More transphobia from AFTAH
Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, which touts itself as "a rare single-issue national group on the other side of this critical “culture war” issue...", posted an entry entitled "T-Party at Creating Change in Detroit-- 'Each of Us Can Decide For Ourselves in which Bathroom We Belong'". Three guesses what the T stands for.
The top of the entry features a picture of writer Patrick Califia, who is a trans man. Here's how Peter LaBarbera (director of AFTAH) characterizes Mr. Califia:
(This is a woman.) Radical author Patrick Califia embodies the “transgender” chaos at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s annual activists’ “Creating Change” conference, to be held in Detroit Feb. 6-10. The biologically female Califia once considered herself a butch lesbian, but then opted for a “female-to-male” transgender identity, ending up as a self-described "gay man"- which would make her a ‘gay man trapped in a lesbian’s body.’
The transphobia gets worse.
Mr. LaBarbera then comments on page 17 of Creating Change's program, entitled "Transgender Etiquette." (Link to the program here. I was unable to link to the specific page.):
...on page 17 of this year's Creating Change program is this advisory piece on “Transgender Etiquette,” as the Task Force endeavors to snuff out “transphobia” within its activist ranks. If you gathered 20 witty foes of homosexuality in a room and instructed them to make up something to embarrass the “gay” movement, they couldn’t come up with anything this bizarre. And yet, Creating Change is a serious affair - funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Ford Foundation alike - where sexual revolutionaries learn how to work the political system to break down America’s traditional sexual and gender norms. Reading the notice below, is it any wonder that when the Homosexual ‘Task Force’ comes to town, simple “Male/Female” restrooms won’t do? [all emphases original]
What, exactly, does Mr. LaBarbera find "bizarre" and "embarrassing"? Let's take a look at what the Transgender Etiquette advisory actually states. Mr. LaBarbera helpfully posted the entire text on the AFTAH website, which will make my cut-and-paste job easier. (I cross-checked it with the original file.)
Each paragraph of the text will be followed by my commentary.
Transgender Etiquette: Adapted from the 2002 Portland Creating Change™ committee.
AFTAH has inserted a trademark symbol after the title "Transgender Etiquette" which did not appear in the original text. Perhaps they're attempting to imply to their readership that trans people and their allies are undertaking some sort of marketing campaign?
There are many transgender people at Creating Change™. To be inclusive and improve the quality of life for transgender people here, please read and act upon the following.
The first sentence, by stating that "[t]here are many transgender people at Creating Change™", implies that there are more trans people at Creating Change™ than one would expect to encounter in the population at large. Thus, many of the suggestions below are more applicable at the conference than in other settings.
Please do not assume anyone’s gender, even people you may have met in the past. A person's external appearance may not match their internal gender identity. You cannot know the gender or sex of someone by their physical body, voice, appearance or mannerisms. Pay attention to a person’s purposeful gender expression. We consider it polite to ask: "What pronoun do you prefer?" or “How do you identify?” before using pronouns or gendered words for anyone. When you are unsure of a person’s gender identity and you don’t have an opportunity to ask someone what words they prefer, try using that person’s name or gender-neutral phrases like “the person in the red shirt,” instead of “that woman or man.” [LaBarbera added some inappropriate emphases to this and other paragraphs. I have removed them. I previously stated that LaBarbera did not note that these were his emphases. I was mistaken-- he did. Apologies for the inaccuracy. It was unintentional.]
In light of the paragraph above, it is clear that these suggestions apply in the context of the conference or at other events where one can reasonably expect a larger-than-average number of trans people to be present, and which is a safe space for trans people. The directors of Creating Change are probably not suggesting that people ask people which pronouns they prefer or which gender they identify as in everyday settings. In most settings and situations, where trans people constitute a small fraction of the population, it is ok under most circumstances to "gender" a person based on their presentation-- "...voice, and mannerisms." My girlfriend, who is a trans woman, pointed out that if someone asked her which pronouns she preferred in a public setting before she transitioned, she would have felt embarrassed and panicky. Today, post-transition, she would worry that they might have "clocked" her or gendered her incorrectly. [Note: My use of "presentation" is meant to include trans people who may not blend as well as some others. Nor is my statement that trans people constitute a small minority meant to imply in any way that they are not worthy of respect and legal protection from discrimination and harassment. In my opinion, trans people need such legal protections because of their minority status.]
