Kade

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Reflection

I think my biggest takeaway from Unit 3 is how resilient the trans community is when it comes to finding the strength to not only lift each other up when they’re down, but to take care of each other when it seems like the entire world has turned their backs on them. Although the government’s indifference towards trans people is nothing short of infuriating, I still find a lot of solace in the trans mutual aid organizations that we examined in class because they’re very heart-warming and effective. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic here, but I truly hope that these efforts will motivate our society to move in the right direction as it relates to accepting trans people as human beings and not “others.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this class because it expanded my understanding of the LGBTQ+ community in so many ways. Honestly, I think it’s sad that studies like these aren’t exactly recognized by the people who live around here because I think it would be so beneficial if every person took a class that was similar to this one. Also, I think my favorite thing we read together was The Gender Book because not only was it very informative, but it was truly such a joy to read. :)

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In this collage, I’m focusing on the resilience that the LGBTQIA+ community has in terms of coming together and confronting the injustices that they all face. It’s very heartbreaking that there’s a resistance towards accepting people for who they are. However, after seeing organizations like Black and Pink and the Queer Detainee Enpowerment Project, I’m confident that trans people’s resiliency will ultimately prevail.

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This activity really caught my attention because it embodies another example of how trans people are unfairly targeted by toxic, right-wing bigots. Although the Trump administration’s attacks on trans rights is very distressing, the overall unity of trans allies and activists to fight back is what is so inspiring. We all need to come together and fight to ensure these basic humans rights.

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Trans Lifeline on Twitter

“#VotingWhileTrans can be more difficult us than our cis counterparts. Here are some tips from @LambdaLegal if you are voting this election

There’s a really simple way to look at this, in my opinion: there’s one political party who wants to make it easier for everyone to vote and there’s another political party who wants to make it harder for everyone to vote. Furthermore, trans people are sadly more vulnerable to outside forces ripping away their voices at the ballot box. I think sunlight is the best disinfectant; when we examine these stories of trans people being intimidated to vote, it makes me angry but it also gives me more determination to ensure that everyone’s voices are heard.

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I chose this passage of Spade’s essay because it’s very eye-opening. It would be great to think that these anti-discrimination laws really worked but, sadly, that’s not the case. Overall, this essay has given me more motivation to fight for trans people’s agency.

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I think the biggest takeaway I had from this unit was watching Sylvia Rivera’s “Y’all Better Quiet Down” speech from 1973 at a gay liberation parade because, even though she was fighting for the entire community, she was still pushed out and dehumanized for being a BIPOC queer person. However, she impressively persevered and found a way to keep moving forward and fighting for a more inclusive society for her community. Her determination will always be a source of inspiration for me and I love looking back in history and seeing people who truly made a difference after being knocked down and counted out. Sylvia Rivera was one of those people. :)

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This piece of advice from Cava resonated with me the most because of how liberating and complex it can be. Trans people have such unique stories to tell and when they break away from the shackles of conformity, they become so much stronger!

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https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/reports/2020/09/03/490004/trump-administrations-latest-attack-transgender-people-facing-homelessness/

The Trump administration has proposed a rule change in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would undermine the Equal Access Rule, which grants protections to trans people who were eligible for their programs. This new rule by the Trump administration would allow sex-segregated shelters to discriminate against trans people and, furthermore, it would also make it difficult for trans people to have access to emergency shelter. This is very callous because members of the LGBTQ community, according to polling, have expressed that they have limited access to alternative shelter options. This is one data point that shows Trump’s hostility towards trans people and the LGBTQ community overall. I think this relates to Cava’s article because they note that “...29% [of trans people] have been turned away [from shelters] all together and 42% have been forced into gender-inappropriate facilities...” (579).

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I think the concept of Biopower is poignantly eye-opening and valid. What I took away from Stryker’s essay about this concept was how those in higher positions of power feel threatened by those who don’t conform to their beliefs and customs so they deliberately hinder that person’s ability to obtain freedom. Therefore, I think visualizing a caged bird is a valid way to interpret this concept. A bird is unable to free itself and control their destiny if its imprisoned and I think this could, perhaps, represent how the “undesirable/nonnormative” people may have felt when their agency was tampered with by those associated with the Biopower philosophy.

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https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/news/highlight-lucy-hicks-anderson-black-trans-pioneer

Highlight: Lucy Hicks Anderson, a black trans pioneer

By Malaysia Walker, TEAP Advocacy CoordinatorTransgender African-Americans have made significant contributions to history. Their stories are

Lucky Hicks Anderson was a black trans pioneer who, after being outted as a trans woman and subsequently being arrested and charged for “impersonating a woman,” fought her case in court and stood very tall. She challenged her persecutors and dared them to convince her that she wasn’t a woman—they couldn’t. Even though she lost the case, her integrity and perseverance still shine bright and will always serve as an inspiration for so many. Thank you, Lucy.

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I really admired Susannah Temko’s TED Talk because it gave all of us an opportunity to see the world through the eyes of an intersex person. Furthermore, Malatino’s essay was very insightful, too, because it gave us a really complex history of how the idea of a gender binary was really shoved down everyone’s throats as well as the custom to reject anyone who didn’t conform to this way of thinking. Just thinking about the people who were rejected because they were “different” is so heartbreaking because, unfortunately, we still continue to see this in our current culture.

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I decided to do the erasure poem because, for one, I’ve never done this kind of exercise before and, two, because of the creativity and freedom this kind of assignment gives you. Even though this isn’t the most well-crafted poem, I still think Driskill’s insight has enabled me to realize how suffocating the gender binary truly is. :)

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I decided to do another Adobe Spark creation because I really think they’re awesome and uplifting! :)

#trans-unit1_thoughts 

#transwithDrG.

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I know this probably isn’t the most interesting quote in Johnson’s essay but it truly resonated with me anyways. This is what I’ve been trying to tell people all throughout my area when it comes to the concept of privilege; it’s not discrediting or denying your accomplishments but it explains how so many others didn’t have the same opportunities and/or chances of success that you did. I think Johnson articulated this concept superbly. 

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I chose to explore “demiboy.” I discovered that this term is describing someone who identifies as being half of a boy and the other half as someone else. I like this concept because it truly gives the person the freedom and agency to accurately define themselves in a very distinct, unique way; they have the power to form their own identity without the shackles of conformity. :) 

#themoreyouknowgender

#transwithdrg.

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My doodle is really cringey but oh well. I really enjoyed learning about these terms and concepts in The Gender Book. This is how I see myself from an outside perspective. My sex is male, my gender, too, is male. I also see my identity as being male and the way I express my gender is through the reasons I stated on the doodle. I wear men’s clothing, speak with a masculine-sounding voice, wear a little bit of facial hair, and keep my hair kind of short. :D

#gender-doodle

#transwithdrg.