#nuanceblr

[pokegyns]

alright so an argument i’ve recently had with a particular person on here is what initially motivated me to make a post about this, but it’s something that’s overall been bothering me a lot in trans spaces, so i have decided to talk about it.

it’s a known fact that trans people are very sensitive to any talks of biological sex, and that they refuse to analyze or hear out any form of sex-based oppression, however sometimes this discomfort can truly delve into a more dangerous territory. if we cannot talk about sex-based oppression, we cannot have feminism. something that has seriously been circulating around trans spaces recently is a very serious form of sex-based oppression denial, one that crosses the borders of “i’m uncomfortable with talks of biological sex because i’m dysphoric”. the outright refusal to acknowledge that female people are legitimately oppressed in ways that male people never will be, the outright denial of deathly forms of misogyny such as medical & reproductive misogyny that systemically only harm those born female, bold & vocal statements such as “transmisogyny is worse than misogyny” [why are you borrowing & coining a word that originates in *misogyny* if you are going to blatantly & boldly undermine the existence of misogyny?]– those aren’t harmless statements, and are actually actively contributing to the medical negligence of female bodies. they are supporting the continuation of this mystification of female bodies, the underresearched nature of female bodies; by refusing to acknowledge the very factual reality of the male body being seen as default, creating fallacies, hypothetical situations & people, engaging in whataboutism & overall denial of reality, to support their weak arguments of female oppression not existing on its’ own & genuinely asking questions such as, “what makes an afab person more oppressed than an amab person?” [but then again continuing to use the word “transmisogyny”, when, by their logic, the word would be an oxymoron, since they do not recognize misogyny as an actual axis of oppression], they are essentially saying, “medicine is correct for neglecting the female body, following the male model as the default, and should continue doing so”.

“what makes an afab person more oppressed than an amab person?”, they ask. “there isn’t some inherent oppression faced by afabs!”, they shout. well, i’m about to answer their so kindly articulated questions, although i’m very aware they are going to dismiss my words as bigoted attack against transfeminine people, as bio-essentialist propaganda, and “terf shit”. although male people absolutely can & do face sexual assault & rape [and the rates of prostituted & sexually exploited & brutalized trans women are alarming; which is something that should most definitely be discussed in feminist circles, as it is an issue of transmisogyny, which is equally damaging & oppressive], the ability to be impregnated is an additional vulnerability. the ability to get someone pregnant puts you in the privileged position here, no matter how uncomfortable that makes you feel. next up, female puberty is a very traumatic experience, as is female socialization. the stigma surrounded around “girlhood”, being locked away from freedom while seeing all your male peers enjoying a childhood of leisure– how is this not an advantage? add on the societal stigma around growing breasts, getting your period, developing a more adult-ish female body type– all of those are female-specific issues [trans women can add their insights about their experiences with hormone reassignment therapy & share their struggles with gender childhood trauma & unique discomfort with socialization + forced/unwanted male puberty, and their insights are more than welcome & appreciated]. furthermore, female infanticide is still unfortunately a form of oppression that we have yet to end, and bringing up the homicide of trans women is not at all comparable to this. a parent does not know their male infant is going to be sex incongruous, and this very much protects the male baby from being aborted or literally femicided after birth for being female, which is, quite literally, tangible proof of female-specific oppression existing on its’ own, starting even before or from birth, without any other accompanying & contributing factors. to add on, female genital mutilation is likewise still a sexist practice that is yet to be stopped. as is the existence of child brides. as are abortion bans.

strawmanning & using whataboutism, such as “there are cis women who cannot menstruate! there are cis women who cannot get pregnant! there are cis women without uteruses! there are cis women without *insert female organ*!” is not going to negate the fact that *trans women inherently remain without uteruses*. it is not going to negate the fact that historical medical misogyny, such as the misogynistic claim of “female hysteria” was intrinsically linked to uteruses. it is not going to magically make trans women the primary victims of the abortion bans. it is not going to negate the reality of negligence of female bodies in the medical field. it is not going to negate the historical reality of female people being unable to open their own bank accounts up, and male people of all sorts being able to. in no way am i saying that medical & reproductive misogyny are the only sorts of misogyny, nor am i claiming that period stigma is *the central* aspect of misogyny & *the deciding factor* to who experiences the worst of misogyny; all i’m saying is, that even female people who personally cannot menstruate/don’t have specific female sex characteristics/are intersex– still are systemically affected by medical misogyny & period stigma. trans women can experience female-specific misogyny when assumed to be female, medical misogyny is not the only form of misogyny nor is it the most important one, trans women can & do experience social misogyny, economic misogyny, cultural misogyny– but they are not experiencing medical misogyny. that being said, medical transphobia can absolutely be deathly, and should not be ignored in feminist discussions.

