[Tsa] Resources on Trans/Feminism (event tonight! FPH 108! 5:30!)

[Ellen Schubert]

Hi all,

Josh and I don't want to kill any more trees than we have to for the
discussion tonight, so we wanted to email out some resources about
trans issues.  These are totally supplementary-- feel free to have a
look at them now, or after the workshop, or not at all.  We're looking
forward to seeing you tonight!

The San Francisco Transgender Law Center has created a really
excellent introduction to the diversity of transgender identities and
experiences-- even if you've heard the "Trans 101" talk before, it's
totally worth a look.  I'm copy/pasting it below.

Also check out Sylvia Rivera Law Project's list of resources:
http://srlp.org/resources/trainingmaterials .  A lot of these address
the intersections of trans identity and other issues, such as poverty
and incarceration.

See you tonight!

Ellen


Here's the Trans 101:

Gender Identity:

Our gender identity is how we see ourselves. Some of us see ourselves
as women, some as men, some as a combination of both, some as neither.
Some of us have complex identities that may even be fluid and change
over time. For instance, some of us see ourselves as female to male
trans people who also identify as butch women and genderqueer and some
days as drag queens.

Everyone has a gender identity. And, everyone expresses their gender
identity. We all make choices about how to cut or not cut the hair on
our head, the hair on our legs, what clothes to wear, whether or not
and what type of make-up to wear, what body parts to accentuate or
not, etc, etc. We all make hundreds of conscious decisions every day
about how we are going to express our gender. We all have a gender.

Transgender People:

Transgender people (very broadly conceived) are those of us whose
gender identity and/or expression that does not or is perceived to not
match stereotypical gender norms associated with our assigned gender
at birth. In other words, people think that we should be more
masculine, more feminine, not have facial hair, have facial hair, not
have wombs, have wombs, identify differently, etc., etc.

And, a note on the word transgender: Some of us who fit the above
definition do self-identify as transgender, and some of us don't. We
are a community with an evolving language. What is key is that
everyone has the right to SELF-IDENTIFY. When in doubt about how a
person identifies or what pronouns a person prefers – ask nicely and
politely. It is very important to respect each person's
self-identification. For instance, it is not respectful to challenge
someone's gender identity.

Diversity within the Transgender Communities

Transgender people span all communities, are of all backgrounds,
ethnicities, ages, and abilities.

Transgender people have all sexual orientations. Gender identity is
about who one is. Sexual orientation is about who one is attracted to.
Some transgender people are straight, some are gay, some are bi, and
some are queer.

Transgender people have an enormous and beautiful gender diversity.
Among transgender as among non-transgender people, there are feminine
women, masculine women, androgynous women, feminine men, androgynous
men, masculine men, to name just a few. There are infinitely different
ways to be male and infinitely different ways to be female.
And there are infinite ways to be neither. One term to describe those
who do not identify as completely male or female is genderqueer. (But,
not all people who do not identify as female or male self-identify as
genderqueer – and some people who do identify as female or male do
self-identify as genderqueer. Again, it is important to respect each
person's self-identification.)

Options other than female or male: There are transgender people who
identify as trans, tranny, trannyboy, trannygirl, transsexual,
transgender, shinjuku boy, boi, grrl, boy-girl, girl-boy-girl, papi,
third gender, fourth gender, no gender, bi-spirit, butch, dyke-fag,
fairy, elf girl, glitterboy, transman, transwoman – just to name a
few. Some of us see ourselves as combining aspects of male and female.
Some of us see ourselves as falling between male and female. Some of
us fall completely outside of the binary gender system. Some of us
have the same gender always and everywhere; some of us are fluid, and
of us change situationally or over time.

And, a little note on spectrums and lines. There are women and there
are men. These are two options among a million. Female and male are
not two endpoints on a line. There is no line, no spectrum. If there
were a line, where would a sissy ftm fall compared to a butch dyke?
Where would a butch mtf fall? Where would a fierce femme fall? Gender
is much much bigger than a line. We cannot order people on a scale of
masculinity/femininity. Gender is (at least!) a 3 dimensional space
that allows motion. One way to picture gender is as a gender galaxy –
a space with an infinite number of gender points that can move and
that are not hierarchically ordered.

Bodies:

In addition to the enormous variety of identifications, there is an
equally impressive variety of bodies. We all have bodies. We all alter
our bodies in some way. Some women have wombs, some do not. Some men
have facial hair, some do not. Some male to female transgender people
identify as one-hundred percent female and never take hormones or have
any surgeries. Transgender women define for themselves what it means
to be female and to have a female body. Some female to male
transgender people take male hormones and have mastectomies and yet do
not identify as men. Some do. Some mix and match to best express their
very own fabulous gender. Some take hormones but have no surgery or
vice versa. Some take low-doses of hormones or go on and off. For some
trans people, altering genitalia is important. For others, it it not.
Some transsexual men identify as 100% male and choose to become
pregnant and bear and raise children.

There is no prototypical transgender experience. There is an endless
variety of transgender bodies, an endless variety of transgender
identities, and an endless combination of the two. It is not
necessarily those who take low doses of hormones who identify between
male and female. It is not necessarily those who take hormones who
identify as transsexual. It is not necessarily those who have genital
surgery who identify as 100% male or 100% female.

Further, there are endless ways to arrive at being transgender and of
being transgender. Some transgender people are assigned female at
birth, know from day one they are male, describe their experience as
being a man trapped in a woman's body, and live their life as a
heterosexual man. This narrative is perpetuated, reinforced, and
rewarded by the medical and psychological establishment. Many
transgender people share only some part or no part of this narrative.
Many transgender people live happy lives prior to transition. Not all
transgender people feel uncomfortable in their bodies and want to
alter bodies. Not all transgender people have the same identification
throughout their lives. Endless narratives exist.

And, a quick note on sex vs. gender: In our society, sex is usually
seen as the more objective, natural backdrop to a more socially
constructed gender. In the transgender communities, there are many
different views about sex and gender, their definition and their
interrelation. Some transgender people see themselves as having one
sex and a different gender. Some transgender people do not see
themselves in this way. I do not want to offer a definition here. But,
I do want to remind us that BOTH sex and gender are socially
constructed and that BOTH sex and gender are socially real.

And, the bottom line: There are many many different ways to be in this
world. There are many many different ways to be transgender or gender
non-conforming in this world. And, in the end, what counts is a
person's self-identification.

Prepared by Jody Marksamer and Dylan Vade