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   goatsarah (goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 12:32:36 JST goatsarah

   I want to talk about something I just saw on Reddit. It was regarding the US election, and it was a Democrat saying something to the effect of how he can agree with “the other side” on one thing.

   No prizes for guessing: it’s trans women. Specifically, he regards the idea that we can participate in society in any meaningful way (you know, like being able to use toilets in restaurants and stuff) as “insane”.

   And of course, he got to talking about “penises” straight away, which tells us a lot about how people like him see us, because I don’t know about you, but when I think about women, “penis”. Is not my go-to. Hell, when I think about ANYBODY, I don’t tend to think about sex organs. Only really comes up in a sexual context.

   Not only do these people not see us as women. They don’t see us as PEOPLE. To a considerable number of cis people, we are “some sort of weird sex thing”. That’s it. That’s the bit of their brain we occupy.

   People have hopes and dreams and lives and people they love and who love them, and need to use toilets occasionally. Weird sex things don’t do any of that.

   So of course the Democrats treating us as human is “weird” to them.

   And he was massively up-voted, and congratulated about “finding common ground with political opponents”, and the comments saying, “what the hell? These are humans you’re talking about!” were all a long way down, and not popular.

   This is how cis people see us. Not all of them, but a lot of them. An awful lot. Of the ones who don’t, a lot of them will only support us as long as it doesn’t require any personal awkwardness.

   Anyway, my point here is not to wallow, but to present the context in which we fight for equality, because I think it’s clear that these people will never grant it to us voluntarily.

   Not only are there no consequences for them to treat us like shit; they are CONGRATULATED for it.

   And they will only stop if they are MADE to.

   That’s the context in which our struggle operates.

   • Embed this notice
     goatsarah (goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 12:58:19 JST goatsarah

     in reply to

     • Zach Nation
     @reverius42 plenty of them see cis women primarily as sex objects, mainly for that reason. It’s ironic that we are simultaneously seen as “even more sex object” and “even less woman” by the same people.
   • Embed this notice
     Zach Nation (reverius42@mastodon.social)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 12:58:20 JST Zach Nation

     in reply to

     @goatsarah I wonder to what extent this dehumanization comes from many cis men having exposure to trans people (that they know of) exclusively in pornography they consume.

   • Embed this notice
     schtschur 🍉 2 by 2 and back again (rad@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 19:30:53 JST schtschur 🍉 2 by 2 and back again

     in reply to

     @goatsarah

     Transphobe and homophobe's obsession with sexual organs will probably never cease to amaze me, but then, perhaps it's telling.

     What you're saying is right, however. For what it's worth, it's a great, informative post.

     goatsarah likes this.
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     Yamainu 🏳️‍🌈 (yamainu@ohai.social)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 21:04:05 JST Yamainu 🏳️‍🌈

     in reply to

     @goatsarah Honestly I don’t want to be around any of these reductionist fuckers obsessed with genitalia as defining personhood. Anyone who can’t keep their mind out of my pants I consider creepy and a potential danger.

     goatsarah likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     goatsarah (goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 21:04:46 JST goatsarah

     in reply to

     • Yamainu 🏳️‍🌈
     @yamainu Preach
   • Embed this notice
     goatsarah (goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 21:05:37 JST goatsarah

     in reply to

     • Looking for explanations…
     @Susan60 I think you're right, but I also think that a lot of people gloss over how a lot of the activism that started to shift those perceptions wasn't always "polite".
   • Embed this notice
     Looking for explanations… (susan60@aus.social)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 21:05:38 JST Looking for explanations…

     in reply to

     @goatsarah

     I think it was similar with gay people a generation or so ago. Some straight people couldn’t look at a gay person without thinking about what they might get up to in the bedroom, or wherever. When I look at a person, I don’t immediately wonder what they do or don’t do in the bedroom & with whom.

     I think this says a lot more about their personal insecurities about sex & gender than anything else, unless they’re just jumping on the bandwagon for political gain.

   • Embed this notice
     goatsarah (goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 23:30:05 JST goatsarah

     in reply to

     • Looking for explanations…
     @Susan60 Some of it was definitely confrontational. Look into what Peter Tatchell got up to.
   • Embed this notice
     Looking for explanations… (susan60@aus.social)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Nov-2024 23:30:06 JST Looking for explanations…

     in reply to

     @goatsarah

     I’m not sure I get you, unless you’re saying that some of the activism was pretty blatant & confrontational? Sometimes that is necessary, although it can also be counter-productive. There’s never just one “right” way to bring about change.