it is not a violent threat to your humanity to acknowledge that oppressed people are oppressed in different ways, holy fuck. it should not be seen as a direct attack against a minority group to analyze intersectionality & different forms of bigotry. we all have experiences that are equally valuable & we can all equally contribute to the fight against oppression, with all of our differing struggles & diverse battles. neither oppression is worse. both are fucking bad, and both suck equally, having both overlaps & differences in their manifestation. you just have to realize that you sometimes are, in fact, the privileged one. cis women may be at advantage in other situations, but you are at advantage in other situations. we all need to be good allies to each other. medical neglect of female people is real, but so is the medical neglect of transfeminine people. they manifest in different ways, which isn’t dangerous to point out, and it should be pointed out. neither is inherently worse or more traumatic & important than the other. both are oppressive to the core, and both stand in the way of feminism & anti-patriarchal action. it’s not going to fucking kill you to just be mature for once. i promise you.

– mod zoroark

[alialycat-blog]

I personally think that tras down playing trans people's rights and wrongs are the whole reason why people don't listen to tras when they have valid things to say. Like yes there will be trans women who do something wrong. Just like there's always going to be someone in any group that does something wrong. The important thing is not to downplay it but also not to let it represent all the people in one group but if they keep down playing it won't be "oh my god this one person did wrong" it'll be "oh my god this one person did wrong and people around them are trying to cover it up". People don't trust the Catholic church for the same reason and a lot of people don't trust men for the same reason. You have to hold people accountable and if you're trying to actively hide what they do wrong. You're just as bad as them

[tirfpikachu]

replied to a fellow gyn's post about this already but... i actually really love seeing gnc women embrace typically female names. it's so easy to assume we must use typically male names the second we start being seen as not "womanly" enough in how we dress/act, especially if we're sapphic too. we need to fully take on the Male Role and anything female-coded doesn't suit us anymore. but honestly, i love seeing gnc women have traditionally female names & gnc men with traditionally male names, and have them just be like "so what?" because it shows that people with those names CAN be gnc. people with those clothes/behaviors/etc really CAN be normies.

they don't need to conform to whatever bullshit gender roles their sex is associated with. of course ppl can change names if it makes them happiest, i myself did for a while, but i feel like it's not talked about often enough how badass it is to see a she/her gnc woman who still shrugs off being female, or a confident feminine guy who is still a dude. seeing ppl's eyes widen when they realize that female ppl who aren't trans really CAN look and act like that, and male ppl who aren't trans CAN be feminine and still be cool with their sex at birth, and not even have it be a gay thing either. it's a uniquely radical way to be gnc too. those folks still experience gncphobia, a unique kind of sexism and people can't be like "oh yeah they're trans/gay... THAT'S why they're so unwomanly/unmanly! otherwise it'd just be weird haha!" which makes more sense in their tiny sexist brains.

