A really wonderful piece byĀ sassysyndicalist:
TW: transmisogyny, racismĀ
As I get older, I find myself being more meticulous in my feelings, especially anger. Often times, my anger has only made situations worse: but occasionally I stumble upon a subject that really deserves a callout. Even with this, I wonāt specify. I know yāall will deny it, and I want to emphasize that this is a systemic problem.Ā
A trans woman of color being scolded once again for giving an opinion that is critical. This scolding was from her boss at a non-profit. Sorry, but even if youāre at a member driven community organizing non-profit, where there is hierarchy in pay, responsibility, or privileges, Ā there is a boss. And such public lectures are nothing short of capitalist intimidation, regardless of how many āFuck the policeā statuses you post to social media or how oppressed you may be in other facets. I was upset, not just at seeing another trans woman of color used by a group and then treated like a child, but that I felt helpless to do anything in support of her.
Ā Cause people depend on that non-profit. Cause it is the only place that provides the services it does. Cause trans women, and especially trans women of color, canāt be picky about their employment. And because I see this happen every week, and I wouldnāt be surprised if it happens every day. Welcome to the culture of silence around intimidating and silencing trans women who work or get services from radical movements.
Ā Running a non-profit is hard. Iāve worked for ones small enough to see many of the necessary, daily functions that grind the heads of non-profits. The endless grant applications. The frequent snubs both by the liberal, better-funded groups and by the ultra-radical, ultra-righteous Far Left. And the pay, benefits, and rewards are meager as compared to either the larger non-profits or the private industry. But it is undeniable that, as a whole, these people are far more privileged than those they employ or serve. They may be in the dregs of the middle class, but I see enough vacation pictures to know the dregs donāt seem so terrible compared to what many of their employees and members have. I donāt like this, but I accept it as the reality of the world we live in. Capitalism infects everything it is in relation to and in a day of neoliberal, neocolonialist corporate oligarchy, capitalism touches everything.
Ā But these people only do themselves a disservice when they are venomous towards the trans women they deal with. They underestimate just what effect that has on us, to experience what for many of us is our daily harassment from those we have been told we can trust. It can make us unwilling to access even the most necessary of services. And surrounding yourself with Yes People, people who just affirm every decision you make, will ruin your organization. Hierarchy is inescapable, but an organization constantly at odds with its own mission is bound to fail. Those Yes People will most often be the privileged, the white, cisgender allies, and when trans women see you favor them you can intensely disrupt a sense of community. That disruption can even be permanent.
Ā It is getting harder to treat us this way. Unfortunately that progress is almost uniformly unequal: I see myself and other more privileged (especially white) trans women not only rise through the ranks faster, but be able to do so while still being critical. Weāre less likely to be seen as āangry tranniesā: the white supremacy unavoidably internalized by Americans will favor us time and time again. We seem harder working, when really we just have better training; we seem more dedicated, when really we just have free time because of our security. You would shake your head if you knew how many times, outright or insinuated, Iāve been told Iām ābetter than most trans womenā by so-called radicals. You shouldnāt though, cause odds are you might have been the person who said it.
Ā Thatās why Iām asking all privileged trans women who work in non-profits, collectives, and radical movements to not accept the bones youāre thrown unquestioningly: to share your success, use your privilege to bring forth the criticisms of those who cannot, and be resolute in never affirming the transphobic or cissexist behavior of your co-workers and comrades. I wish I could feel comfortable talking to the people I see screw these things up. I wish I could open up dialogue with cisgender people about their prejudice without it being derailed by accusations of me ājust being privilegedā or āspeaking for all trans women.ā Itās funny how these criticisms have never come when Iāve been weak and caved to the pressure to support their transphobia. Nothing after all is worse than an ungrateful tranny. I hope that word stings in your consciousness, because it has never needed to be spoken for us to hear it. Maybe one day people will be humble enough, conscious enough, secure enough to be open. But Iām not holding my breath.
