This piece is honestly a must-read for Trans folks of all genders and aspiring allies, especially anyone who’s in an early and/or vulnerable place in their Transition.
apt analysis!! super helpful in my moment of transition and exploring transmasc identity, the dynamics of when people perceive me as male versus ~faggot-subaltern~ (thank you for introducing me to that piece) continue to fascinate and dismay. yet another banger!!
s been wonderful to read these recent writings about trans men and the responsibility that comes with the position they occupy. it's so unfortunate that I've seen multiple trans guys that I used to feel like I was on equal footing with accept a hierarchical position over me as a femme-presenting genderqueer person. I'm also lucky to know transmascs who stay grounded in the awareness of the privilege they take on when they start occupying manhood in society's eyes. And in these relationships in my life, it's the white transmascs who are quick to embrace entitlement while the transmascs of color check themselves.
Oh. Oh, that part about why newly-out trans folks are targeted for tokenization & educating explains some experiences for me, thank you for this!
(I do think there could be additional stuff at play in the asker's experience - some people want to show they care about you and respect your transition and are awkward about it, often people open up socially in the course of transition and others respond warmly to that and it's unfamiliar. And parts may have to do with legibility - I got a bunch more of this "positive transphobia" as I made my presentation more femme and it was easier for people to slot me into a box they had a concept for, "trans woman, which I don't really understand as distinct from drag queen and they seem fun on TV" vs "um, some gender stuff sure is happening". But thanks for pointing out the elements you did.)
I might soften the "demand just as many trans women be included" advice a bit - if someone is talking to a scout patrol in exchange for punch and cookies, it's not necessarily a net favor to trans womanhood to require a trans woman be there. And there are times when it might make sense to prioritize having a Black or disabled or more-experienced-with-talking-to-the-press trans person in the room over having a woman in the room. It's a good nudge, but be strategic, pay attention to who's in the room while acknowledging there's no way to get every lived experience that matters to the room into every room.
Excellent newsletter, as always!! Thanks for another great piece of writing. It reminded me of some of the comics of Joey Alison Sayers about navigating certain spaces before and after transitioning (I’ve been trying and failing to find an easy one to link to. Sorry about that!).
This reads more as you speaking from your experiences rather than an intersectional lens and extrapolating that to the rest of the community. It is incredibly dangerous to be trans right now and the privileges of being viewed as [cis] male are far more frequently stripped from passing and stealth trans men the moment our transness is revealed or can be leveraged against us.
It is an incredibly dangerous time to be trans right now -- and yet, this Anon still had the experiences he did. Now more than ever it is important for us to understand our positionality, the privileges that we wield, the safety that we enjoy relative to our peers who aren't so cis-conforming in appearance, and the many responsibilities that flow through it. Acknowledging that there are gradients to this is important strategically and ethically.
This piece is honestly a must-read for Trans folks of all genders and aspiring allies, especially anyone who’s in an early and/or vulnerable place in their Transition.
apt analysis!! super helpful in my moment of transition and exploring transmasc identity, the dynamics of when people perceive me as male versus ~faggot-subaltern~ (thank you for introducing me to that piece) continue to fascinate and dismay. yet another banger!!
s been wonderful to read these recent writings about trans men and the responsibility that comes with the position they occupy. it's so unfortunate that I've seen multiple trans guys that I used to feel like I was on equal footing with accept a hierarchical position over me as a femme-presenting genderqueer person. I'm also lucky to know transmascs who stay grounded in the awareness of the privilege they take on when they start occupying manhood in society's eyes. And in these relationships in my life, it's the white transmascs who are quick to embrace entitlement while the transmascs of color check themselves.
Oh. Oh, that part about why newly-out trans folks are targeted for tokenization & educating explains some experiences for me, thank you for this!
(I do think there could be additional stuff at play in the asker's experience - some people want to show they care about you and respect your transition and are awkward about it, often people open up socially in the course of transition and others respond warmly to that and it's unfamiliar. And parts may have to do with legibility - I got a bunch more of this "positive transphobia" as I made my presentation more femme and it was easier for people to slot me into a box they had a concept for, "trans woman, which I don't really understand as distinct from drag queen and they seem fun on TV" vs "um, some gender stuff sure is happening". But thanks for pointing out the elements you did.)
I might soften the "demand just as many trans women be included" advice a bit - if someone is talking to a scout patrol in exchange for punch and cookies, it's not necessarily a net favor to trans womanhood to require a trans woman be there. And there are times when it might make sense to prioritize having a Black or disabled or more-experienced-with-talking-to-the-press trans person in the room over having a woman in the room. It's a good nudge, but be strategic, pay attention to who's in the room while acknowledging there's no way to get every lived experience that matters to the room into every room.
Excellent newsletter, as always!! Thanks for another great piece of writing. It reminded me of some of the comics of Joey Alison Sayers about navigating certain spaces before and after transitioning (I’ve been trying and failing to find an easy one to link to. Sorry about that!).
Found it! https://thenib.com/my-transition-before-vs-after/
You are amazing. 🤩 How am I so inept at searching?! Lol Thanks for posting the link!
I'll give it a look thanks for the rec!
This reads more as you speaking from your experiences rather than an intersectional lens and extrapolating that to the rest of the community. It is incredibly dangerous to be trans right now and the privileges of being viewed as [cis] male are far more frequently stripped from passing and stealth trans men the moment our transness is revealed or can be leveraged against us.
It is an incredibly dangerous time to be trans right now -- and yet, this Anon still had the experiences he did. Now more than ever it is important for us to understand our positionality, the privileges that we wield, the safety that we enjoy relative to our peers who aren't so cis-conforming in appearance, and the many responsibilities that flow through it. Acknowledging that there are gradients to this is important strategically and ethically.
Super interesting and well explained. Thank you for sharing this.