it's 100% cool to tie your sexuality to your gender nonconformity in some ways, but imo it's also really fucking cool to see a gnc woman who isn't gnc bc she's gay or trans or whatever. same with a gnc dude. you ofc can be gnc and distance yourself from male/female-typical things if it makes you happier, that's cool too. but people who don't are also amazing in a unique kinda way. because current society thinks breaking outside your box means there's something different about you. they see masculinity or the lack of femininity and think female things/terms "just don't suit you." they see femininity on a male body and assume it must say you're different. that it must mean you want to be seen as a woman, it must mean you want the world to see you as unmanly. but when you tell them that no, being a man and wearing sparkly shit and skirts doesn't make you less likely to identify as not a man, or more likely to be gay bc it's a "womanly" thing to be feminine... when you say no, it just means you like sparkles and skirts just so happen to be comfy for you... it breaks their little brain. when you're female and aren't dysphoric about it, aren't trying to distance yourself from femaleness at all, yet you STILL allow your body to be naturally hairy and you wear things that aren't skin-tight or wear unfeminine pants and boxers bc you don't have to worry about showing your ass while doing normal human shit, or that you'd rather spend your time cuddling your pet bunny and watching dumb reality tv in the morning instead of spending half an hour before work doing makeup and wearing hyperfem bullshit and microanalyzing your appearance, now THAT threatens the patriarchy in its own way too.

if being gnc isn't just a trans thing anymore, isn't just a gay/bi thing anymore, that means the foundations of the heteropatriarchy aren't as solid as bio men and brainwashed female folks would like to believe they are and even their OWN camp are fighting against it. when we make being gnc accessible to all and have it say fuckall about someone other than what clothes they like to wear or behaviors they like to do... that makes the patriarchy sweat in ways it's not used to. there's lots of ways to go against it, but it's always super refreshing for me as a gnc dyke to see some gnc folks not distance themselves from being male/female. and as a lesbian, i actually fucking love seeing gnc cis/bio hetero men & women too. feminine men and unfeminine women, metrosexuals/femboys and tomboys or whatever society wants to call y'all. i want being gnc to be an anti-sexist movement that overlaps with lgbt rights but also has its own spaces. i want being gnc to be shrugged off as being totally big deal, and have it say nothing about somebody, have it not be weaponized against gnc women and teach gnc boys they don't need to "man up" or whatever the fuck. i want people to be gnc in whatever way they want. this ain't the only way to rage against the machine, but it's a form of expression i feel like isn't celebrated enough. anyone facing gncphobia in their day-to-day lives is badass as hell <3

[maive-the-sheep]

More people should accept nuance in their lives. But not all, it's very nuanced.

Ok but seriously. Think of anti psychiatry.

Society causes distress and lower functioning and psychiatry doesn't aknowledge that...but the abolishment of psychiatry would not influence societies problems at all.

And there are things like I have. I have no appetite. Never have. That is dangerous. And I'm too motivated forward to the point that I cant enjoy things for their own sake. So I have a psychiatrist trying to get me meds that I can actually enjoy things for enjoyment sake (like games or art) as well as have hunger.

AND there are meds given to people that cause more detriment then benefit.

[dykeulous]

Lol so to you "nuance" is when we consider male feelings and perspective when they use every tool to opress women, including gender bc it makes you Uncomfy to awknowledge your reality. Stop trying to bring your male cult into feminist spaces.

to me, nuance is when we consider human feelings. to me, nuance is when we have free will and don’t blindfully follow an ideology without modifying it one bit to fit your own narrative. nuance is when we criticize systems, not individuals. nuance is when we can both hold gender identity ideology accountable without invalidating & harming people with dysphoria. nuance is when we authentically stay true to our beliefs & subscribe to a certain ideology despite disagreeing with some parts of it. nuance is when we can see the human in every person. nuance is when we don’t jump to attack a societal group just because the group has some shitty individuals in it. nuance is when we are open-minded. nuance is when we understand & acknowledge sex-based oppression & sex-based attraction, while also understanding & acknowledging that medical transition makes lives different for people & alters someone’s life experiences greatly, essentially affecting their material reality. nuance is when we can disagree with an ideology and yet remain respectful to people who follow that ideology. nuance is when we have empathy and human compassion. nuance is when we can talk about specific problems without minimizing the problems we personally don’t face.

[unnamedmedicalprofessional]

People who think men are inherently evil are a tiny, insignificant minority with hardly any impact on society. It's ridiculous to suggest it's the main reason or even one of the main reasons men become misogynistic. But on the other hand it certainly doesn't help, makes a useful strawman is misogynist rhetoric, and is just generally being an asshole.

