Especially when you’re insisting on womyn-born-womyn’s space. That’s not gender AT ALL. I’m not sure what it is, or how one exactly exempts oneself from gender beyond a rad-fem disavowal of it, or why this criticism only applies to trans people and not y’know the overwhelming majority of people who walk around identifying as men or women. But hey, at least it’s clear, she’s against gender. COS SHE SAYS SO.

I guess I will add this to the other identities I have to fight for, to keep the assholes from completely taking over–American, southern, Catholic, and now….radfem!

Who’d a thunk it? ((sigh))

The one thing in the first case was I started a paragraph with “to be honest.” In the other case, she told me I had participated in discussions where people said that cisgender obliviates womanhood - that is, calling a woman cisgender means that she’s not female. I think I also somehow spoke for all intersex people to, by her statement.

She doesn’t care about truth, she cares about making a big splash about whatever it is she’s angry about and not gonna take anymore. Her comments about trans people just don’t make sense, they’re pure bigotry.

And she’s too cowardly to directly engage us, hence her “You’re a liar so I won’t talk to you” in response to me.

As a crossdresser, I can’t and wouldn’t call myself a feminist, and well recognize the m2f transperson’s need and desire to be recognized as female. My general rule is to obey these rules, especially if they don’t apply to necessary life actions.

For instance, I’ve never given a damn about the Michigan festival, because life doesn’t require attending it, and I’ve never had the desire to camp in a field for the weekend to hear music I’m not likely to care for. The van club I belong to requires that you own a custom van to join it: does it discriminate against Taurus and Camaro owner? Yes, but that’s legal, just as I am discriminating when I choose Samuel Adams instead of Miller Lite.

To my way of thinking, transpeople, myself included, may work for the rights required to live - freedom from assault and murder, freedom from job discrimination, freedom to void one’s bladder or colon behind a closed stall door, freedom to rent or buy housing where they wish within their means, etc. However, people of like interests of a non-necessary basis may, in my opinion, create spaces where only they are welcome to pursue their interest. It’s simple, really - a Red Sox fans club doesn’t have to let Yankees fans in, a quilting group doesn’t have to let people who don’t quilt in, nor do transgender support groups let non-T people with no reason to belong there, in.

I suspect radical feminism and transgenderism isn’t going to smoothly coexist anytime soon, any more than transgenderism is going to coexist with radical christian fundamentalism, or Palestinians with Israel. They each desire that the other perish. Perhaps we need UN peacekeepers to keep them separated?

From my exposure to radical feminism on blogs, and in formal education (Philosophy minor, so have read a lot of rad fem stuff), I’m not terribly fond of them. Many of the arguments are self contradictory and are entrenched in essentialism, despite the claim to be against essentialism.

Just got finished with this, and I am…. weary.

http://sizeofacow.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/and-finally-for-now-the-trans-activist-privilege-checklist/