Trans activists, what would it take for you to say: 'This movement isn’t what I thought it was'?
I’m going to recycle an old article of mine because it’s relevant…
If you're a self-identified progressive activist struggling to defend a convicted torturer and attempted murderer who called for violence against women at London Pride… you know you can sit this one out, right? You don't have to hop on Twitter and blast your solidarity with the trans community. You can support trans people (whatever that means to you) and still say that calls for violence are way out of line.
Or you don't have to say anything at all. You can carve out a place to think quietly about what you're being asked to support and whether you actually support it.
Watching your fellow activists defend a violent man’s calls for violence against women is a good opportunity to ask yourself some tough questions.
What would it take for you to say: This movement isn’t what I thought it was? Or even: 'This one thing has gone too far and is causing harm to the cause itself or the people it purports to serve or is harming other causes I care about.'
Think about it.
Take seriously your responsibility to understand what you support. Think about where you draw the line and what would cause you to withdraw your support from this movement. Think about how you’d know if you’d drawn that line in the wrong place.
If you're wondering how you got here—where you're wondering how to defend ‘Sarah Jane’ Baker and still sound like the good guy—take a look at how you decide what causes to support.
Consider what's been asked of you, as a trans ally, and whether it's responsible to give in to these demands. No worthy cause asks you to close your eyes and let someone else tell you what you see.
Asking questions; picking and choosing what you support based on evidence and reason, not based on your identity as an ally... these are the basics.
Have you ever felt the expectation, as a trans ally, not to ask questions?
Have you ever felt pressured to support something you don’t understand?
Have you ever been told you might not be capable of understanding, but that doesn’t absolve your responsibility to be a supportive ally?
Have you ever been told that X—calls to punch TERFs or suck dicks, say—is supposed to make you uncomfortable and that your discomfort is a sign that you need to challenge yourself and grow, not a sign you should step back and ask questions?
Has anybody ever told you that if you were a better ally, you’d understand why X is necessary and why it’s offensive to question X?
Have you ever found yourself resorting to repeating thought-stopping cliches (‘transwomen are women’ comes to mind) to shut down the uncomfortable feelings that arise when you try to think a thought all the way through to the end?
Whatever drew you to trans activism, I'm guessing you didn't sign up for this. It's OK to say so. It's not normal to feel like you can't protest or demur when a movement you otherwise support goes off the rails.
Whatever you do, don't outsource your judgment to others who have their own motivations and blind spots. Don't make a virtue of handing off responsibility in that way.
And don't deceive yourself. You can't discharge responsibility that easily—you can only pretend to.
This is excellent and timely. Thank you, Eliza. These are exactly the questions that need to be posed not just to the activists but to the everyday Democrat, community member, organizational leader, neighbor. In writing to the media, politicians, cultural organizations who are "captured" or are "allies" - or talking with friends - I'm trying to employ questions like these. And: "When you say you support "trans kids" or "gender affirming care", what is it exactly you understand yourself to be supporting?"
I'm guessing I'm not alone as someone to come of age in the 1970's reading 2nd wave feminism's critique of gender stereotypes - and assuming that we had finally relegated those regressive culture marker stereotypes of - what makes one "male" - or what makes one "female" - to the dustbin of history forever. I must admit it is stunning to see those stereotypes now openly resurrected, dusted off, polished up, and proudly displayed - complete with bright red lipstick and high heals - this time on biological men - in what appears to be an incredibly regressive parody of women.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that along with this "re-embrace" of these incredibly regressive stereotypes of female "gender" markers - this movement has also dusted off and reclaimed blatant, openly violent, physically abusive, verbally abusive, and emotionally abusive - "misogyny" - from the dustbin of history - and has similarly not only resurrected it, but simply rebranded it as - "brave trans activism."