[theangryman]

terms and labels

radical feminism is the recognition that sex based oppression is endemic, that it has shaped the experience of almost every human in every human society in history

and a recognition that the abolition of sex based classes, gender, would be the only way to remove such a disease from society

this disease shows many symptoms, and radical feminism sees such practices as prostitution or pornography as part of upholding that oppressive system

the “sex wars” were lost by the rad fems on the popular front to the lib fems, who believe that the purpose of feminism is to grant individual women the same freedoms/choices as men

a “TERF” sees gender transition as reinforcing this system. identifying as a woman while being assigned male at birth is claiming to be a member of an oppressed class, without having experienced that oppression. (a TERF might recognize that trans women experience oppression, but would see homophobia as the cause)

TERFs also see the idea of “gender identity” as reinforcing stereotypes. it isn’t unreasonable to point out that many trans narratives reinforce harmful ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman. if being a woman means liking pink and dresses, that’s obviously regressive as hell (some of this was baked into the earlier medical standards for transition even - when talking to my very first endo I had to be a perfect straight boy who always played with trucks and mud and never touched a Barbie)

there are trans women who are sexual creeps and predators, and considering how few spaces there are for women to be safe from sexual violence, the idea that someone could claim to be a woman to access those spaces is concerning. it is comically easy to find trans lesbians being whiny incels online

as a TIRF, my thoughts are that medical dysphoria is a real experience. Sex differentiation is a complex process, and “misalignments” happen. Most not-chronically online trans people do just want to live their lives.

even if no other humans existed to perceive me as m or f, I would still want a beard and the body testosterone gives me

I think gender transition does mostly serve the goal of the abolition of gender, that it helps more than it hurts. I’ve done a fair bit of trans activism in my life, and I can recognize where I’ve played into some of those harmful narratives.

[pokegyns]

if “cis feminism” is when you acknowledge sex-based oppression & the very fact that female people do face a unique axis of oppression distinct from the oppression other gender-marginalized people do, than i am a proud cis feminist. if “cis feminism” is when you acknowledge that male people, trans or not, do have significant systemic power over female people, trans or not, then i am a proud cis feminist. if “cis feminism” means wanting female-only spaces, then i am a proud cis feminist. if the “cis feminist” definition of the patriarchy is: “economical system built on the exploitation of female people which finds its ground theory, evidence & justification on otherwise neutral anatomical differences, using them to structurally & systemically disempower, disregard & oppress female people”– then, i am, in fact, a “cis feminist”, and i believe our definition is quite alright.

do you want it to be changed to so that female people forever lose a sense of belonging? a sense of connection to their specific marginalized class? there is time & place to have discussions about the various forms of oppression & repercussions male people face in regards to gender, but if the goal of apparent “trans feminism” is to completely strip female people of class analysis & class consciousness, then i am & will stay a proud cis feminist. your feminism is not “trans feminism” in any way, shape, or form, if it excludes, ignores, and abuses trans men & transmascs. “trans feminism” was made for transfems, and it should stop presenting itself as simple “trans feminism” if it excludes an entire trans demographic. a trans demographic that has unique needs & experiences.

– mod zoroark

[ID: Meme that reads "I bring a sort of "The Patriarchy was defined by Cis Feminists and the Definition Should be Updated To Better Represent the Lived Experiences of Trans and Intersex People" Vibe to Transfeminist Theory that Radfems don't really like" the background is a photo of a man with a backwards baseball cap looking into the distance while standing outside /end ID]

[sxive-writes]

dispelling the trope

Women maintain the power of any relationship. Freely giving it up is the biggest trick she can fall for. Eve in Eden... pregnant single moms... vulnerable female bodies are prey to Male Ego. Staying out of his consumption is akin to "survival of the fittest." Validation, a shield seared by her confidence must come up before Defense can be dismembered by Ego's thorny hammer. If any chance of another breath unbullied by His envy can be wrought. Feminine Divine you are the context.

