potato_head: (angry)
This is just a reminder to my fellow trans* guys that the t-word is not ours to reclaim. A slur, at its most basic roots, is a reminder along the lines of 'I could kill you right now, and nobody would care'. Almost all (think 9 in 10 or more) trans* people killed in hate crimes are trans* women, and murderers of trans* men are much more likely to be brought to justice or at the very least acknowledged in the wider LGBT community. Murders of trans* women, especially WoC, often barely make local news.

Yes, there are people who use the t word towards trans* men. But it doesn't mean the same thing. It doesn't mean 'society would validate me for an act of violence towards you'. It is a comparison to trans* women. It generally (generally, not always) doesn't indicate that they're about to punish you for your existence through violence.

Yes, trans* men do suffer. Yes, we are sometimes the victims of hate crimes and more often the victims of discrimination due to our trans* status. And no, we do not have the same privileges as a cis man. But please remember that we do have male privilege, especially compared to trans* women, because they need all the support they can get. We cannot turn our backs on them. It is not acceptable to leave behind trans* women simply because society has deemed us more acceptable.


IDK if this really fits in here, but it's come up before when I've tried to have this conversation with certain guys I really respect but strongly disagree with on this issue. No, trans* men are not targeted less because of our invisibility. Perhaps a few decades ago that argument could have been made...but it is obvious, now, that we are being accorded some amount of male privilege. We are no longer invisible, and only a decade or so off the mark, we're being portrayed more sensitively in the media than trans* women are. If you're looking for some blatant evidence of this...trans* men in comedy movies are portrayed as sensitive and rounded characters, as well as Hollywood can do those things. Chaz Bono has been elected the 'trans* spokesperson' by cis people, despite the many trans* women who have been more than qualified to achieve fame in their own right - some of whom have, but nobody is asking them about their experiences, struggles, or views. We are not invisible, and we are gaining power while trans* women are being killed and nobody talks about it, and that isn't okay.


...I actually hadn't been planning to write that all up like, right now, but apparently it all wanted to come out. I had been planning on like. Links and stuff. Maybe I'll come back and add some. Er.

cis ppl

Apr. 15th, 2012 06:53 pm
potato_head: (>:c)


Really guys. We know. lol

Reminds me of one of my ex's who once just informed me that his friend was 'afraid he would sleep with a transsexual one day'

And just kept going on about it

AFAIK he didn't say anything to his friend about it either

And all I could think was 'why the fuck are you telling me this? Why do you think I need to know?'

We know transphobia is out there you really don't need to tell us when you find it it isn't nearly as rare as some of y'all seem to think it is. I don't update my flist about every incident of transphobia I experience because it's on a daily basis and y'all would get bored of that I think.

Like I recognize the need to rant. I know you're probably bringing it up because it pissed you off. (IDK what it was in the case of my ex, he didn't seem especially irritated). But maybe consider taking it to another ally if you just want to vent?

IDK it doesn't bother me that much it just kind of makes me a bit amused and annoyed at the same time and it just confuses me because people do this all the time just like WOAH I SAW BIGOTRY NOT DIRECTED AT MYSELF IN THE WILD TODAY and why are you sharing this with the worldddd and especially with the minority that you /know those words were made to hurt/

ANYWAYS hold on for a baking post soon
potato_head: (o u o)
MY NEW BINDER ARRIVED TODAY WOOOOOO omg lol it's so much tighter than my old one...but still wearable...which is awesome. Although getting it on and off is a liiiittle bit of a struggle lol but the velcro makes it easier.

Also I got new Sherlock shirts ahhhhh

ALSO...I have the house to myself this weekend, just me and Tripper and the cat although she keeps mostly to herself...I am taking advantage of this situation for NAKED BAKING TIME. Yesterday I made some dough with my shirt off. Today I will bake it, probably in just my boxers because the oven will heat the kitchen up.

Not sure I'll be able to get proper photos of these cookies though because MY PARENTS TOOK MY CAMERA ON THEIR TRIP. WITHOUT ASKING.

Whatever. I'll see if I can get good pics out of dad's camera. These cookies will either be fantastic or weird-looking and either way y'all will want pictures I'm sure.

Also, just as a general statement, if you claim to be a trans* ally and then use 'trans' as a noun, as in calling me 'a trans', I'm going to have some significant doubts about your allyhood. I didn't even know anybody did that except radfems and certain conservatives until recently.
(ESL people exempted from this skepticism of course. God I can't imagine what kinds of terrible shit I would say if I tried to talk about issues of privilege in German)

ETA also I anticipate problems now that I can bind properly again. I 'pass' about 25-50% of the time if I'm binding well and I've been tossed out of the women's room before, but I can't use the men's room because there are people on campus who know me.



