Also rebloggable by request. Source.
do people actually do this
like
do they actually do this
1st binders can be pretty expensive and hard to get especially depending on your living situation
2nd clothing and hairstyles have no gender and applying genders to them is incredibly cissexist the clothing you wear does not define your gender
3rd not everyone has parents or family members who are accepting and physically transitioning can be stressful or even dangerous for them
4th there is no preset criteria for what level of masculinity or femininity you have to reach before you can be considered trans the only thing you need to be considered trans is identifying as trans
5th you use a troll face in your shitty strawman argument your point is instantly invalid^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Let’s talk a little more about why this is not only a shitty attitude to take, but also a very dangerous one as well. All the points noted above are completely true, so lets build on top of them (though in a slightly different order).
First, gender identity and gender expression are both incredibly personal and also highly public. Many transgender folk live in situations where their gender cannot be safely expressed in a public fashion. This does not invalidate their gender identity. Some live in highly controlling homes, some are dependent upon parents, guardians or others for various things needed for bodily survival, and some might work in jobs or careers where their ability to express their gender is limited by bigoted minds in power above them.
Though we tend to see the internet as a haven, online gender expression is not nearly as safe a space as you might think either, as many people (especially young ones) live in situations where their online activity may be monitored to some degree. Similarly, many jobs monitor their employees online behavior, and even rumors that an employee is not behaving “appropriately” online can cost them hours, promotions, or even their career. Over 90% of transgender individuals have experienced some form of harassment at work, and 26% have lost their jobs because of their identity. Not everyone can afford to lose their livelyhood because of their identity.
This means that even if they WANTED to express themselves in your outlined fashion, they might not be free to do so (and this is ignoring your highly problematic use of “girly”, because totalmoetoolbag pretty much summed up the issue with that in item no. 2 on their list). Though it should be a right, having the freedom and safety to explore and express your gender in a free fashion is currently a privileged in our society, and many people live in situations where being trans would put them at risk for homelessness, abuse, violence, and possibly death.
Second, as stated above, binders are expensive. And considering that transgender people are four to five times more likely to live in poverty (DOUBLE the numbers in general population), basing someones gender expression on their ability to bind is classist. Just because you can afford a binder doesn’t invalidate someones identity if they can’t.
Third, 41% of the transgender population have attempted suicide. Let that sink in for a moment. If you had a room with 100 transgender people in it, forty-one would have attempted suicide at some point in their life. Research lists some of the contributing factors that lead to attempted suicide as discrimination, bullying, harassment, feelings of isolation, and the disapproval of family and friends. Do you know what you’re doing when you tell people their gender identity is invalid because it doesn’t meet your pre-set criteria? You are, however unintentionally, siding with the people that contribute to these stress factors. And yes, it is entirely possible to experience oppression while simultaneously being the oppressor in this situation; you can be harassed for being trans and still be contributing to the harassment of another transgender person.
If someone says they are trans, take them seriously. You do not have the right to make that call for them, no more than others have the right to make that call for you. Your experiences as trans do not invalidate another experience as trans just because it doesn’t meet your idea of what being trans means. By continuing to perpetuate the idea that gender identity is dependent upon a specific means of gender expression, you are in fact continuing the very social model that continues to make your life as a trans person difficult at best, and deadly at worst. So stop it.
Sources:
National Transgender Discrimination Survey
Live Science: High Suicide Risk, Prejudice Plague Transgender People
