p=2884
Of course, I should have looked for these sources to begin with. I am now trying to decide if I should delete those posts, saturated as they are with privilege and misunderstanding, or if they should stand as a testament to a learning process.
Update: Deleted the first post that spawned Thinking Again and Thinking Again Part 2, as it was the worst of the offending posts. As a result Thinking Again (1) may not make as much sense, as it refers to things said in the other post.
June 7, 2011: Deleting the first post was a mistake. It was a rash action borne of guilt and ultimately designed to save face, and not in any way geared toward holding myself accountable for my mistake.
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