How Race Inter-plays with Trans
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By Yosenio Lewis The thing that irritates me is the assumption that we as poc are able to just separate our race and ethnicity from our trans selves, so that we don't complicate things further. i for one *cannot* stop being a dark skinned latino, being a person with a hidden disability, being a transman, being a political activist who is not afraid to highlight injustice, even when it is perpetrated by others who are also dark skinned, latino, living with disabilities and/or political activists. i cannot and will not comparmentalize myself so that others will be comfortable dealing with me. it's astounding how some feel comfortable asking me to just "put that race stuff aside for a while, will you?" as if i could just take off my skin and my features and my culture and my day to day experiences in this world.it never ceases to amaze me how each new group that comes along "pledges to do things differently and be inclusive/thoughtful from the get go" and then ends up in the same colonialist, hierarchical trap that every group before was in. it just shows how deep the need to protect one's piece of the pie goes. if you find your life has gotten better, even though people know "x" about you, if you are not looked at as strangely, if you are not harassed as much, if you are accorded certain privileges, you forget what it was like to be on the outside. then when the next group comes up, saying "hey, we deserve to be on the inside too, we want our piece of the pie too" you do everything in your power (consciously and unconsciously) to keep those people from moving up and in, cause you think it will mean you might lose some of what you've gained. we all know how difficult the struggle has been to have bi and trans inclusion in what is essentially the lesbian and gay community. i was never in the lesbian community, so i cannot speak about what that was/is like. i can say that time and again i have been accused of being a traitor to women because i chose to be out about being true to myself and refused to accept the "lesbian in denial" charge. (i suppose it speaks to the biphobia rampant in the various communities that i was never accused of being a bisexual in denial.) likewise i have been ostracized because i refuse to stop acknowledging that some (and i stress *some*) white trans people feel that they have "made it" and to start paying attention to the different, yet just as important needs of pocs/poor people/disabled people/etc. means
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they
will have to give up some part of their piece of the pie. that is the
colonialist, hierarchical trap alive and well. the thing is, i don't think
that those who are trapped realize that they are as ill-served by the trap
as we are.
t certainly does seem that anything that deviates from the "norm" of how pocs are supposed to behave scares people. it reminds me of the extremely thoughtless comments i get about "how articulate i am" for a (fill in the blank). i realize that some people really are trying to compliment me, but if they would only stop after saying "you're so articulate" that would be great. instead they've got to include the silliness "for a transgender person" "for a latino" "for someone who does not have advanced college degrees" etc. that is condescending on so many levels. usually now when i encounter that i have no reaction and just look at whomever made the statement. they get really uncomfortable and immediately start blabbering about anything to fill up the silence. that's another thing that really gets people--silence. you are supposed to have a reaction--and it better be an immediate reaction--to everything that comes your way and if you don't then you are plotting something or you are not listening. there are some people who recognize shortcomings and bullshit and are trying to make a difference. my friend tom kennard, an older white ftm, noticed the racist, classist, homophobic, ageist behavior that was going on in the support groups we attended and decided not to keep burying his head in the sand. he started a group that addresses these very issues and asks participants to "go there" and be uncomfortable. he just put up a website that describes the group Transmen's Alliance Against Racism (http://hometown.aol.com/tmkennard/). i'm really proud of tom for taking this step and not letting what could easily be an ignored phenomenon escape his attention. the group is not perfect, a lot of mistakes and assumptions are made, but it is one of the first places i have been where ftms, mtfs, partners, family, friends and allies of all races/ethnicities/classes/ages gather and agree to address the difficult issues with honesty and grace. |