[pokegyns]

a lot of the more extreme & “doomerist” blackpill radfem spaces are so heavily ableist, and this ableism shifts into transphobia. transphobia & ableism are very intertwined in themselves (which is something mainstream tras have a hard time coming to terms with), and given the way that the “rudefem” crowd tends to treat otherwise disabled & ill folk, it is no surprise that their terrible treatment of the mentally ill & disabled (both physically & mentally) will apply to trans people. what gives them even more leverage & “feelgood” thoughts about their own selves is that this time, they can cover their ableism up under the coat of feminism. they can get away with calling people mutilated, confused, delusional, psychotic, narcissistic, insane & other saneist & ableist terms; because this time they know that they won’t face as much of backlash from the people they hang around with. they get to feel morally superior for not having to deal with the very mentally exhausting & draining condition dysphoria is, and what is even sadder is the fact that a lot of them are dysphoric themselves– their internalized ableism manifests in a, “i know how to cope with this better! others who don’t & cannot find a way other than by transitioning are narcissistic, self-centered and delusional! i’m Better Than Them!” way. if radical feminist spaces are apparently safe for dysphoric people & are meant to offer better strategies & treatment than mainstream tra spaces are, then we need to get rid of all the ableists invading our spaces. ableism is anti-feminist. dysphoric people need real solidarity & community. we are tired of being treated like shit & being used as political weapons by both sides. our existence shouldn’t be reduced to “object that can be used to prove a point” between two ideologically conflicted sides. at the end of the day, the more nuanced corners of radical feminist spaces should strive to analyze the ways that both radical feminist spaces and trans rights activist spaces tend to nihilize dysphoric people & use them as guinea pigs. both radfem and tra circles can be unhealthy, the former being repressive while the latter is anti-recovery. true allyship is necessary, and true allyship means listening to dysphoric voices.

– mod zoroark

[nuancefem]

changed blog url to @nuanceblr !! but might use this for something too at some point :]

[everythingseasoning]

To continue: most people aren’t evil by nature. We come into the world with some programming and will have certain tendencies due to genetics, but other than that, we are blank slates, absorbing what the world around us tells us.

You could be in their shoes spouting their nonsense too if the cards lined up (psychology proves this over and over again, don’t argue with the messenger)— No matter how detestable you find it, there is always a very real possibility that if you grew up getting brainwashed or neglected, you’d be that very person you despise with your hateful eye

I know, that’s hard to stomach. It was and is hard for me, too.

“You’re defending them! You’re one of them!”

Well god forbid that I can be against horrible things while also (quite necessarily) acknowledging that nuance exists…

The ones you hate are, perhaps shockingly, people, too. And violence isn’t the answer. *Change* towards a better, kinder world should be the priority here. You’re being counterproductive by wishing death/hate on other humans (Seriously. You think they’ll listen to you when you say they should die?)

Take a look in the mirror if your immediate reaction to something bad is to do grab a pitchfork and spurn all those you deem as monstrous and evil — are you not also committing an act of evil right now?

Argue that they started it all you want, but be aware that you’ve lost your humanity, too, once you stop seeing people as people.

TLDR: are you helping the problem by educating others, or are you BECOMING another problem, by spewing more hate and nonsense into the world?

"Those people believe x. We know they're wrong because y, but here's how they got to this point."

"So you think x!"

"No, I'm explaining what they think."

"You're making excuses for it and arguments that support it!"

"I'm laying out the arguments they give. I'm not making them, I'm showing them. I broke down why it's wrong and how it became a prevalent view."

"You're an x-apologist!"

Right, sorry, my mistake. Those people don't have a distorted worldview that leads them to cruelty, they're just evil by nature, their essence is darkness and violence, there's no humanity in them, go ahead and fantasize about wiping out whatever population you marked as bad. Didn't mean to interrupt your fantasy. I can see you're quite attached to it. Go on, advocate for whatever useless violence you think should happen in retaliation. I thought violence should be a horrible but sometimes-necessary tool, but it can be a goal, that's fine too. Everyone needs a dream I guess.

[tirfpikachu]

@pokegyns is finally getting mods mwahahah >:]

[maive-the-sheep]

The view that everyone can do what you do and what works for you must work for others is a highly prevalent worldwide phenomenon that must be lowered.

People with aphantasia can't purposely visualize.

Certain people have always lacked specific emotions, including in aspd/disocial

Certain people can't do certain physical activities, including cause physical disabilities.

Some people can not vocally speak and must use sign language or aac.

And so much more.

