Creating space for transmascs in the community requires more than just paying lipservice to the fact that trans men are men. We need a concrete shift in the way we think and talk about pretty predominant issues, and we need work both on the end of transmascs- to dismantle harmful patterns and ideas from within our own communities- and on the side of queer activists and feminists who arenāt transmascs.
An incomplete list of what ideas I personally have come to believe we need to normalize:
The patriarchy does not exist to benefit trans men
There is no such thing as ātrans male privilegeā
Trans men do not have meaningful systemic access to male privilege
Male privilege was created to benefit cis men in particular
The patriarchy punishes any deviance from gender roles and the gender binary- included by all trans and nonbinary people, along with with gender non-conforming cis people.
Transphobia comes, in part, from the patriarchyās view of us as ādeviating from gender rolesā.Ā
Transphobia impacts all trans people.
Trans men are not seen by society as a whole, or on a systemic level, as men
Transmascs can and do still experience misogyny.
Misogyny as a system is built to include transmascs in the oppression of women.
That does not make us women- and as trans people, we additionally experience transphobia.
Trans men are not āsocialized maleā, we are āsocializedā as trans men
Trans men should not be categorized as āwomenā regardless of overlap in experience
Trans men should be categorized as a marginalized gender
Spaces intended for all marginalized genders should include trans men- ideally using the words āmarginalized gendersā rather than āeveryone but cis menā, as the latter diminishes the fact that we are also men.
Trans menās experiences should not be compared to trans womenās in order to judge who has it better or worse.
Transfemmeās voices are necessary in advancing trans activism
Transmascs and transfemmes are not fundamentally at odds with each other. Weāre allies. Weāre going through many of the same struggles for the same reasons. We need solidarity.
Nonbinary voices are just as necessary, and need just as much support as transfemme and transmasc voices.
All of our experiences are different in as many ways as theyāre the same. Those differences need to be spoken about and given attention.
Iām sure thereās more, but in the very, very short time Iāve been thinking and talking about this with other folks, these are the things Iāve noticed need changing. Iām sure this list will change if the community continues to think & talk about it.
dailybridgerton
gamechangershow
2087
