so how much more do trans women need to show you about what we go through before you stop rolling your eyes when we say we face misogyny
we face misogynistic patterns of abuse, discrimination, and oppression, intertwined with and amplified by transphobia. and then, beaten down, when we seek community with others who face these things, we are laughed off as the jokes we've always been told we are
pale imitations of womanhood
when we are raped, it is a pale imitation of real rape
when we are abused by our partners, it is a pale imitation of real domestic abuse
when we are punished for our failures to meet patriarchal standards of womanhood, it's a pale imitation of the same thing happening to cis women
when we grieve our inability to give birth, it is a pale imitation of the grief of cis women who cannot give birth
when we face violence and murder at incredibly high rates, when we are threatened and catcalled and harassed by men in public, our fear is a pale imitation of that of cis women
when we are paid the lowest wages of any gender demographic, it is a pale imitation of the smaller wage gap faced by cis women
our suffering is a pale imitation of real suffering
what jokes we are
to be vulnerable for a second. it's painful. I want it to be ok but it isn't ok. I hope things start to get better if we keep working to make them better. I want my sisters to be ok
"I no longer feel that continued education about trans issues within women’s communities would change their oppressive behaviors in any significant degree, unless they are actually willing to change. It is not the lack of knowledge or information that keeps oppression going; it is the lack of feminist compassion, conscience and principle that is."
From Emi Koyama (who incidentally passed away this week), in an article she wrote 20 years ago.
Tweeenty fucking years. Yep.
The education is still significant for those WITH compassion, but those without it would have to face serious popular pressure in order for their bigotry to be suppressed into obscurity. Then, some form of healing could at least begin in the absence of a sustained culture of hatred and shame. Which means that the movement for transfeminism must be loud, uncompromising for our dignity, and clear in its messaging.
Which is how its already advocated for by most of the people who speak on it! But for the stability of its growth thereafter, its principles and goals would have to stay clear even after gaining more popularity. I think what it's lacking most is visibility right now, because transfeminist discourse is so often completely dismissed and outright silenced as "useless discourse", "antisocial bitching", and "This content has been removed for violating Community Guideliens". Not only does this suppression serve to enable and validate the harassment against women that is being fought against, it weakens the spread of the feminist politics within.
If spread to a greater platform, like through coverage from creators with wider audiences; spoken of for more than a single news cycle (which is what happened after the banwave a couple months ago); or if it continues to sustain itself and grow to more prominence within the trans community and TME queer people actually treated it as a legitimate subject rather than completely ignoring the oppression ongoing- it could be recognized and have itself entered into the overton window somewhat more. There is a strong potential for a transfeminist movement starting here, this is connecting with a LOT of people and is hard to refute without being outwardly rottenly hateful, people just need to view it as a legitimate, and serious issue of justice.