One way of acknowledging transgender people’s needs is to designate restrooms gender neutral. In bathrooms, many transgender people face harassment that can lead to anything from deep discomfort to arrest or death. Regardless of what bathroom you are in, please let everyone pee in peace. Each of us can decide for ourselves in which bathroom we belong.
Let's see. First sentence, paraphrased: Gender neutral bathrooms prevent transgender people from being made to feel uncomfortable. Given that many facilities already have gender neutral bathrooms-- often to accommodate wheelchair users-- why is advocating them controversial? Next two sentences: Don't try to make people feel uncomfortable in the bathroom. Don't harass or murder them. Mind your own business. Isn't this basic common sense? Last sentence: No one can define another person's gender identity for them. While Peter LaBarbera obviously strongly disagrees with this idea, it isn't particularly controversial in the LGBT community, and certainly isn't considered "bizarre" or "embarrassing".
Please listen to transgender people’s needs and stories when they are volunteered; yet please respect people’s privacy and boundaries and do not ask unnecessary questions.
Listen respectfully. Don't pry. I find that this is good advice in most situations.
Educate yourself through books, web sites, and transgender workshops. Then please join the many hardworking allies who are working to respond appropriately to transphobic situations. Respectful allies, who learn from and with transgender people and then educate others, are important for successful transgender liberation.
Thank you for your help and have a great conference!
Educate yourself about the issues that oppressed, marginalized people face. Dispel misconceptions about them. Controversial to Mr. LaBabera-- but not to us.
Except for some reactionaries whose numbers are growing smaller, the LGB community is not embarrassed by our transgender sisters and brothers or attempts to make their lives easier. Peter LaBarbera is the one who should be embarrassed-- of his bigotry, ignorance, and persistent twisting of the truth.
The top of the entry features a picture of writer Patrick Califia, who is a trans man. Here's how Peter LaBarbera (director of AFTAH) characterizes Mr. Califia:
(This is a woman.) Radical author Patrick Califia embodies the “transgender” chaos at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s annual activists’ “Creating Change” conference, to be held in Detroit Feb. 6-10. The biologically female Califia once considered herself a butch lesbian, but then opted for a “female-to-male” transgender identity, ending up as a self-described "gay man"- which would make her a ‘gay man trapped in a lesbian’s body.’
The transphobia gets worse.
Mr. LaBarbera then comments on page 17 of Creating Change's program, entitled "Transgender Etiquette." (Link to the program here. I was unable to link to the specific page.):
...on page 17 of this year's Creating Change program is this advisory piece on “Transgender Etiquette,” as the Task Force endeavors to snuff out “transphobia” within its activist ranks. If you gathered 20 witty foes of homosexuality in a room and instructed them to make up something to embarrass the “gay” movement, they couldn’t come up with anything this bizarre. And yet, Creating Change is a serious affair - funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Ford Foundation alike - where sexual revolutionaries learn how to work the political system to break down America’s traditional sexual and gender norms. Reading the notice below, is it any wonder that when the Homosexual ‘Task Force’ comes to town, simple “Male/Female” restrooms won’t do? [all emphases original]
What, exactly, does Mr. LaBarbera find "bizarre" and "embarrassing"? Let's take a look at what the Transgender Etiquette advisory actually states. Mr. LaBarbera helpfully posted the entire text on the AFTAH website, which will make my cut-and-paste job easier. (I cross-checked it with the original file.)
Each paragraph of the text will be followed by my commentary.
Transgender Etiquette: Adapted from the 2002 Portland Creating Change™ committee.
