Gender variation, normalcy and the culture war
Younger cis people may not fully understand what being trans means, but they are more likely to have grown up in a cultural setting where you respect and accept the identities of others.
My friend Joanna Santos, Canadian transgender “boomer” blogger, made an interesting observation over at her blog the other day:
Today over coffee I saw a young gender variant person who I wouldn't hazard to guess how they identified and it doesn't matter.
Dressed in female clothing, sporting dangly earrings and yet speaking in a deep male voice while wearing no makeup, they addressed the barista regarding where the bathroom was. Clearly both under 30 there wasn't even the slightest hint of reaction in their interaction; both comfortable in their respective identities.
I take note of these little occurrences not because they are revolutionary, but because they contrast sharply against my lived experience from when I was their age.
Joanna and I discussed this phenomenon on WhatsApp, agreeing that in this age of aggressive transphobia, it is important to keep in mind how the attitudes of the younger generations have changed during the last decades.
The anti-trans propaganda and politics of today is not really a sign of the reactionaries (being those Republicans or “gender critical” TERFs) are winning. Their tactics are desperate attempts at stopping a cultural change that runs very deep.
Here’s my take on this social transformation:
Read: “Gender variation, normalcy, "autogynephilia", “rapid onset gender dysphoria” and the culture war.”
Transgender World has now 1000 followers on Bluesky and 2000 on Mastodon
We have not abandoned our X-twitter account yet, in spite of Elon Musk’s toxic embrace of transphobia. We reckon that as long as there are trans people there, having a curated transgender news stream may be of help to many. We have stopped using the account for discussions, though.
Right now there is not one alternative platform that can function as the same large commons for news curation sharing. We are therefore testing out several alternatives, and with some success.
We just reached 1000 followers on Bluesky. That is not many in twitter terms, but nevertheless: Our news stream seems to be of help to some. Bluesky remains invite only, but if you want an invite, send an email to jack.molay@gmail.com.
Mastodon is very LGBTQ-friendly and its European origin definitely makes a difference as regards tone and content. It is slightly more complicated to sign up to, but you can do it! You find our transgender news account on the masto.ai server.
We have also tested Telegram, with some weird results. The more we posted the fewer followers we got. When we stopped posting all-together, the number of supporters went straight up!!!
Some suggested that this is because trans people and their supporters on Telegram get more easily depressed by bad news. That is hard to understand, though, as this is a service used by Russian Fascists and other unsavory groups. Others have suggested that those who sign up are doing so expecting photos of scantily dressed transgender women, so facing the reality of transgender lives comes as a bit of a shock. Maybe…
We have not closed down the Telegram account, so by all means sign up and share if you are active over there. But we do not post as many stories as we do at the other accounts.
So what about Substack? The recent news about the platform tolerating Nazi accounts is shocking. We are waiting a bit to see how this plays out, given that every time we change and email newsletter distribution service, we make life difficult for our subscribers. We may have to make a change soon, however. We will let you know.
Some selected stories from Transgender World on Tumblr
100 years with gender affirming health care.
Contemporary transphobes repeat the same speaking points as old fashioned homophobes
New study shows that the “regret rate” for gender-affirming surgery is less than 1%.
Science paper documents that gender-affirming care helps transgender kids
Why I Stay Married To My Transgender Partner
The Norwegian parliament bans “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ people
“Your brain isn’t different because you’re trans”
Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Special is a Tribute to Transgender People
David Tennant Says His Recent Shows Of Support For Trans People ‘Suits What Doctor Who Is About’
A new look at “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" (ROGD), a transphobic pseudo-science
Top photo: MStudioImages