((Pretty awful! But I'm alive and that's what counts, thanks for asking <3 I may not be working on active asks and whatnot, but I am still writing and drawing stuff in the background.))
Hello Pokéask community. today, we are gathered here to talk about a rather pervasive issue within the community.
That's right, we are going to talk about:
TRANSMISOGYNY
I don't really need a preamble or anything. Yes, it's true, this community has historically been quite hostile to trans women. I've had a friend targeted with false accusations of being a creepy pervert for the crime of being trans and female. As if that is a crime, somehow.
We had a predator and known drama-monger some couple years ago who was able to get away with it for so long because most of their victims were trans fem, whom no one believed, because they were trans fem.
And of course we have had various incidents of people using any number of gross terms to refer to trans women, gleefully and casually.
So by now you are probably beginning to see the pattern.
Maybe you need some help. In that case I shall enlighten you...
So what is transmisogyny? It is exactly what it says on the tin: the discrimination and mistreatment of trans women. It is an intersection of transphobia and misogyny. As such it is both of those as well.
Why is it bad? Well, the better question to ask would be why *isn't* it bad? It serves no purpose beyond the spread of hatred as well as perpetuating the belief that women are like property that must look and act a certain way.
Who does it affect? Obviously the primary target is trans women, and you should care about the fact that it harms trans women. But in fact, transmisogyny affects everyone.
You might think "I don't hate trans women, so I'm not transmisogynistic!" and you may not be. But, you must also keep in mind that it is so deeply entrenched in society that you might say and do transmisogynistic things without knowing it.
For example:
Do you expect women or female characters to look a certain way? This could be plain old misogyny, but it could also be transmisogyny. If you've ever complained that a female character looks too much like a guy because her boobs are too small or her shoulders are too wide, etc., well yeah ... you are probably suffering from transmisogyny disease. And also general misogyny disease too, seeing as transmisogyny is a subtype of it.
Do you get grossed out by women with certain types of genitalia, insisting they censor themselves as some sort of fetish or otherwise sequester themselves away for the sake of others? It is transmisogyny. Regardless of what you are attracted to, a woman should not be forced to hide herself away as some kind of freak commodity simply because she is not what you personally consider desirable. Also, people are likely forced to interact with you on the regular, so it just makes you a hypocrite.
Do you refer to women by what is between their legs*? It is transmisogyny. It's a way to other women that do not fit the "norm".
Obviously, assuming any given trans woman is a secret pervert is transmisogyny. This may seem obvious but so many people do this! In LGBT focused spaces perhaps most of all!
there are many other examples but most tie back into the ones mentioned here. Please do a little introspection from time to time.
Trans women deserve to feel as safe and as welcome as anyone else here in this community.
Lastly: this post is about trans WOMEN (/trans fems). I am aware that other trans people exist, but there are certain pervasive attitudes that are near exclusively shown towards trans WOMEN, and so that is what this post is about.
*some trans women do refer themselves with such terms. There is a lot of debate about this matter, so try not to overstep if it is a trans woman herself using the term. She may be a victim of internalised transmisogyny but what people are comfortable with varies. But, never use terms like futanari or trap if you are not a transfem individual. Read the room.
((Hi! TL;DR, I'm taking a forced hiatus until March.
I am going to practice what I preach and give myself a forced hiatus due to burnout. The reason I know it's burnout is because I was doodling something I was actively enjoying but going "wow this is unproductive, I should be doing asks or plot or work on other fandom stuff." So the bad vibes from not working towards plot or asks has outweighed the satisfaction of finishing anything blog related.
This month is usually the time for relaxation and recovering from winter shenanigans, but it has suddenly become the most stressful month I've ever had (mostly in a good way). This combined with kicking my nicotine habit has my dopamine levels all kinds of messed up!
I am announcing for my own health and well-being that I'm not going to be working on any plot or asks until March. I probably won't be able to stop myself from doodling, so I will definitely pop in here some time to draw something silly.
Jack look very happy when he get ready to use his scalchop. Maybe you should let him try it. If he do it well, you probably get a lot of customers too.
Let him try it just this once, nothing bad will happen. Right?
(Jack @casteliacityramen): Heya miss miss is okay, right? Ruby. Are those beads just for decoration or do they mean something? Most pokemon I know don't usually wear nothin' unless they have a reason. Like, uh... fashion. They look pretty, but I'm guessing they aren't just for fashion.
“A Pokémon receives one bead for each time they prove themselves,” The way Ruby explained it sounded as if she’d memorized it from a textbook… which was probably the case, “and the way to do that is different for everyone. Although, even if one wishes to become a shaman, they may never get a bead if they do not show a certain kind of willpower that is necessary for a shaman to have.”
Ruby nodded with a smile, “So if you see a shaman with several strings of beads, they are very experienced.” She paused, pondering for a moment, then continuing added, “They also come in a variety of colors, but my teachers never explained what determines that.”