HATE BATHROOMS
potato_head: (angry)
I've been hearing a lot of "this is why people don't take X movement seriously!" lately. So let's talk some feels about this concept and how it's actually about privilege.

I guess I should cut this )


(Sorry if this was less coherent than usual. I accidentally my eloquence. Or possibly never had any)
potato_head: (angry)
I had a post I was going to write about the sex/gender divide but then I decided to...not. Sorry. Actually, here, I'll sum it up:

The enforced sex binary is bullshit and based on cultural norms rather than anything actually medically useful, don't call me female-bodied because I am not.


Sorry for the swearing, I am angry because (warning: transphobia) Urban Outfitters and casual transphobia yay

Also, a relevant thing, from sunisup:

"Sometimes I hear people say that racism/sexism/etc in culture isn’t important or worth criticizing. ”Oh it’s just a book,” they say. ”It’s just a crappy TV show.” ”It’s just a commercial.”

This argument always baffles me. It’s like if you put poison into a fish-tank and then say “Oh well I didn’t poison the fish, I just poisoned the water.” The fish lives in the water, dumbass; it’s completely submerged in and surrounded by the water. I’m pretty sure that poisoned water is going to affect the fish."

Rest here.


...Did I even connect those things coherently? Oh well, this is what you're getting. I'm going to go write porn rather than strangle the next cis person I see. Because that would probably be [livejournal.com profile] dakfire and I think I like her better alive.
potato_head: (beautiful mess)
First of all, for all my trans buddies, Trans 101: for Trans People. Seriously, go read it.

And now, introspective post? )


I feel like I just meandered around and said very little but I guess that's why it's an introspective post yeah?

I might do an actual factual post-for-allies tomorrow. About the sex binary. I'm not female-bodied thnx 6 u 9

Also, as a note, I think I'm going to stop using the word 'offensive'. Because it seems to confuse some people and puts slurs on the same level as, say, swears ('everybody is offended by something~~~'). I'm just going to go with 'oppressive'. Stop using slurs, they're oppressive. Much clearer.


ETA And a bit more rambling for your trouble )
potato_head: (beautiful mess)


I would like to offer serious commentary on this video but all I can think about is how cute Livvy's outfit is. I swear to god, preteens get the cutest clothes. I wish I had been that fashionable at that age.

TBH, if I had been allowed to go to school as a boy, I would have probably been wearing little button-up shirts and slacks to school every day. It's what I started doing in high school when I got my head on straight and all. Button-up shirts, ties, and so on. I think once I'm something approaching comfortable with my body I'll be doing formal or club-formal dress every day forever.

WAISTCOATS. ALL THE WAISTCOATS.
potato_head: (6 u 9)
So I think I will do some surveys of ontdcreepy. For funsies. I'll raise the idea at the next FFAC and see what others think and what sort of things they might want to find out about our comm's demographics, but here are the ideas I have now:

-general demographic info (age, gender, sexuality, location, occupation, etc)
-scale of Skepticism (Likert-style)

I think I will do separate surveys so people don't have to take one long intimidating one. They can pick and choose which/how many they want to take. Although that does leave more room for self-selection bias...it's just for fun, after all. Or maybe I'll do one at a time and just separate them out so people will be more likely to take them all?

I would post the info to ontdcreepy and maaaaybe use it for the project at the end of this SPSS class I'm taking. No publishing or anything P: but it would be good practice for me and super fun I think.


ANYWAYS other things: I kind of want to post about trans stuff but IDK what. I know I have a lot of allies watching me now right? Is there anything you guys would like me to post about? Like anything you guys would be interested in knowing or want a better understanding of or whatever? Basically any ally resource you haven't been able to find
potato_head: (lol)
(trigger warning for common transphobic phrases)



"Don't worry, once gay marriage is legalized, we're gonna stop discriminating against you, too."

Oh god lol xD


Also, considering alternatives to the terms 'homophobia' and 'transphobia'. I'm just getting sick of people going 'but it's a phobia, you can't blame someone for a phobia!!!' and I'm pretty sure the terms started that way to fuel the Gay/Trans Panic defenses and to differentiate it from "real" bigotry.

There's fear at the root of most bigotry. But it's the hatred that's the problem. So, maybe that's what we should focus on. It's just a thought though, I'd like other opinions.

listen up

Jan. 10th, 2012 04:57 pm
potato_head: (>:c)
So y'all I was thinking, right. And it seems to me like a lot of you (like all of you) avoid some of my more ranty posts. And I figure it's like, you don't agree with me but I sound like I might hunt you down and bite your face for disagreeing with me? And I won't do that. I mean, I do like debate, I really don't mind people disagreeing with me, as long as you're respectful and not patronizing about it.

