Intersectionality

From A Womyn’s Ecdysis:

There is no current US Women’s Movement. There is no US Feminist Movement. What is it that we face? The face of the US movementS change with community and by geography. It changes with all the things that make up the intersection of intersectionality. It is no wonder so much argument and fighting occurs - so many women believe their agenda is the most important. Intersectionality is the tool to help you clarify the dynamic of your own kyriarchal oppression and ALSO to equip yourself to ultimately CHOOSE how to resist. Understanding intersectionality has become the limbo for US media-driven feminists. We wait there until we “get it.”

The danger of intersectionality is that it is often mixed in as an objective of US feminism, not a tool of alliance work or consciousness-raising. It’s a method, not a goal. The perception is that we can’t move forward until we understand the condition of Asian Americans, or disabled womyn, or Black lesbian and queer activists. That is not intersectionality, that is stupidity. There is and should not be One Movement for US womyn because we are as diverse in need as we are in faith, values, and life exposure. Intersectionality is a TOOL, nothing more. We are to first understand ourselves in the context of a kyriarchal system before we can critically understand the condition of other womyn. It’s not oppression olympics, it’s humbling self-decentering. My own story is significant. It is sacred. In studying my own life’s meaning, I uncover the stories of others whose own lives are also significant and sacred. Holding both is not giving up my own power or agenda. Recognizing other lives and individuals and populations does not negate or change the course of my struggle. It enriches it with the power of knowledge, alliance, and shared hope.

I’ve learned that I can carefully be an advocate for womyn’s liberation, but I must fight and live with chosen direction and purpose to truly impact my own community.

There must be action. There must be a statement

Yes.
We don’t all have to fight for the same thing. There doesn’t need to be One Cause that we all fight for. We should all be fighting for what is important to us in our little corner of the world, with other people that think that is important too.

For example, I don’t give a fig about Michfest. OMG, yes I said it!
I don’t care that women aren’t being allowed into Michfest just cos they aren’t ‘womyn-born-womyn’.
You see, Michfest happens in another country. A country to which I have never been, will hopefully never have to go. It is a music festival, to which I have never been, and will never go to. I don’t know anyone who has been, or will go, or would even want to go there.

What I care about is HREOC’s Gender Diversity Project. My t-boy groups BBQ’s, lunches, and dinners. Making a float for Mardi Gras. Hanging out with the local trans community. Making sure people aren’t giving me and my friends shit for being who we are. Making sure that those lesbians I know at Uni can get married some day, and have a honeymoon like they’ve been dreaming of.
These are causes that are important to me. I only have so much energy, so much time, so much to give. If anyone comes to me and asks for a concrete instance of help… a donation, a signature, help them paint a banner, write a letter to a member. I will help if I have the smallest sympathy for their cause.
However, my schedule is full. I learn, I try to understand, I try to be aware. I try to tread lightly, and I ensure that fighting for my rights does not lead to the degradation of another minorities rights… however, there are some things that I just don’t care about.
Michfest is one of them.
Solidarity does not mean that I have to lay down my interests and causes and fight only for the One True Cause. It means that we should do our best to ensure our battles aren’t railroading the battles of other groups will less power than us.

Changed my Tag Line, cos I’m no longer Feminist

Cheerful Megalomaniac has always been about Feminism. Since the moment I started blogging last October, until today, Cheerful Megalomaniac has been a “Feminist Blog”. Today though, I have decided to change my focus from the patriarchy to the kyriarchy, from feminism to queer theory.

I have been told, vehemently, and repeatedly that I am not a feminist, and in fact, that I cannot be a feminist. There’s a variety of reasons for this. I am a man, and therefore cannot be oppressed. I am a transsexual, and so have betrayed the sisterhood. Bla bla bla. Whatever, most of them are bull shit reasons, that don’t really mean anything.

The thing is, I am not interested in being a part of a movement that does not want me around, that will not listen to my voice, that discounts my oppression as non-existent.

Feminism informs my world view, and will continue to do so. I still hate sexism as much as ever, and I am still determined to check my privilege, and make the world a better place. Its just occurred to me, that labeling myself a feminist is rather pointless.
After all, how can real change be implemented if people are too busy discussing whether or not I am allowed to call myself a feminist to actually talk about anything else?
Drawing lines in the sand around my identity is so pointless. Setting up oppression hierarchies and debating whether or not I have a right to claim to be oppressed or marginalised because of my trans status, cos I am transmasculine not transfeminine is completely off the planet!

