Sometimes we wonder who the real men are...

Jake T. Snake-

I work with three individuals who identify as transgender. All three began their lives as female and now live their lives as men. I am fortunate to work in a very liberal place, so none of this really ruffles any feathers. The three gentleman in question and the majority of the staff are in their 20s and seem quite at ease with the whole situation. Being in my 40s and not having the level of familiarity with these issues that I thought I should have to prevent me from doing or saying something stupid/offensive I began to read and do a little research. It has been quite interesting, because transgender people throw the whole worldview of gender as an immutable characteristic on its head and this creates some situations that are both amusing and disturbing.

For example, this piece on gender disparity in pay after transitions makes it even clearer that pay differences based on gender are so codified and set systemically that even someone who did the same type of work as a male is paid less as a female and vice versa. It is not that this finding suprises me, but rather that it removes all doubts about what has always gone on that I am flabbergasted. The Chronicle of Philanthropy in its October 2, 2008 issue has an article on the persisting lag in female compensation  among nonprofit executives . One would think that nonprofits would do a better job of monitoring this and combatting it, but we don't. It saddens me, because of all the incredible women I have in my life who suffer due to the sexism that is so invisible and systemic that we don't even see it anymore. As always, I include myself in this indictment and throw the first stone through my own picture window.

The transgender movement in pointing out that gender is not static, but fluid has created some strange enemies for itself. The Trouble When Jane Becomes Jack from the Times elaborates on the rifts that female to male transgender individuals have created in some parts of the lesbian community. Viewers of the popular series the "L" word are advocating the snuffing of a F-M character and the like. This point of view trivializes the thought and anguish that must go into someone deciding to transition to another gender and operates on the assumption that someone would do this simply to escape sexism and/or homophobia. While I am sure that is an added bonus, I believe people's reasons run a little deeper than that and to suggest otherwise is ignorant and insulting. If this were the reason for transitioning it would do nothing to explain why a man would want to transition to being female and yet, many do. I simply do not understand how a woman choosing to become a man, because that is who he has always felt himself to be harms the cause of feminism. Can't these people see that rather than having their ranks thinned they will gain one more ally on the other side of the gender divide. This type of rigid bifurcated thinking always leads to arbitrary rules, exclusion and more oppression. How is the sexism that women perpetrate against transgender women qualitatively different? Does it hurt any less? Does it lead to people feeling more accepted and capable of taking on their daily lives or does it tear them down and steal energy they cannot spare? Perhaps it is time to move onto whatever the next wave of feminism will be, hopefully one where women aren't shitting on other women for their choices.

On the other side of the equation we have the perennial nutjobs at the Michigan Womyns' Music Festival refusing to allow entry to the festival for Men who have transitioned to being women. These are the folks who are so rabidly anti-male that no male animals or children (including breastfeeding infants) are allowed on the land during the festival. It strikes me as odd that any group would not want those who have chosen to struggle to join them as it indicates a high level of commitment. Evidently, the ladies of Michigan want to define what qualifies as a real woman. You would think that they of all people would see the dangerous territory they were treading on there.

As to my coworkers, I am relieved that they have found an accepting supportive place to work. Rates of unemployment among transgender people are in the 80+% range. What gives me hope is that the 20 somethings and younger seem to be able to transcend the categories that tend to lock us older folks into a worldview that doesn't flow and isn't messy like reality. They have taught me a lot and for that I am thankful. They have focused me on the commonalities we share and the ways we can move forward to make the world a better place, say through places like this. Peace.

Comments

[Anne Nonymous]

The one thing that I can't quite ever get comfortable with about the transgender movement is the way it seems to legitimize the notion that gender is and should be an essential component of one's identity. Ideally, I would like us to move towards the perception that gender is more of an accident of birth than anything else, like being tall or short or blond or brunette or black or white, that you can make of what you will and that doesn't really have to be a huge deal if people don't make it a huge deal.

Granted, these things are pretty hard to modify, and can dramatically affect how others treat you, which in turn will tend to shape your view of how the world works and of who your allies and enemies are and so forth. But I worry that the definition of such things as essential components of identity blurs the capacity to recognize that they are mere contingencies of birth, and consequently makes it more difficult for our society to learn to transcend them.

Of course, since I don't see gender as an essential distinction, I think people should have the right to present themselves with the attributes commonly ascribed to either gender, or a mixture of both, or neither, whatever works for them. And I think it's absurdly rigid and cruel to demand that biological women present themselves as "women" and biological men present themselves as "men", whatever those categories happen to mean in their particular society. I just think we need to take this idea of gender-bending one step farther and do away with gender as an important category altogether.

