#self-identification

[polishwomenartists-sztukakobiet]

Ewa Partum, Self-Identification, PL: Samoidentyfikacja, 1980

[thoughtlessarse]

Self‑identification at the centre: Trans community alarmed as India moves to curb LGBTQ rights

A proposed amendment to India’s transgender law has sparked fear and anger among LGBTQ groups, who warn it could undo hard-won legal gains and take away the right to self-identify. The bill before parliament would narrow the legal definition of transgender persons to a limited number of traditional socio-cultural identities such as “hijra” and “aravani”, terms used for hundreds of years for a third-gender community. But critics say that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill excludes trans men and women, non‑binary or gender-fluid people and others who rely on self‑identification. It would also introduce mandatory certification by medical boards and district magistrates, with additional approvals for those undergoing gender-affirming surgery. The government says the bill intends to “streamline” the existing framework, plug implementation gaps and better protect vulnerable groups by strengthening penalties for exploitation, forced identity and trafficking. For transgender students at a makeshift tea stall in New Delhi -- many of whom have not even come out to their families -- the implications feel overwhelming. “I am very scared,” said one student, their voice barely above a whisper. “If the state decides who you are, what happens to who you know yourself to be?” Activists warned that the bill could upend the lives of thousands, and runs counter to a landmark 2014 Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the right of transgender people to self-identify. “This bill doesn’t just create problems... it throws our lives out of order completely,” said PhD scholar Vaibhav Das, who identifies as non‑binary.

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[pointless-letters]

Script for the next Ricky Gervais Netflix special just got leaked

[womenfrommars]

Transgender activists betray the #MeToo principle of ‘’Believe all women’’ when claiming the Wi Spa incident was a transphobic hoax. So far, five different women have come forward, I believe, and the suspect in question is already a registered sex offender. It makes no logical sense to assume this is all a lie. If we are supposed to believe all women, that includes women who identify a sex offender as a transgender person

The supposed transgender identity of the suspect is also a catch-22 for transgender activists. If the suspect is indeed ‘’truly’’ transgender (whatever this means), then obviously some transgender women are sex offenders who target girls and women. If the suspect is merely pretending to be transgender (a ‘’transtrender’’ if you will), then transgender activists have to admit that self-identification laws and policies are very prone to fraud and abuse, given that anyone can claim to identify as transgender, no questions asked

Finally, if they admit this incident did in fact happen, and if they admit the suspect is indeed a transgender woman, there is another problem for transgender activism. They have to realise transgender women can and do make girls and women feel unsafe when allowed access to female-only areas. However, transgender women supposedly need this access given they themselves are unsafe in male-only areas. Then the argument becomes that girls and women being unsafe is ‘’worth it’’ because in return, transgender women are protected. However, this argument can be easily flipped. If we accept the premise that transgender women are unsafe in male-only areas, then we could still argue this is ‘’worth it’’, given that in return, girls and women will be granted protection from transgender women. The argument works both ways, and so if the pro-transgender argument is considered the better argument, then we can conclude the safety of transgender women takes priority over the safety of girls and women. This is precisely the crux of transgender activism

The only way ‘’out’’ of this, is to argue that self-identification laws can also harm ‘’real’’ transgender women, who will likewise be assaulted by men who merely pretend to be transgender women. But that begs the question what seperates these two groups of people, since identifying as transgender is the same thing as claiming to identify as transgender. Such an identity can never be measured or assessed by another person, hence why all self-declarations must be believed. In this regard, we would have no idea if there even are any men falsely claiming to be transgender women. How would we know these people are lying about their true identity, which only they have knowledge of?

[the-healing-mindset]

How Covert Abuse Slowly Chips Away Your Sense of Self - MindKind Mom

Covert abuse is insidious.Gradually over a period of time through rejection, invalidation, sarcasm, silent treatment it slowly erodes your sense of self

Coming through life not knowing who you are, what you want, and whether or not you can trust yourself is a very difficult way to live, especially if these things have been present since childhood.

[strange-as-it-may-seem]

Identities can be opressive and divisive when one doesn’t have autonomy over it - when people are policing identities and terms, when there are rigid definitions and gatekeepers.

When you practice radical self-identification, when you believe in the person’s right to self-identify, when you respect other people’s identities and what terms that person can use, identities can be extremely useful, liberating, uniting (and fun!).

[michlomop]

art by michlomop

2017, paper, gouache, 24 x 33,5 cm