there’s been some talk about this episode of bones (as well as the top 15 trans killer movies).

i started watching the bones episode on hulu, but had to turn it off after about 10 minutes.

i suppose it is for all the reasons suggested in the variety of posts listed, and quotes from the show like “Do you think it means anything? She lived her life split in two, then, in death, split in two again.”, that i have it in my will, that i am to be cremated upon my death. if my husband survives me, i trust him to make sure that happens. if not, i am confident that in a hundred years, someone may come across my remains, and gender me male, full stop.

i suppose there are those who would call me vain, or wanting to perpetuate my “deception” or “illusion” beyond death.

if i’m remembered, i simply want to be remembered as my authentic self.

it started with posts like this, from say uncle, a gun rights proponent, whose blog i read pretty much every day. yeah, he supports mccain, but no one is perfect. on the other hand, he’s pro rights, so he also supports glbt rights, and the pink pistols.

it was escalated with posts like this, from kynn, a “transgender::genderqueer” woman who takes issue with “pompous, idiotic gun-fetishists [who] need to shut the fuck up and stop trying to politicize tragedy to justify their own lunacy.”

words were exchanged, including the obligatory insults on trans appearances and subsequent apologies. and all the while, feeling torn between my affiliation with both what i’ll call “gun culture” and the “trans community™”.

why can’t we just “get along”?

the district court for the southern district of texas:

This court followed the lead of other courts by ruling that transgender employees may advance sex-stereotyping claims. The court agreed that Izza never misrepresented herself in any sense, and rejected River Oaks’ claim that transgender people have a duty to disclose their biological sex to employers.”

let me repeat that for emphasis. The court…rejected River Oaks’ claim that transgender people have a duty to disclose their biological sex to employers.

i think if you give a young child cars and an erector set to play with, they will develop spacial skills. navigating a car through the world, and building a 3-dimensional models tend to do that. if you give young child dolls and an easy-bake oven, they’ll develop verbal and reading skills. playing with toys that require the use of talking, and reading and following directions tend to do that.

i think that a child’s brain will develop the necessary pathways and circuits that enable those skills that you force upon it. and those pathways that are not required for those skills will atrophy. and that’s why the brains of men and women seem to differ, both in ability and scans.

i think we should start giving all children cars, dolls, erector sets, and easy-bake ovens.

some people need it to be spelled out.

straight from the outdoor superstore comes hunter ann rifle hunter:

She’s paving the way for future lady hunters and she’s geared up and ready to go! Join Hunter Ann, like thousands of other women from all across America, as she heads outdoors for the hunt of a lifetime.

Whether Hunter Ann is chasing rut crazed bucks in Illinois, bugling bull elk in Montana, or tracking the elusive black bear in Pennsylvania, you’ll have hours of fun hunting wherever your imagination takes you.

all she needs now is that pink camo rifle.

i got an email this morning from joe solmonese of the hrc that says, in part:

Dear Nexy,

I need your help.

Over the past two weeks, HRC has stayed at the table and fought for an inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act…

it struck me that this conflicts with this press release which says, in part:

“Therefore, we are not able to support, nor will we encourage Members of Congress to vote against, the newly introduced sexual orientation only bill.

so if you’re not encouraging members of congress to vote against the sexual orientation only bill, how are you staying at the table fighting for an inclusive version of the bill?

dear joe,
i need your help.

i came across an article on salon How did the T get in LGBT? and read through the usual unlikely bedfellows arguments. what particularly struck me was panther58′s comment in the letters.

I mean, you might be able to convince a married, straight conservative that a gay man can feel the same thing for another man that a straight feels for his wife. It’s a much harder sell, though, to convince a straight person that some guys will only feel whole after their penis has been lopped off.

here is a perfect showcase for misunderstanding. the stereotypical transgender narrative, created by patriarchal medicine, used to further push us into a corner. in the minds of “married, straight conservatives”, transgender people are simply men who will only feel whole after lopping off their penis.

never mind that transgender people include those assigned female at birth, as well as those assigned male at birth. never mind that a huge majority of transgender people never have their “penis lopped off”. never mind that most transgender people i know date members of the sex opposite to the one they were assigned at birth, rendering them gay after they transition.

don’t confuse them with the facts. it’s much easier to hate someone whose entire existence is defined by their need to cut off their penis.

i don’t believe panther58′s opinion is unique to the straight community. walt baby love, who posted on joe.my.god’s post about donna rose’s resignation from the hrc, says:

I always thought of transsexuals as gays who were so self loathing they were willing to mutilate themselves rather than be labeled gay.
Just being honest about what I think.

thanks for your honesty, walt. at least we know how horribly wrong the narrative forced upon us has manifested in the minds and souls of our fellow human beings. that same narrative trans people are forced to use (or were in some cases, in which therapists and other medical providers finally got a clue) to obtain medical care.

so what can we do? i guess continue the fight. continue the education. continue protesting harmful stereotypes. and wait until these dinosaurs die off.

via bint at my private casbah, i came across another one of those “are you male or female” tests. the results, of course, were not very surprising.