So, easy to solve the problem. I don’t claim to be feminist. Other people don’t have to discuss whether I am allowed to be feminist, and we can get back to the work of changing the world?

Sounds like a plan to me.

Gender Rights are Human Rights

So last week the HREOC Forum to discuss their Gender Diversity Issues Paper was held in the ACT. I went along, and was really pleased that I did. I didn’t contribute much to the discussion during the forum, but I chatted to the HREOC peeps both before and after the forum, and plan on getting involved in their blog project.

I also had the opportunity to meet more of the local trans community. I had a chat to Zoe, and met a bunch of new t-boys, and was amazed at the number of people that came out of the woodwork for the event.

I found much of the discussion very enlightening. I am always interested to hear a bunch of different perspectives on the same issues that I struggle with day to day. There were trans people and intersex people, and intersex people who are also trans… there was a few people that identify as genderqueer, or third gender, as well as people who identified strongly with the gender binary.

I was pleased that although some of the people present appeared to be quite ignorant of non-traditional perspectives on gender and transition, at least no one pulled out the Genderqueer VS Traditional binary and tried to exclude anyone or nit pick about what defines ‘trans enough’.

When the discussion about trans as a choice came up, one very impassioned woman declared that its transition or death for *all* trans people. I found that very frustrating, and myself and Robbie let out twin sighs of annoyance (which I suppose the Commissioner heard, given he was sitting right next to us). There was also the discussion of whether trans is a kind of intersex condition, which it might well be.
The thing is, I have no objection to people declaring that for themselves there was no choice but transition or death. I know that before I knew I could transition that was how I felt… now I know a lot more about queer theory, and I think I could make do without transitioning, but its not an optimal choice, hence my decision to transition. I also have no objection to the idea that transsexuality may be a kind of intersex condition. I don’t think it matters whether it is or not, but the idea has merit.
You see, I consider my freedom to make choices my most sacred human right. I don’t want to be boxed in by these ideas of coercion, or feel like I’m making excuses for my identity…
“Oh, I’m trans, but only cos i have a medical condition… I wouldn’t *choose* to be like this.”
Logically if I wasn’t trans, I wouldn’t be transitioning. However, I am trans, and it does not matter *why* I am trans. What ever the cause of my transsexuality is, I am proud of it, it is part of who I am, and I do not need a medical condition to justify my identity.

This perspective is something that I think needs more attention in the HREOC report, because it is my right as a human being to express myself however I choose without justification to the Government, the Medical Establishment, the Trans or Queer communities, or anyone else for that matter.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to having more involvement in this project, and agitating for gender to be removed from birth certificates and other forms of identity documents altogether.

Keeping my head down? I don’t think so!

Its been suggested to me many times in the last 12 months, that if I would just keep my head down, and not make such a fuss, then my life would be much easier. I have been told that my life is more difficult than the average, and that is my fault. That things could be easier if I would just learn to flow with the status quo.

I don’t buy it. I spent years trying to go with the status quo.
I was submissive, gentle, spoke when spoken too, didn’t argue, didn’t contradict my elders or betters, prayed, fasted, read the bible, cooked, cleaned, was complimented on my femininity and told I’d ‘make a good wife’. I even applied for Bible College as well as University.
My life was still non-stop drama. Child abuse, domestic violence, bullying at school, harmful relationships, self harm, depression, eating disorders, emotional abuse, rape… Yeah, that was all so easy, and the bits that ‘weren’t so easy’ were my fault.

My life is actually pretty cool now. I mean, I have friends, no one yells at me, or hits me, I don’t have to walk on eggshells, I don’t have to do what other people tell me, I am not afraid in my own home. I have my own personal strength. I can assert myself, and I can fight back, and sure I spend a lot of my time fighting, but at least I have some fight in me… and I’m starting to get my way more and more.
The future is bright. I am starting to feel comfortable with how I look, I am starting to see changes in myself. The sound of my own voice doesn’t annoy me.

I am also confident that as time goes on I will be making a positive change to the world.
Sure, if I put my head down, and melted silently into the background then people around me wouldn’t have to feel so uncomfortable about the issues that largely go ignored in our society, but that I bring to the surface.

What I find most remarkable is the vested interest other people seem to have in convincing me to conform to societies norms. Its that fake concern that annoys me so much.
“Oh dear, but you are making your life so hard! Why don’t you just chill and conform? It makes stuff easier… trust me….”

