This has been a typical response from our transgender allies when it comes to our "label" and they have every right to be confused because we, as transgender people, cannot even make up our own minds on what label offends us and what does not!
I am talking about the growing trend of transgender people in our circles trying to force one label over another or even having no label at all! Confused? I am. And I'm transgender!
The debate that has been brewing back and forth is whether or not to label a transgender (who is going through the therapy steps of transitioning) a transsexual or a transgender. Some activists will scream "transsexual cause a transgender is a crossdresser and I don't wanna be associated with those people!" and some will scream "transgender because the word transsexual is actually incorrect to describe our gender identity!"
The LGBT non-profits organizations is starting to feel the heat too. For example, GLAAD had been pressured into renaming their label "transsexual" because "transgender" stood for "fake women who like their penis." The HRC was pressured into putting "transgender" in their brochures on how to talk to a transgender person because transgenders will take great offense to the word transsexual as it connotates an era of drag queens and transvestites (oh....and transvestites is a no no for the crossdressing gals. It's an outdated label).
As you browse through the sites of LGBT organizations you will see the labels change depending on which person gave them hell for what label. It can be very frustrating for these organizations who only want to promote education of LGBT to the masses when they get criticized for a simple label. It is like a baby screaming at it's mother about which diaper to use. The mother can just leave you naked because where would you be then? Poop everywhere!
Studies have shown that allies of transgender people are afraid to talk to transgenders simply because they are afraid of offending the transgender. Frankly, I cannot blame the ally for feeling this way. I am transgender myself and I often think before I ask a question to another transgender. Studies have also shown that transgender women (male to female.....oh and male to female can also be construed as offensive since we were never male to begin with) take more offense to the labeling than transgender men (female to male).
Sticking to labels like they are ancient religious doctrine can get you in trouble. At first you may be sympathetic to why you stand on one label and not others but I have seen first hand transgender people become more and "elitist" as they stick to their label and only their label. The mentality can develop where one transgender could think another transgender is a "fake" (a person who thinks they are a transgender but they are only a crossdresser who hopes to achieve the immortal pedestal of the real transgender....according to the "elistist"...I swear, I am not making this up).
Here's an idea. Continue to use whatever label you have chosen for yourself but have the civility to understand that other transgender may want to use a different label that you may not agree with. Who cares if someone wants to be labeled as:
Transgender
Transsexual
T
Pre Op/Post Op
Non Op
Tgirl
Tboy
Female
Male
(and everything in between)
The most important thing you need to worry about is yourself. Worrying, arguing, and fighting over labels will do absolutely nothing but give you high blood pressure and I think we ALL can agree no one wants that!
Annah, you're really rather eloquent!
ReplyDeleteWhy label ourselves at all? in the final analysis we're merely human.