(I assume none of you are going to express an opinion like that I should be checking myself into a mental health hospital for being trans or else you would not be reading my journal and getting trans cooties on your eyeballs and digital feelers? But yeah that isn't an opinion it's bigotry)

So yeah. I won't rip you apart for disagreeing, promise. Like [livejournal.com profile] anobjectinspace disagrees with me sometimes and you know OBVIOUSLY HE IS WRONG AND WILL AGREE EVENTUALLY e u e but he's still alive, for the most part.

Also, I feel like I should follow this post up with a bit because it seems in retrospect like it might not have been entirely comprehensible to cis readers, because like...there's some things that I've realized almost all cis people just do not know or have any way really of knowing, and this in particular is one of the things, pertaining to that entry:

Omg long )
potato_head: (angry)
The ringers are all over the place this time of year, but you might want to know some things about the Salvation Army before you donate to them.

A quick rundown for you:

  • SA-run shelters often refuse space or assistance to openly gay couples
  • They support anti-gay legislation, not just in word but monetarily; that's where some of your donations will end up


And no, choosing not to donate to the SA doesn't mean you have to hurt homeless people in general in the process. There's probably a locally-run LGBT-friendly charity that would appreciate your donations c:
potato_head: (angry)
So you may have heard of Bobby Montoya, a young transgender girl that recently joined the Girl Scouts, predictably resulting in controversy. Well, the decision has apparently led to three troop leaders (not the ones leading Ms Montoya's troops - these three are in Louisiana, not Colorado) resigning, and dissolving their troops. The article; warning for Bobby's mom saying some somewhat ignorant things in the article, and I have managed to keep out of the comments but assume there is nothing good down there.

Here's the thing that struck me (emphasis mine):

Susan Bryant-Snure, one of the leaders who resigned, told The Baptist Press that the Girl Scouts' action is "extremely confusing" and an "almost dangerous situation" for children.

I continue to be at a loss regarding what about us is so dangerous. Apparently even children among us are 'almost' dangerous - that phrasing in and of itself is confusing to me. At what point does it become actually dangerous? When Bobby gets older? Or when the Girl Scouts begin allowing transgender troop leaders? Or is it something else?

Really though, what are they afraid of? I know some people (many people?) still think we're all sexual predators...is this just the extent of it, and some are just hesitant to say it in as many words, so they use vague references instead? Or is it that their fear is as nebulous as the words they use?

And no, it does not put me at ease that bigots fear us. Fear is, generally, what leads to hate, so it is not a surprise to me. Fear makes people do irrational and sometimes dangerous things.
potato_head: (trans)
I've had this accusation thrown at me before, and seen it thrown at other trans people, in so many words or no, so I'd like to take a moment to talk about where I am in my life and what that means to me.

Cis hater )
potato_head: (6 u 9)
A somewhat belated response to [livejournal.com profile] ocelotofdoom's excellent tumblr post. Okay, pretty belated. I know I don't need an excuse but I have one anyway! I had three presentations this week, woke up in a bad mood that didn't go away for several days, and also my back violently disapproved of something I did Sunday and I'm still not 100%. Incidentally, that mini-shitstorm is why I haven't really been making any posts at all. Too busy sewing, listening to Miku on repeat, and taking alleve.


So originally this was a pretty big post and I had like a third of it finished and then I stepped away and LJ lost it all on me. I still want to talk about this though but I think new version!post will be more concise.

The Special Snowflake Witch Hunt )


So yeah, I think that's all I have to say on that. Also, my back is feeling less stiff so break time is over, back to sewing!

turkeyyyy

Nov. 24th, 2011 10:30 pm
potato_head: (trans)
Thanksgiving has never been a holiday that sat well with me. I understand for a lot of American families it's just about family and being thankful. In our family, it...isn't. I think that might be hard for some people to imagine when they've never heard how polite my grandfather can make a toast to genocide sound.

So I've never really been into any of the traditions, including counting what you're thankful for; but I recently found the time to stroll back over to Tranarchism and it's reminded me of how much I do have to be thankful for.

Things like making strides in California and that there are people out there who refuse to cater to cissexism and transphobia.

I'm also thankful for every single fellow trans person - whether you're stealth or closeted or out and proud or you disagree with how me and mine fight for our rights or whether you fight alongside us, or even fiercer, I am thankful for you; for your existence, for the fact that you're still living and breathing and brightening the world with your presence. You are beautiful, I love you, thank you, never give up on yourself.

I'm also thankful for our cis allies, those who really fight for us and stand beside us, or even just one of us. Thank you for your dedication to equality and willingness to stand against the world with us.

Also, people glitter-bombing Dan Savage. I am definitely thankful for that.
potato_head: (angry)
Look, a rather awesome AOL article for once! (Well, Huffington Post through AOL) By which I mean the language is handled correctly and the topic isn't sensationalized. The blurb didn't even include the fact that she was a trans woman, just that she was a woman.

DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS OH MY GOD

Anyways, I thoroughly approve of her actions. Shove the logic in their faces. Although gauging by the police report, logic is something they care little for.

I suppose I will just copy+paste the text so you don't have to click the link or run the risk of accidentally reading the comments (you really do not want to read the comments) so Text of article here )



So yeah. Unfortunate, but it is good to see trans people standing up like this. She has the heart of a warrior! Or a lion? Something fierce.

And since I have you all here I'd just like to remind everyone to carefully consider before spending your $$ on this last Twilight movie, if you were intending to see it. That money is still going to SMeyer and she is still giving a lot of it to the Mormons. Be an informed consumer and all that. Buy a ticket to another movie and then go to the Meyer one; the theater will be losing a few $ at the most, ticket prices are paltry compared to what they rake in on concessions.

Okay I am done preaching for today, going to go work on hemming my scarf 6 u 9 I am so good at hemming you guys, this is awesome, I can make scarfs forever!!! I LOVE SCARFS SO MUCH

Sewing list after this scarf:

  1. several large stuffed mice
  2. Slytherin scarf(sss???)
  3. OTHER THINGS PROBABLY
potato_head: (boy)
HEY LOOK IT'S THAT POST I PROMISED

Omg someone came out to me as trans what do I do?! )


Alright, so that's all I can think of. If any of my various trans frands would like to add anything, disagree with anything, etc. go right ahead :D discussion is always welcome.


ALSO BTW GUYS I have a tumblr now too, I mean a proper one not just one to fill with creepy things. I'm reblogging shit and everything, look at how tumblrtastic I am! I'm going to be cross-posting some things I think. That's not bad tumblr etiquette, right? It's like, half the point of tumblr, to put things that are not on tumblr onto tumblr.
potato_head: (8D)
Sorry guys I know I am posting so much today ;A; I don't mean to spam, got all excited about the electricity coming back and then my tarot cards

Anyways current names I am considering:

Cortland, Asher, Corwin

I have decided to stop worrying about sounding 'stereotypical', besides which Corwin may sound similar to my legal name but it isn't actually the male version of it by any means. Actually the male version is the same goddamn name just spelled Corin instead of Corinne. So there.

Still unable to choose but leaning away from 'Cortland' just because I can't pronounce it. LOL. I mean I have trouble with rt and nd sounds so I basically pronounce it as cor'lynn. Feel I should probably be able to pronounce my own name?

IDEK why I do these posts, there's nothing you guys can do to help me be a more decisive person, lol.

Maybe I'll ask my tarot cards. Once they finish purifying. I'm not letting them sit there for 24 hours I like them too much /impatient

It will stay in the window until I get home from work, that's about even sun and moon energy. Then will practice with Paige. In the meantime am looking up some spreads and omg so many awesome ones, have already picked out one of my china engrish notebooks to use as a tarot notebook and will be trying spreads and probably making up my own, I have ideas already

BEAST

Aug. 26th, 2011 01:10 am
potato_head: (cockatrice)
Hey look, I replaced my 'beast' icon!

Why? Well, the old one was made from a (rather ugly) picture I got off of google. This one is a very pretty picture of the same creature, but in this one you can actually recognize it (can anybody tell what it is? I guess it's not very common to know. Also, no cheating by looking at the key word) and it's very nice-looking and comes from a free dingbat font on dafont.com (Aprendiz Caligrafico if you're curious, pretty innit? :D) (also, the background texture is from a free stock image site).

Yeah I totally loaded up on dingbat fonts, which I did not expect to do at all, but they have so many awesome ones aldkjsafksa



Anyways, I am wanting to do some writing, especially on trans issues. The problem is...I can't think of anything more specific than that. Are there any things you guys would like to see me write about? Questions answered? Anything?

P.S. Americans should take a look at this if you haven't seen it before :3
potato_head: (boy)
Hey look, it's that post on trans men and male privilege I keep promising!

A few notes first -

I am not nearly as educated on feminism as I would like to be. Because of this, my guess is that most of the things I'm about to talk about have been thoroughly discussed by a woman more educated on the issues than I am. What I'm contributing here are just my own experiences, especially as they pertain to trans men. Because as a trans man trying to find my own place in the feminist movement, examining my own privilege in depth is very important to me.

Alright, let's go! Magical privilege adventure! )

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