I so did not want to say anything about this Caitlyn Jenner story for two reasons. First, I had not written any commentary on the treatment of those who are poor, Black and Brown and trans, therefore I felt that it would be a bit trivial to concern myself with the affairs of a rich white trans woman.
And secondly, the reason why I haven’t written a word about our trans brothers and sisters is because whenever issues related to the LGBTQA community are brought up around these parts, the comment section always ends up looking like a hot fire and brimstone mess.
However, I feel the need to speak on some of the reactions I have seen out here in these Internet streets. I expected the fire and brimstone crowd to act up – heck, watching them lose their minds is all part of the fun. And I also expected a lot of foolery from the fellas, who have a tendency to overthink what an attractive trans woman might say about their own masculinity. (Absolutely nothing as manhood is about your character much more than it is about who you sleep with or may be attracted too. Message…) However, what I did not expect was the somewhat ugly reaction I have been seeing from cisgender (people whose identity matches what how they are born) women who claim to be more progressive.
I don’t know, and you can call me naive, but I thought for sure that we would get it. Women have been taught since birth to repress every bit of ourselves for the benefit of this male-dominated society. So for any person to choose to chart their own destiny as a free woman seems like something we would want to rally around, right? But clearly that is not the case. I have been seeing some of the most passive-aggressive hatred directed at trans women from some of the most unsuspecting places, and from the most surprising people, to the point where I truly have to wonder about some folks. People who regularly call themselves LGBTQA supporters and allies have all of a sudden turned their backs on trans women and began to spout the rhetoric of your typical raging right-wing, Bible-thumping conservative.
There seems to be an irrational fear in all of this, and it is more than the usual hysteria from the “they are trying to turn us all gay” crowd. Rather, it seems that some of this trans woman hatred from cisgender women is based on a fear that perhaps they are taking something from us. Or even replacing us. That now that men who feel they were born in the wrong body can take on the physical and emotional form of womanhood, us cisgender women will no longer be viable options anymore.
Listen, if the theories are correct and the movement for trans acceptance is just part of some larger mass conspiracy and “gay agenda” to replace us, I say good. Fantastic. Feel free to replace me because being a woman sucks. No, really. What is the privilege exactly in being a woman in this society? Hell, what is the privilege of being a woman in this world?
In some places on this planet, women are treated like children and property to be traded and sold into slavery, abused, beaten and left for dead just because they are the fairer of the sexes. According to the nonprofit organization Do Something, women account for 70 percent of the people living in absolute poverty. Among those women are 65 million girls who are routinely denied education. Many of those uneducated girls are forced into marriage. And in many developing nations, one in three girls will be married by the time they turn 18. Let me say that again: by the time they turn 18. Some of those same young brides will have to undergo female circumcision, which makes them incapable of ever having painless, let alone enjoyable, sexual relationships in life. Those who do manage to have sex and actually conceive might not make it to see their child take his or her first breath. Every 90 seconds, a woman in this world dies during pregnancy or childbirth. But good luck being a woman and girl seeking relief through your government, as 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime.
Closer to home, one of the leading causes of deaths for pregnant women in America is homicide. Black and brown women continue to be disproportionately affected with HIV and AIDS infections. One in three American women who live in poverty or are in danger of falling below the poverty line. Many of those women are mothers. Nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women. And although we have some of the best healthcare in the world, the U.S. is one of eight countries in the world to see a rise in the number of maternity deaths in the last decade.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: The glass ceilings, unequal pay, objectification, impossible to achieve beauty standards, having your entire being reduced down to one or two body parts, being referred to as “b***hes and hos” in the music, television and film, having your opinions maligned, having your contributions to society reduced to side notes, being blamed for all the problems that have ever befallen mankind, having your clothing and hairstyle choices policed, being blamed for your own sexual assault, blamed for your own physical assault, having your murders ignored, dealing with the backbiting from other women, having to deal daily with harassment both in the virtual world and on the streets, and so forth and so on…
Most of these problems will likely escape privileged white women like Caitlyn. However, for most of us, this is our reality. And it is an even harsher reality if you just so happen to be Black, Brown, poor and trans at the same time. According to an article from GLAAD, trans women of color are disproportionately targets of violence in America. So, again, what exactly will Caitlyn, and other trans women, be stealing from us? And if your only concern is that “they” will take “our” men, lady, you ain’t worried about nothin’.
