Top TransAdvocate Stories of 2013

The TransAdvocate joins other media outlets in celebrating that most hallowed of Holiday traditions: The Top 2013 List. What follows is a look back of the most popular and most evocative stories we published in 2013.

Most Fascinated:

Published on February 25, 2013, Matt Kailey wrote Why Do Trans People Make Me Uncomfortable?

Misogyny lies behind these concepts. The unwarranted devaluation of women and the feminine, along with the unwarranted elevation of men and the masculine, lies behind these concepts.

Runner up: Julia Serano’s MAAB Mentality, published on March 7, 2013.

Most Amused:

Published on September 30, 2013, the TransAdvocate featured Rebecca Cohen’s awesome Miss Gender: How to spot a TERF.

Runner up: Cristan Williams’ Popular TERF front group is fake, published on November 15, 2013.

Most Sad:

Published on July 18, 2013, Kat Haché (AKA, Papier Haché) wrote I Am The Transsexual Your Boyfriend Wants to Be With: On Thought Catalog’s Transphobia Problem.

The point is not only does her article reflect and reinforce harmful attitudes about trans women, but cis women as well, and those attitudes are the same ones that get us as women (trans or cis, but especially trans women and ESPECIALLY trans women of color) killed, at the very least elevating our risk of being victims of sexual violence.

Runner up: Dana Taylor’s Birth of a Transsexual Separatist and then Born Again, published on July 5, 2013.

Most Angry:

Published on October 20, 2013, Cristan Williams wrote, Family of Colorado trans kid targeted by harassment hoax speaks up.

My daughter was the one who learned about the Pacific Justice Institute. She saw it online. She was upset. It made her panic. She saw where their story had become international news and she saw what people were saying. It gave her anxiety attacks. She was upset about the whole thing. She kept asking me how people could do that to her. She saw all this negative stuff about her and she can’t understand how they could say those things when they don’t even know who she is as a person. They don’t know what this does to a kid.

Runner up: Cristan Williams’ SiriusXM Broadcasts ClearChannel Support for Trans Murder, published on June 5, 2013.

Most Excited:

Published on November 12, 2013, Cristan Williams wrote, Restoring your faith in humanity: supporting Jane Doe.

Between the near suicide of Jane and the reality of being degraded in the media by a well-funded, media savvy anti-trans group, the stress was taking its toll upon Jane’s family.

But the you, dear reader, came along.

You took action. People from across the globe sent letters, cards and postcards to Jane Doe. You took it upon yourself to send her supportive thoughts and heartfelt posts encouraging her to not give in to the hate PJI was focusing on her. You let her know that she wasn’t alone.

Runner up: Cristan Williams’ graphical call to action, Judgement Day: Protesting PJI’s Hate, published November 15, 2013.

Top 10 Most Read:

10.) Unpacking Transphobia in Feminism by Emma Allen of Radical Women

The majority of feminists are accepting of transpeople. But entrenched bigotry crops up even within the movement for women’s rights. Transphobia and other forms of discrimination alienate feminists from their natural allies in the fight for liberation. It is important to be aware of and speak out against these poisonous prejudices.

9.) SiriusXM Broadcasts ClearChannel Support for Trans Murder by Cristan Williams

Sirius satellite radio, founded by out transwoman Martine Rothblatt, bought XM satellite radio in 2008 and is now known as SiriusXM. Just days into Pride Month, the SiriusXM Clear Channel talk show, Lex and Terry came out in support of murdering trans people in a cases of gay/trans-panic. On Friday (06/03/2013), the Lex and Terry show began discussing this issue saying, There’s a teen that shot a tranny after finding out that it was a man after they had a little sexual encounter. A co-host responded, I don’t blame him. I would have shot his ass too.

8.) Cotton Ceiling: Uncovering the trans conspiracy to rape lesbians by Cristan Williams

Transwomen, full of male-privilege, feel that lesbians must submit to having sex with them or else they’re transphobic. Right? I mean, multiple lesbian feminists are all saying the same thing. Even Cathy Brennan has a cotton ceiling tag. Certainly these self-identified lesbian feminists wouldn’t lie, right? Certainly these self-declared feminists wouldn’t purposely misrepresent cotton ceiling in an effort to make ciswomen fear trans people, right? RIGHT?!?

7.) YOUR HELP REQUESTED: HRC condemns fake trans harassment charges, ex-gay group dodges my fact checking, family & friends open up by Cristan Williams

Today, HRC has joined GLAAD in condemning the false reports of trans harassment by an ex-gay/creationist group, the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI). The PJI is the organization at the center of an international effort to malign one transgender kid. Last week, the PJI issued the right-wing community talking points for use in their fight for their right to discriminate against trans children. In their letter, the PJI claimed that they were concerned that the school was helping a trans kid harass cisgender girls. Right wing media outlets jumped at the story without fact checking and inspired members of the right wing community to call for the death of the trans kid.

6.) You might be a TERF if… by Cristan Williams

I’ve noticed that there seems to be some confusion about what a TERF is so, here’s a quick guide to help you figure out if you’re a TERF. Chances are that you’re a TERF if you believe that you’re a feminist when you…

5.) What happens when PJI is confronted by parents? by Cristan Williams

I initially withheld this portion of our interview because the way in which McReynolds responds is chilling to me. I had initially felt that PJI had spewed enough obloquy upon  Jane, her parents, her town and the entire trans community and I didn’t want to be responsible for putting more of it out there. However, after talking with a friend recently, I began to feel that by not releasing this portion of the interview, I was helping PJI conceal their true nature. Since we’re dealing with the well-being of our children, I think we need to very clearly see who we’re dealing with.

4.) DC Comics To Introduce First Reality Based Trans Character by Monica Roberts

While Simone is aware of the trans characters that exist through fantasy based means, she wanted to create one that was reality based. Alysia will be “a character, not a public service announcement … being trans is just part of her story. If someone loved her before, and doesn’t love her after, well — that’s a shame, but we can’t let that kind of thinking keep comics in the 1950s forever.”

3.) Trans Rapper Murdered: The Official Story vs. The Friend’s Story by Critan Williams

Over the course of the last few days, I’ve been able to talk with a friend of Evon and Evon’s brother, Jovan. Considering what just happened to Evon, this friend spoke with me on the condition of anonymity. For the purpose of this article, I’ll refer to Evon’s friend as James. Evon used his birth name around James, so James refers to Evon as “Ebony” throughout our interview.

2.) Family of Colorado trans kid targeted by harassment hoax speaks up by Cristan Williams

A media ambush is how the school, Jane and Jane’s family learned about the “harassment” charges. Let’s be clear about what this was: it’s a classic media gotcha moment. Prior to this hostile media encounter, apparently no allegations had been made about Jane.

1.) Trans Student Attacking Girls in School Restroom! Or, you know… not. by Cristan Williams

Right wing news outlets are falling over themselves to bemoan the sad state of our public school system now that the law allows transgender students to attack and harass non-transgender girls in the restrooms. I want you to pause for a second and really consider how likely these right wing assertions are. Florence High School is supposedly part of a trans conspiracy to assault school girls in the restroom.

Apparently A LOT of people think this sounds likely because none of the reporters who are pushing this story are bothering to do any fact checking. They simply assume that what they’re repeating is accurate.