Trans Folk are not Your Fucking Shock Troops: What can Cis People do?

I see pictures of a protest. It can be about just about anyone’s rights, maybe nothing that directly addresses trans rights, and in the street and there are dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people. But what draws my attention isn’t the crowd size. It is who is at the front: more often than not, trans folk will be among the vanguard of the protest. These trans folk know how trans folks are treated by police and the criminal justice system. Yet they are the ones in front. It is time for others to step up for us.

The oppression against transvestites and transsexuals of either sex arises from sexist values and this oppression is manifested by homosexuals and heterosexuals of both sexes, in the form of exploitation, ridicule, harassment, beatings, rapes, murders, use of us as shock troops, sacrificial victims, and others. — Jan. 1, 1971 Detroit Gay Liberator, P. 10
(from the Transgender Archive)

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What is wrong with a few symbols of queer oppression at SF Pride?

This year [2022], at San Francisco Pride, organizers decided that cops can march in the parade, but not in uniform. That has, unsurprisingly, angered some, who point out that gay cops should be able to celebrate pride, accusations of non-inclusivity towards the Pride organizers, and condemnation by politicians who are scared of losing the vote of the people who displaced the queer community.

A crowd of people on a street, none clearly visible, with three rainbow flags in the foreground. — Photo by y y on Unsplash

I’ll start by noting I’m not from SF, and so my opinion is of obvious limited value here. That said, I do know a bit about queer history, and I’m going to use the example of this Pride event to give my take on an issue that, sadly, we must revisit every damn year.

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What Do You Mean It Isn’t About Sex?

A while ago, I mentioned to another trans person, in passing, that I did not medically transition for sexual reasons. As someone who was transitioning in large part to have sex in ways that matched her gender, she was kind of shocked: why would another woman go through all of this, if it wasn’t about sex?

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Throw a Brick for Me — I’m Worth More than a Window

If transphobia kills me, as it kills too many of my trans siblings, I want my friends to write my name on a brick and throw it through a window. I’ll leave it up to them as to which window they throw it through, but suspect it’ll be a political office or church window.

And right now, someone, somewhere, is reading this. And maybe that person is pissed. I’m advocating for the destruction of property.

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The Sad Math of Transgender Hair Removal

I’ve always loved the verifiable, objective truth of math, and how math can help us understand our world. As a teenage girl, I particularly enjoyed statistics and game theory, at least at the level I could understand them (limited by my age!).

But I don’t like what that same math tells me now about transgender hair removal.

I wanted to know how long it would take for my facial hair to be removed. For a variety of reasons, I chose to do electrolysis and not laser, although I think most of this math also applies to laser removal.

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Occasional Travel Required

I‘m preparing to travel for business. As a trans woman, it’s not just flight delays and lost luggage I’ll be thinking about.

Let’s walk through the process of a hypothetical business trip, from the perspective of a US-based business woman (of trans experience) who needs to fly to a meeting. I’ll be your tour guide today, and I’ll point out some of the ways that being a trans woman can add stress to the process. I ask that you play along with me, by putting yourself in the position of a trans woman for this trip.

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