h e j i r a . o r g

One transwoman’s view on trans-inclusion at MWMF #

If they don’t want us around, then we need to not be there. From everything I’ve ever heard, seen and read about it, the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival sounds like a lot of fun. I’d love to go. I know of several mtfs who have gone to MWMF and flown “under the radar” all stealth and everything and see that as validation of their transition. But if they don’t want XY chromos or mtf or wbt at their function, then I think that we need to accept and respect that. Period.

Just accept it. No complaining transplaining. Let go of your need for validation. Let go of your programmed sense of entitlement to access women-only spaces. Let go of your ego-pride injury for being excluded. We are not wanted there.

Five days out of the year is all they are asking. Give it a rest already. I am embarrassed that we are even having this discussion. If the event organizer’s decided we were allowed in, then that would be nice. If not, no big deal. Woman born woman’s spaces are important, and I accept that. I have made a very deliberate effort to understand the reasoning for this and I empathize with it.

There is a hell of a lot of social injustice going on in the world right now. I submit that there are far more urgent directions to spend energy on, like say, I don’t know, how about the fact that any woman who wears pants in Sudan can be whipped and or jailed for it. (It was the first random injustice that popped into my head.)

Trans-activism is in itself a privilege. Trans-exclusion in wbw recreational spaces is so not an activist issue to me. Seriously. Let’s get our priorities straightened out. It’s not about us.

The whole idea of Camp Trans lingering (more like stalking) near Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival so they can cry and complain and raise consciousness about the terrible (omg!) exclusion of transsexuals from the fest immediately brings to my mind only one thing:

Unwanted penetration.

Posted on March 13, 2011 by plasticgirl