In a male-centered gender hierarchy, where it is assumed that men are better than women and that masculinity is superior to femininity, there is no greater perceived threat than the existence of trans women, who despite being born male and inheriting male privilege “choose” to be female instead. By embracing our own femaleness and femininity, we, in a sense, cast a shadow of doubt over the supposed supremacy of maleness and masculinity.
~ Julia Serano
I recently put together this list of resources for a discussion with people wanting to know more about the struggles that I, and more broadly the trans community, are dealing with at the moment. The intention of this list and post is to provide a starting point for those desiring to dig more into how they can support the trans people in their lives. It is also important to highlight that Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera were at the forefront of the LGBTQ rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s with the former being credited as the person who started the rebellion at Stonewall in June 1969. Both were trans women of color—a group which experiences disproportionately high levels of discrimination and violence.
A few disclaimers and points of perspective:
- This list is by no means exhaustive. My intention is to provide details on overall themes as well as some resources for people to look into further.
- Along those lines, I acknowledge that this list is informed by my experiences as a privileged trans woman. Many of the items are general, and I have specifically called out some resources which speak to trans masculine and non-binary experiences. Many thanks as well to the individuals who reviewed earlier iterations of this document, provided feedback, and have recommended some of items below to me. I appreciate our friendship and open discussion. 💜
- Several portions of this post will be uncomfortable and political. I would love for my existence to not be politically sensationalized, but that is unfortunately not the world I live in. I have elected not to dilute some of the really uncomfortable sections to make this more palpable.
- I’ve shared more about my own perspectives of increasing queer solidarity through consciously choosing to be visible. This is a personal decision of each individual. My overall openness should not be construed or applied to trans folx as a whole.
How to Take Action
Support the trans people in your life
- Check in on them—we are often not ok.
- See if there are ways you can support them.
- Do your research and don’t expect them to be your trans google. There is a lot of emotional labor associated with that.
- Every trans person has different levels of how open they are with varying aspects of their transition. Err on the side of caution, and definitely don’t ask invasive questions.
- Absolutely DO NOT ask them about anything to do with surgeries. Would you ask a cisgender person if they were planning to have a surgery?
- This is incredibly invasive and personal. It is reductive to our existence and adds to the sensationalism of our existence.
- If a trans person has initiated or shared information about surgery (either past or present), it may be ok to discuss but again approach with caution and don’t pry.
Be aware of the issues trans people are experiencing
- Acknowledge the points of intersectionality. Engage in that process.
- Things for introspection:
- How do attacks on trans women impact women as a whole?
- What are the threats to women’s safety, equity, etc?
- How do various narratives and logic work out when acknowledging the existence of trans men? Of non-binary people? Of intersex people?
- Who benefits and drives many of the conversations around defining womanhood? How does that interplay with oppositional sexism, traditional sexism, and misogyny?
- How does the erosion of civil rights for a smaller group of individuals influence future attacks on other marginalized groups?
- Audre Lorde said, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. And I am not free as long as one person of Color remains chained.” How does that inform your perspective of intersectionality?
- Shoulder the emotional labor by increasing the overall awareness and urgent need of the trans community with cisgender circles.
Advocate
- Show up to local sessions attacking the trans community
- Local and state politics are driving much of the worst levels of legislation. It’s also where individuals have greater agency.
- Talk to your federal representatives
- (202) 224-3121 US Government Dashboard to connect you with representatives’ offices
- Call and talk with the representative’s staff to share concerns and impacts you see on current legislation.
- Call out representatives who are not getting involved or speaking up about what is happening
- Discuss issues you see stemming from actions at the federal, state, and local levels.
- Include intersectional reflection that you have engaged in and why these concerns transcend the trans community
Donate to Services supporting the trans community
- Look for local resources seeking funding
- Lambda Legal: fights legal cases specifically involving the LGBTQIA+ community
- Trans Lifeline: a crisis call center for trans adults staffed by other trans people and divested from the police.
- The Trevor Project: a crisis call center and suicide prevention resource for LGBTQIA+ youth
Personal Experiences
- Nevertheless They Persisted: A spoken word piece by Skyler Lemay about her experiences navigating the current state of transphobia
- Chaos and Beauty Through Dissolution: A short summary of how transformational engaging in identity work has been. Written by Skyler Lemay
- The Euphoria of Elliot Page: An Esquire article with Elliot on his transition and how The Umbrella Academy producers supported his transition. His memoir Pageboy is also fantastic.
- I Was Socialized Trans: An excellent piece on how the author was not socialized male, and the trauma of not acknowledging trans youth identities
Studies
- Netherlands study of adolescents who receive gender affirming care: 98% continued treatment into adulthood.
- 5% of young adults say their gender is different from assigned at birth: A research poll with statistics of people who are transgender across age ranges, people who say they know a transgender person, and more.
- Shades of Gray: Sex, Gender, and Fairness in Sport: A massive, detailed, and nuanced perspective about fairness in sport, pulling together different research studies, historical inequities, how gender testing in the Olympics harmed women, and more.
News
- Anti-Trans National Risk Assessment map: A resource compiled by journalist Erin Reed, capturing the risks associated in various states based on state and federal laws.
- Erin in the Morning: Erin’s overall reporting on trans issues
- A recent UK Supreme Court ruling decided that trans women are not women, while not providing any options of which facilities they can safely use given binary gendered options.
- JK Rowling just showed why supporting “Harry Potter” is harmful to trans people: How JK Rowling continues to use support for Harry Potter to fuel anti-trans rhetoric and large donations to harm trans individuals.
- She has also recently been targeting the asexual community.
General
- Genderdysphoria FYI: A compendium of information and resources about different facets of gender dysphoria, the history of it, how hormones work, overviews of androgenic and estrogenic second puberties, and more.
- History of the Institute for Sexual Science: Founded by Magnus Hirschfield in 1919. It was destroyed by the Nazis in the 1930s who burned its books and documents in the streets as part of their censorship program.
- Geneva Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
- CPAC 2023: Michael Knowles stated “for the good of society … transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely”. HRC reference
Books
- Gender Euphoria: Stories of joy from trans, non-binary and intersex writers by Laura Kate Dale
- Pageboy by Elliot Page
- Whipping Girl by Julia Serano: more specific to trans feminine experience and transmisogyny
- Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H: a memoir including the intersectional identities of being queer and Muslim
- Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde