[TW: cis/sexism, essentialism, trans/misogyny] ...

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

[TW: cis/sexism, essentialism, trans/misogyny]

jonesinforjosie:

laissez-nous-danser:

I don’t deny trans* females struggles with sexism at all, in some cases they are much worse and I respectfully acknowledge that, but growing up a girl and having ideas of social norms and a womans’ place and what your future should look like and then deciding to break out of that mold is pretty fucking hard and I don’t like being told otherwise.

Transwomen get the same messages, but as someone (forget who) said (paraphrasing) cis women see these messages as what they need to do to be good. Transwomen see these messages as what they have to do to be

The OP is actually a perfect example of one of the most common forms of transmisogyny by CAFAB trans* people: claiming that they “grew up as girls” in a way that implies that CAMAB trans* people grew up as boys. It’s not necessarily misgendering because some trans* people dohonestly identify as having grown up as their birth assignment and shifting gender identity at a later point in life, but it functions as a super sneaky way of downplaying or outright denying the privilege that CAFAB trans* people hold over CAMAB trans* people.

It’s not what you’re told, it’s what you listen to. I was tuned in to the messages directed at MY gender, not at boys. The only message directed at boys that I actually received was “femininity means you will be attacked”. That isn’t any different a message than what people designated female are told, except for the added layer of “if you are feminine then you’re a mentally ill freak and should be killed.” Not exactly an empowering message for a little girl. Growing up a girl who is told “you’re not really a girl and deserve violence for the mere act of being a girl let alone anything about you as a girl oh and by the way here is also a set of rules you’re expected to follow as a girl” is pretty fucking hard and I don’t like being told otherwise.