For all the noisy transphobia in the more macho yet minority sections of society these days, be it populist politicians, extremist media, radical feminists or kids' fantasy writers, I still perceive increasing understanding and tolerance of trans people in more normal, less deranged groups in society. We trans people worry about the haters but I'd like to note here the positive stuff I've read about just this week alone.
Such as the feature length article in my regular science monthly that has an unbiased explanation of our current understanding of the neurobiology of gender identity. Trans people are not mentally ill and being trans is a real and naturally occurring condition for a portion of the population, and always has been in every age and culture. How might this be brought about by biology, by environment, by conditioning, the article asks? The science is in its early days, but biology not social conditioning is the main player and the article debunks fears of detransition or of teen transgenderism as one form of teen rebellion. And this all being the case, how come trans people are still subject to discrimination? The well-balanced article is by Massimo Sandal, a molecular and computational biologist who is cisgender. There is no English translation to link to and I can't put one up myself for copyright reasons but I mention it as I feel his audience will appreciate the properly scientific approach to the subject.
Or Mexico City's new law against "transfemicide" that aims specifically to tackle the killing of trans people, almost always trans women. A much needed step to reduce violent hate crime.
My monthly Italian tourism magazine is recommending a drag queen version of Anton Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard. Chekhov is a great playwright and, well, drag queens like to perform, so it could be a version made in heaven!
I also notice a new book, Altricorpi ("Other bodies") by Paolo Armelli, published by Blackie, about finding love in the queer community in an age when love and its pursuit is both changing and flexible. And not just romantic love but acceptance. It looks like a vast range of contemporary experience is covered, whilst referencing past lives, such as that of Julius Caesar, "the world's most famous bisexual". Well, I did know Caesar had certain bedfellows who were politically useful, although I suspect he'll always be better known for clobbering Gauls and invading Britain. But anyway.
The review of this I have been reading is in the Sunday supplement to my regular newspaper, which has always treated LGBT themes as a normal part of human life.
A bit of positivity helps us along.
Have a good weekend.
Sue x
There's some dispute about the veracity of that wedding video. For instance, see here:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.tapatalk.com/groups/crossdreamlife/is-the-irish-traveller-community-dressing-up-young-t5011.html?
Google doesn't throw up any links if you try a search for similar stories.
It does seem reminiscent of a number of Spanish/Hispanic videos on YouTube of teen boys transformed into a bride for a day.
As they say in the tapatalk link, it does seem like this has been retitled and posted as a crossdress fantasy rather than anything real.
The trans hate crime stats, though, are all too real.
Thanks for that, Susie. Looking into it further, the video I linked to obviously uses footage from a real wedding involving a cis female. So, given the doubt, I've replaced my original text with a different example of something I found positive this week. Yes, there's hostility out there, and increasingly so in the English-speaking cultures of the world, but not in all places and cultures. Sue x
Delete"...being trans is a real and naturally occurring condition for a portion of the population..."
ReplyDeleteTo have to deny who you are and to pretend to be something you're not; well, to use a well known phrase, that way madness lies. Less flippantly, certainly significant mental distress.
Research shows there is significant stress within minority groups, and the LGBTQ+ community follow this pattern. Yet, within that rainbow group, trans people (as in an umbrella term) are statistically more likely to have mental distress/concerns.
It's not being trans that's the issue, IMO: it's not being able to be ourselves that is.
While bigots rarely listen to science - unless it suits their world view - I am hopeful the more enlightened policy makers are.
Exactly, it's having to live always watching your back, always being slightly on edge that wears you out, and feeling OK only when you know you are safe from judgment. The support this week in these articles in the mainstream press make the task of living as a trans person a teeny bit easier. Sue x
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