But also, even identical twins will often times have different needs, different things that work best, different personalities. I'm friends with one identical twin, not the other, infact the other is annoyed by me. They have very different problems, ways of thinking, what works best for them.

[pokegyns]

Transmedicalism: The Sexism, Racism, and Classism of Transmeds

the theory of transmedicalism is undeniably intertwined with eurocentrism, white supremacy, colonial values, classism, and sexism.

1.) SEXISM

transmedicalists often propose the idea of “being born in the wrong body”– which has become the most widely accepted definition of transness. this is pseudoscience; no one can be “born in the wrong body”. this idea supports the neurosexist myth of the sex brain, “womb hormone imbalance”, “brain-body incongruence”, and general misinformed scientific misogyny. transmedicalism suggests medical intervention as the only solution to dysphoria & incongruence, which can be deeply harmful due to the unresearched nature of gender/sex dysphoria. the calls for the medicalizing of gender also fail to recognize the inherent intersexism this very idea is built on– unnecessary medical intervention on intersex infants is completely built on the medicalization of gender. of course, transness is medical & neurological– but it also undoubtedly is sociological, and transmeds fail to consider this fact. they fail to consider gender socialization, patriarchal values & environmental influence. their belief of having to involve medical intervention in every case of dysphoria fails to encompass the very fact that dysphoria can heal, and this uniquely disempowers & harms detrans people. with their assimilationist views, transmeds tend to revert back to cisnormative praxis. presenting medical transition & assimilation as the only path to trans happiness, they actively ignore the corrupt nature of the affirmative-only model, as well as the overly sexist practices presented to dysphoric individuals. the affirming-model, following transmedicalist thought, often attacks dysphoric people for not wanting to completely assimilate in the cispatriarchal society. assimilation is a direct attack on liberation. assimilation kills, assimilation is erasure, assimilation is the violence of invisibility. attacks on individuality & informed consent, as well as promising happiness to dysphoric people & claiming that medical transition is the only path available for them (& the fearmongering of, “if you don’t transition, you will die”) is the corrupt nature of transmedicalism. medical transition can be harmful, as much as it can be helpful. it is not the only cure to dysphoria, and sometimes it isn’t a cure, at all. the goal of trans liberation isn’t to assimilate into the strict gender binary, it is to destroy the gender binary.

2.) RACISM

attempts at purposing the “immediate need” for medical intervention in cases of dysphoria are also intertwined with colonization & white supremacy. strict attempts of white trans people to “pass” uniquely harm trans people of color. trans people of color are disproportionately subjected to extreme rates of poverty & discrimination, and are therefore bared from the resources they might need for the furthering of their desired transition. the emphasis that transmedicalist ideals place on the importance of passing as cis, as well as the ways in which racist stereotypes have bred toxic masculinity in communities of color, has led to a disproportionate level of violence being targeted towards trans people of color. pressuring dysphoric people to take unhealthy measures at “passing” & “assimilating” otherwise “they aren’t truly dysphoric”, undoubtedly is rooted in the westernized & eurocentric view of trans healthcare.

3.) CLASSISM

transmedicalism is largely classist, through & through. grooming young dysphoric people, who oftentimes come from non-wealthy families, that the only way they can reach happiness is by medically transitioning, is a very well-known tactic of transmedicalism. transmedicalism fails to consider diverse economic situations, and by presenting medical transition as the only path to happiness of dysphoric people, transmeds breed a unique form of insecurity, self-doubt, and depression in the brains of dysphoric youth. they claim medical transition is the only way dysphoric people will ever be able to be happy, and as they make this claim, they simultaneously subject lower-class trans people to lifelong suffering. this is one of the many ways classism manifests as one big hole in transmedicalist thought. not everyone can afford to pass, and it is unfair to declare everyone who cannot pass as a “faker”. branding transition as the only “cure” to dysphoria, and then barring certain individuals from the said “cure”, tells us just how flawed transmedicalism is. capitalists love to profit from vulnerable people’s pain, and dysphoria is a neurological condition that, by branding such a commodifying solution as “the only cure”, can get capitalists thriving at the expense of deeply ill & vulnerable people. transmeds imply that dysphoric people immediately need fixing, otherwise they’re doomed to lifelong suffering & inevitable death. this is the fastest way of manipulating a marginalized group & thus providing & promising profit to consumerist industries & those on the top of the capitalist pyramid.

