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Forum nameGeneral Discussion
Topic subjectThanks for that.
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=12676014&mesg_id=13420356
13420356, Thanks for that.
Posted by Boogie Stimuli, Wed Jan-13-21 05:42 PM
I agree with her overall point, but she says 1 problematic thing in the explanation (and of course, that's what her detractors are hanging on).

Here's what I agree with most:

"I think the impulse to say that trans women are women just like women born female are women comes from a need to make trans issues mainstream. Because by making them mainstream, we might reduce the many oppressions they experience.

But it feels disingenuous to me. The intent is a good one but the strategy feels untrue. Diversity does not have to mean division.

Because we can oppose violence against trans women while also acknowledging differences. Because we should be able to acknowledge differences while also being supportive. Because we do not have to insist, in the name of being supportive, that everything is the same. Because we run the risk of reducing gender to a single, essentialist thing."


^^ That's brilliantly put
Where it gets dicey is where she's saying trans women experienced male privilege while they lived as men. Her detractors are saying she's wrong because they were never men and were always women. But her detractors are on some BS, because that's not what the point is about. The point is how they were perceived and treated by the world around them. Her detractors could have a point if they'd take their heads out of their asses and actually respond to what she's saying.
That said, my contention here would be that "male privilege" often has a lot to do with appearing or exuding tradional maleness. People born male who aren't completely cis and have trouble hiding it, often find themselves in a space where they experience oppression from the same entities that bestow privilege to cis males. It's a little more nuanced than "you're male so you have male privilege." Both she and her detractors are being too simplistic with regard to this particular point... but naturally so, since the male perspective is somewhat automatically devalued in such discussions these days.