AFTAH has inserted a trademark symbol after the title "Transgender Etiquette" which did not appear in the original text. Perhaps they're attempting to imply to their readership that trans people and their allies are undertaking some sort of marketing campaign?
There are many transgender people at Creating Change™. To be inclusive and improve the quality of life for transgender people here, please read and act upon the following.
The first sentence, by stating that "[t]here are many transgender people at Creating Change™", implies that there are more trans people at Creating Change™ than one would expect to encounter in the population at large. Thus, many of the suggestions below are more applicable at the conference than in other settings.
Please do not assume anyone’s gender, even people you may have met in the past. A person's external appearance may not match their internal gender identity. You cannot know the gender or sex of someone by their physical body, voice, appearance or mannerisms. Pay attention to a person’s purposeful gender expression. We consider it polite to ask: "What pronoun do you prefer?" or “How do you identify?” before using pronouns or gendered words for anyone. When you are unsure of a person’s gender identity and you don’t have an opportunity to ask someone what words they prefer, try using that person’s name or gender-neutral phrases like “the person in the red shirt,” instead of “that woman or man.” [LaBarbera added some inappropriate emphases to this and other paragraphs. I have removed them. I previously stated that LaBarbera did not note that these were his emphases. I was mistaken-- he did. Apologies for the inaccuracy. It was unintentional.]
In light of the paragraph above, it is clear that these suggestions apply in the context of the conference or at other events where one can reasonably expect a larger-than-average number of trans people to be present, and which is a safe space for trans people. The directors of Creating Change are probably not suggesting that people ask people which pronouns they prefer or which gender they identify as in everyday settings. In most settings and situations, where trans people constitute a small fraction of the population, it is ok under most circumstances to "gender" a person based on their presentation-- "...voice, and mannerisms." My girlfriend, who is a trans woman, pointed out that if someone asked her which pronouns she preferred in a public setting before she transitioned, she would have felt embarrassed and panicky. Today, post-transition, she would worry that they might have "clocked" her or gendered her incorrectly. [Note: My use of "presentation" is meant to include trans people who may not blend as well as some others. Nor is my statement that trans people constitute a small minority meant to imply in any way that they are not worthy of respect and legal protection from discrimination and harassment. In my opinion, trans people need such legal protections because of their minority status.]
One way of acknowledging transgender people’s needs is to designate restrooms gender neutral. In bathrooms, many transgender people face harassment that can lead to anything from deep discomfort to arrest or death. Regardless of what bathroom you are in, please let everyone pee in peace. Each of us can decide for ourselves in which bathroom we belong.
Let's see. First sentence, paraphrased: Gender neutral bathrooms prevent transgender people from being made to feel uncomfortable. Given that many facilities already have gender neutral bathrooms-- often to accommodate wheelchair users-- why is advocating them controversial? Next two sentences: Don't try to make people feel uncomfortable in the bathroom. Don't harass or murder them. Mind your own business. Isn't this basic common sense? Last sentence: No one can define another person's gender identity for them. While Peter LaBarbera obviously strongly disagrees with this idea, it isn't particularly controversial in the LGBT community, and certainly isn't considered "bizarre" or "embarrassing".
Please listen to transgender people’s needs and stories when they are volunteered; yet please respect people’s privacy and boundaries and do not ask unnecessary questions.
Listen respectfully. Don't pry. I find that this is good advice in most situations.
Educate yourself through books, web sites, and transgender workshops. Then please join the many hardworking allies who are working to respond appropriately to transphobic situations. Respectful allies, who learn from and with transgender people and then educate others, are important for successful transgender liberation.
Thank you for your help and have a great conference!
Educate yourself about the issues that oppressed, marginalized people face. Dispel misconceptions about them. Controversial to Mr. LaBabera-- but not to us.
Except for some reactionaries whose numbers are growing smaller, the LGB community is not embarrassed by our transgender sisters and brothers or attempts to make their lives easier. Peter LaBarbera is the one who should be embarrassed-- of his bigotry, ignorance, and persistent twisting of the truth.