4.) CONCLUSION

transmedicalism is the most socially accepted idea of transness. it is one that supports assimilation, the patriarchy, racism & colonialism. it is one that is the most likeable to large corporations, conservatives, and the power thirsty capitalists. as such, we shouldn’t see it as a feminist idea of transness. i have seen far too many self-proclaimed radical feminists claim transmeds are “the best trans people” & “ones we should accept the most”. this is a blatantly incorrect & dangerous belief to hold. transmedicalism harms dysphoric people on a wide scale; it punishes deviation from the gender hierarchy, affirms medical transition as the only way to trans happiness, profits from dysphoric pain– and as such, is inherently anti-feminist. it is one thing to acknowledge that dysphoria can be neurological, and that dysphoria is a mental condition– but it is a completely distinct thing to pressure trans people to medically transition, to imply dysphoric people need “fixing”, and to push & betray our trans siblings to the large messy pit the capitalist industry of medical transition is. undoubtedly, medical transition can save lives– but it can also destroy them, and the industry needs immediate reform. a lot of transmedicalists declare themselves “pro-radfem”, which is probably why they’ve gained such sympathy from self-proclaimed radfems– but the two groups couldn’t be more separate from each other. radfems generally have more in common with the crowd that parades neopronouns & xenogenders– and although more than few radfems will find this nonsensical– we still have to admit that these people have no power in the gender hierarchy whatsoever, unlike transmedicalism– an idea that built its’ praxis & is turning into a huge corporation. dysphoric people are not an experiment, nor are we a public good & guinea pigs. our pain is not something that capitalist pigs should have access to commodifying. transmedicalism hurt me as an individual, as well– the effects kalvin garrah & the “truscum” community (i had quite a few toxic transmed exes) had on me as a vulnerable dysphoric teen were numerous. i hated myself, and i hate myself a little less ever since i distanced myself from the huge mess the “truscum” community is. feminism is helping me heal, and i get enraged every time i see transmedicalism be accepted as a radfem ideal. it is not, and it never will be.

– mod zoroark

[pokegyns]

Transmisogyny, “Third Socialization”, and Conditional Misogyny

i will preface this by saying that i myself am not transfem, so take my words with a grain of salt. through this, i will be attempting to analyze the marginalization transfems go through, as well as propose the idea of a “third socialization” that some transfems might experience.

trying to look at transmisogyny as simple intersection of transphobia+misogyny is a false way to look at transfem oppression. more often than not, dysphoria manifests during childhood, and even if the child does not know/isn’t aware of their sex incongruency/and or dysphoria, they will experience alienation from their peers. young transfems might feel alienated from boys their age, and transmascs might feel alienated from girls their age. as such, young transfems a lot of times fall victim to various forms of homophobia, which manifests as something similar to, “you’re a boy, so stop engaging with “feminine” activities and clothing! stop trying to befriend girls! girls are supposed to be your crushes, not your friends!”. at first, transfems experience gncphobia, and this later escalates as homophobia against males. this serves as the ground framework for what will become transmisogyny– intersection of transphobia, gncphobia, homophobia & conditional misogyny.