If they are so sad about my life being tough, why don’t they step up to the plate and make an effort to change things so that my life… and the lives of thousands like me a bit easier?
Don’t give me some bull shit about how we all have ‘our own race to run’, our own ’struggles’. If you are so busy with your struggles, you can stop wasting your time trying to convince me to conform.
Besides, it doesn’t take that much. You can do something simple… like request your employer make a toilet in your building/floor unisex, even if you don’t need to use it! Not use sexist insults, and pull other people up on them when they use them. If you’re a med student ask your course convener why trans and intersex issues aren’t on the curriculum. If your Christian ask your pastor what they think of queer issues, and if they are homophobic challenge them, or change Churches. Use the correct pronouns to refer to trans people that come up in the media, like Thomas Beatie, even if others are using the wrong ones.
Most of all… educate yourself! Even if you don’t think that this shit applies to you, every thing that you find out on your own is one less embarrassing faux pas you will make in the future.

You don’t have to become a full time activist to challenge peoples ideas.
Just think ‘Whats respectful?’ because respect is respect, no matter who you are talking to.

Police State

I thought people said things would get better under Rudd.

Where’s the evidence? This certainly isn’t it!

The State Government faced a public backlash yesterday after the Herald revealed laws had been quietly introduced to prevent people “causing annoyance” to participants in the huge Catholic event which will climax with the Pope’s arrival in Sydney in two weeks.

During a meeting with two leading victims groups yesterday, senior police said protesters would also have to include details of their planned messages.

Protesting without police clearance could result in demonstrators being charged under extraordinary new powers which came into effect yesterday.

The sweeping nature of the regulations is threatening to create a legal and political minefield with protesters apparently willing to test both the scope of the laws and the willingness of the authorities to uphold them.

Ableist Language

There’s been a few threads about ableist language recently. I do have a tendency to overuse words like ‘idiot’, ‘moron’ and ‘retard’. I also refer to people as ‘psychotic’ when that is probably not an accurate descriptor. I avoid ’schizo’, ‘manic’, and ‘bipolar’.

I do use ‘crazy’, and ‘insane’, but usually in a positive sense.

I’ve decided to monitor my use of language a bit more closely, since reading this and this.
Go read them.

NOW.

Thankyou.

Sex and Gender Diversity Project

The Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) is seeking the views of the sex and gender diverse community about the most pressing human rights issues facing their community. HREOC also seeks input into how it might assist in promoting and protecting the human rights of people who are transgender, transsexual or intersex.

HREOC has prepared a short paper analysing some sex and gender diversity issues and their human rights implications. The paper has been sent to some organisations representing the sex and gender diverse community.

If you would like to be involved in HREOC’s sex and gender diversity human rights project, please refer to the following documents:

* invitation for comment from the Human Rights Commissioner
* sex and gender diversity issues paper

Initial feedback is required by 30 May 2008.

Responses can be sent by:

* email to sarah.winter@humanrights.gov.au or
* post to Sex and Gender Diversity Project, HREOC at GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001.

For more information, please contact Sarah Winter, Policy Officer on 02 9284 9650

Privacy of Information

I have recently been going through a Google Purge. I have been removing the connection between my blog and my person, but not vice versa. That is, if you are my friend IRL, you can read my blog, but if you read my blog, you probably wont be able to figure out who I am IRL. Thats the theory anyway. I’ve had a few slip ups, but now if you google my name, or my old name, my blog isn’t a result.

This is in keeping with a new desire to not have incriminating information about me easily found by people that don’t know more than my name (prospective employers for example). Its also because I don’t want people finding out who I am easily using only a google search.

One thing that I have never put on the internet is my phone number. Its there in my facebook account, but they have fairly decent security, and I wanted it there for my friends. Its actually more restricted access there, than if it was in the White Pages.

Now, its well known that I am a queer rights activist. Its not something I hide. I am involved in the CCU, and will probably get involved with Good Process and/or Gender Agenda soonish. All of those organisations have excellent reputations, and so I can be proud to count myself a member of them, if I choose to join.

During a routine google search of my name on Tuesday evening I noticed an odd listing… it was 3rd… right after my Facebook ‘This profile is restricted!’ result, and my employers directory listing for me.

37th Disability Blog Carnival

Over at CripChick’s blog: totally awesome stuff.

Go read it.

Petition and More Contact Details

Forget about my last two posts and just go read about stuff at Mercedes blog.

Pay special attention to the petition and the Yahoo group.