[DrDick]

One of my colleagues came out as transgender and underwent gender reassignment surgery a year and a half ago. She has faced no real problems from the university (which is surprisingly progressive in some ways) is now well accepted in the department as a woman. Our graduate students (who are the ones most likely to be aware of the change) seem completely unphased.

[Jake T. Snake]

Anne Nonymous,

I agree that it would be grand if we were not so beholden to gender categories. I think transgender people are forced into taking this tack to justify their decision. I am hopeful that the younger generations are constructing the next evolution that will take us into more inclusive categories or ideally beyond the bifurcation. My distress lies in that the parts of our society typically in the forefront of social awakening and change seem to be engaging in retrenchment on the issue of transgender people and that is alarming.

Transgender people just change the lens through which we view sexism, homophobia and conceptions of gender. This is all good, but takes time. Cultural evolution is a messy business.

[DrDick]

Jake and Anne -

I think that this is confused by our imprecise application of the label gender here. What they really feel is that they are members of the opposite biological sex, not a different social gender. this is why they feel a need to undergo radical reassigment surgery rather than simply dressing and acting the part.

[Anne Nonymous]

DrDick, I see the distinction you're trying to draw, but I kind of wonder if it's not a distinction without a difference. I guess it's kind of impossible to test this, but I wonder if such extreme feelings of dysphoria would exist in a society without strong gender roles.

As a sort of comparison, I don't think there are very many brunettes who really feel that they're blondes inside and that their dark hair was some kind of biological error. Sure, some people bleach or dye their hair, but there's not anywhere near the same kind of intensity to it, it's just a banal cosmetic choice.

Like I said, I think people ought to have the right to do whatever they they feel is right for their bodies and their lives. And maybe I'm really just not "getting" it. I don't want to denigrate anybody's deep feelings about who they are or anything. I'm just wondering to what degree this particular feeling is caused by the choices imposed on individuals in our warped society as opposed to being something that will exist no matter what.

[DrDick]

Anne -
Can't really say as I have always been comfortable with my identity. I do know that this seems to be a profound kind of issue for them and the identity dysphoria seems to emerge in early childhood (as long as they can remember). I actually teach about gender, but this is one of many areas where we really know very little about the underlying mechanisms.

[Thers]

On this note, say hello to America's first transgender mayor.

[DrDick]

Way cool, Thers! I just emailed the link to my transgender colleague. I think she will get a kick out of it.

[Anne Nonymous]

Congratulations to Silverton, Oregon! The part that's interesting to me is that the article describes the community as rural and somewhat conservative. It's really hopeful that such a community was able to accept this kind of change.

Evidently, the ladies of Michigan want to define what qualifies as a real woman.

Ha ha ha!

I appreciate your openness and your efforts to educate yourself on this topic, but this line suggests that you don't quite get the transgender
thing.

Even if MWMF changed their policies to admit (some) men who (claimed they) identified as women, they would still have to - at some point - distinguish 'real women' from everybody else. Which TG men? Must they have had SA surgery? Must they live as women 7 days a week? How about 5? What if they just show up in drag and promise to be really femme the whole time? And so on and on.

If you're going to have a "women's music festival", then you're going to have an essentially arbitrary method of determining who is a 'woman'. The method that MWMF chose is, at least, objective.

[actor212]

While I can concur with the feelings expressed here and can sympathize with the feelings a TG'd person must feel in this society, I have to make an observation that may not go over well.

Gender roles are inherent in society mostly because society has moved faster than people's individual acceptance has been able to absorb.

It wasn't that long ago, in my lifetime even, that women were forced by nature to remain home raising kids. That required the ability to have them, and thus marked gender and sexuality as indistinguishable.

In my lifetime, thankfully, we've seen the evolution away from such rigid gender roles, but not the total shedding of them. I think this will require another century or so. Once the difference between man and woman becomes accepted as an individual's choice as opposed to societal imposition, then transgendered persons will find a comfortable place in society.

I don't believe there is "nothing that can be done," but I would suggest that there is precious little that can be done, that this will just take time.

[McWyrm]

I don't believe there is "nothing that can be done," but I would suggest that there is precious little that can be done, that this will just take time.

How novel - a forthright argument against working for social change!

Next up: a compelling claim that the plight of the poor is mainly of their own making.

Keep the hits coming!