as young transfems are exposed to various forms of gncphobia & homophobia (which does differ from the gncphobia & homophobia cis gay men/boys face, since the pain of dysphoria is present), coupled with the alienation from their male peers, they are often victimized by bullying & ostracizing. being perceived as an outcast during your early stages of development can take a toll on your mental health, which plays as a large factor as to why so many trans people in general tend to have more issues with their mental health aside from dysphoria. of course, this experience cannot be classified as “female socialization”– the bullying & homophobia transfems experience is more in line with the cis gay male experience, than it is with the cis woman/girl experience. this is why a lot of the times, transfems are in fact male socialized. however, not everything is black and white, and this is why i would like to propose the idea of third socialization– in some cultures, from what i’ve been able to gather & research, effeminate boys & men are oftentimes segregated in the “third” category in certain activities, neither female nor male. this is exactly how transmisogyny manifests in praxis. transmisogyny is not the mere intersection of transphobia & misogyny– it is the violent outcasting, dehumanization & alienation of transfems. it is not akin to simple alienation in terms of friendship, it is brutal & hierarchal, it is a unique form of oppression that deserves its’ own term. it is the process of demeaning a trans woman (or anyone seen as a trans woman, for that matter), and refusing to acknowledge her as a person worthy of dignity & basic human respect– thus dehumanizing, not seeing the trans woman as neither a woman nor a man, but a “secret third thing”– and by the “secret third thing” the trans woman isn’t seen as non-binary or something alike, but as below human race, as undeserving of being classified as a human woman or a human man. this extends to the nonconsensual hypersexualization of transfem bodies, disgusting remarks about transitioned transfems bodies, as well as sexual abuse & degradation specifically targeting transfems.

this persecution can be observed looking at the ways transfems are treated when dating heterosexual males. of course, it is every trans person’s responsibility to disclose the fact that they are trans to their partner– but looking at the violence against transfems (by cis heterosexual males) & the rigid brutalization, i believe that to reduce this to “trans women deceiving their partners” is to engage in direct victim blaming. trans women have no power over heterosexual males, and heterosexual males are trans women’s primary oppressors– on a systemic level. trans women’s existence, being dehumanized & casted in a “third category” under the cisheteropatriarchal system, raises anger & triggers the fragility of the cis(het) male. why, on earth, would a superior male want to transition to be a woman? to be of the lower caste? in this way, trans women in their eyes aren’t transitioning into the “inferior class”, but they are transitioning into something completely distinct– to them, they are the traitors of the male upperclass, because they are fighting to escape it– in the cis male’s eyes, they are wild animals that must be brutalized & exterminated, they are filthy & mutilated, they are undeserving of affection & love & respect & dignity.

this is where “conditional misogyny” comes in play. i do not believe trans women, as a class, experience regular or female-specific misogyny, a.k.a sexism. however, i do believe that they can experience what is called conditional misogyny. trans women who have transitioned, trans women who were allowed to transition early in their childhoods & trans women who have lived as women for longer than they haven’t, are most definitely affected by various (though not all) forms of misogyny. economic (pornography, prostitution, homelessness, pay gap, economic sexual abuse are all what i would consider to fall under this) misogyny, social misogyny (passing as a woman, being subject to catcalling & harassment, having disgusting remarks being hurled at you), cultural misogyny (seeing & hearing about femicides on media), are all the forms of misogyny stealth transitioned trans women can be victimized by. these trans women often move to larger cities, where nobody knows of their male past. this is called conditional misogyny, as these trans women still never experienced the trauma of female puberty, period stigma, strict female socialization, medical misogyny, religious misogyny and reproductive misogyny. furthermore, it is called conditional misogyny because if the trans woman’s agab is revealed, she will stop facing regular misogyny/sexism/conditional misogyny, and she will start facing transmisogyny– conditional misogyny being the highest stage of transmisogyny.

this way, we can see that the types of oppression cis women & trans women face differ (& sometimes they do intersect), and talking about which one is worse will always end up in failure. circumstances, areas, material conditions– all of that is important to consider, and choosing to make blanket statements such as “trans women are always more privileged than cis women & trans men”, or “trans women are the most victimized & the most oppressed than any other group in regards to gender relations” fails to encompass the very much needed elements when discussing any type of oppression– intersectionality and nuance. oppression is not based on identity. oppression is lived experience. oppression in regards to gender relations can manifest as fear of being victimized & dehumanized on the basis of your biological sex & biological reality, but it can also manifest as fear of being victimized & dehumanized on the basis of having your biological reality found out by the upperclass of the gender hierarchy. sometimes, transfems will undoubtedly be privileged over cis women & transmascs, but other times that really is not the case. you can choose to continue calling all trans women privileged & dumb for choosing to transition, you can say they aren’t real women– but what you cannot do is deny that under our system, trans women are undeniably persecuted & discriminated against. that is a factual reality. and i thought we were all about factual reality?

– mod zoroark