A commentary on “A Feminist Guide to all things Trans” - Part II

A commentary on “A Feminist Guide to all things Trans” - Part II of III

By Sherrie D. Larch

This is my commentary on “A Feminist Guide to all things Trans” an article on The Dirt Blog by the blogger called Dirt or dirtywhiteboi67. Dirt writes about her Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERF) pseudo-scientific and pseudo-feminist theories on transgenderism and feminism. These views have nothing to do with true scientific facts on gender identity, transgenderism, or true feminism. Dirt’s blog The Dirt from Dirt, additional blogs, and YouTube channel spread transphobia against transgender men and women and hatred towards all cisgender men, she especially targets young transgender men outing them and humiliating them online.

 Dirt’s blog entry on Monday, August 19, 2013 “A Feminist Guide to all things Trans” (http://www.donotlink.com/hz1) has many false statements that are either total lies or misreprentations. Dirt ignores scientific facts, medical and psychiatric terminology, and plain human decency.  It is full of transphobia, internalized homophobia, and hatred of all people that are male or masculine in nature. Let us analyze Dirt’s statements (direct quotes).

So let us continue

21. Dirt states: Gender Identity/Gender Roles are socially constructed via patriarchy, NOT organically created in the womb.

Fact: There have been studies that have shown that there are strong similarities between parts of the brains of transgender men and cisgender men and transgender women and cisgender women. Yes, gender identity does have a societal influence to; it is a combination of nature and nurture. But still a valid part of a human being’s total identity that is important to them.

22. Dirt states: Just as homosexuality was removed from the DSM in 197, Gender Identity Disorder was slipped in.

Fact: This is another statement that makes no sense.

23. Dirt states: The Trans Politic was created by straight white males-female fetishizers-using politics to further their pornographic urgers, not so dissimilar to NAMBLA's political pedophilia via the Gay and Lesbian platform. 

Fact: This is a homophobic and transphobic statement. Pedophilia has nothing to do with transgenderism or homosexuality. So this point really makes no sense at all. Dirt says she is a butch lesbian but she is throwing the whole LGBTQI community under the bus, saying that NAMBLA's political pedophilia agenda is via the Gay and Lesbian platform. Really?  This is pure TERF putting gay men and women in with pedophiles for a transphobic agenda. Makes no sense and plays into the hands of the religious right, which these TERFs seem to want to support. I personally think this is a strange alliance.

 24. Dirt states: Transition DOES NOT and CANNOT EVER change a person's sex.

Fact: Most transgender people know their biological sex was different than their gender   identity. So they know that sex reassignment hormones and surgeries do not change chromosomes, but allows them to transition to a better fit with their true gender identity.    

25. Dirt states: Transition is purely a cosmetic and legal "sex change".

Fact: Transition allows for a transgender man or women to be their true self in public and private and legally where transitioning is recognized.  

26. Dirt states: Gay males who transition do so out of internalized homophobia, usually within a hyper masculine minority culture amid the larger white culture.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. Gay cisgender men identify as male, transgender women identify as female. This is again the “I Hate Men Trope” that is prevalent in TERFism.

27. Dirt states: Since gay white male popularity and large media visibility, gay white male transitions have drastically decreased to near nonexistence.

Fact:  Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. Gay cisgender men identify as male, transgender women identify as female. So true gay cisgender men were not transitioning in the first place, it was transgender women. This is again the “I Hate Men Trope” that is prevalent in TERFism.

28. Dirt states: In quantity, lesbian transition was largely unheard of until the backlash against feminism rode its Trojan horse-Queer Theory-into academia and then the Lesbian community.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. Cisgender women that are lesbians do not transition.

29. Dirt states: A huge phase of feminist backlash is hyper-femininity.

Fact: In the beginning the feminist movement did not like lesbians to be members (especially butch lesbians) because they thought feminism should show that women did not have to lose their femininity for equal rights with men.  

30. Dirt states: Not until hyper-femininity began reaching new undreamed of heights did dykes begin transitioning in numbers.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. So cisgender lesbian are not transitioning, this would be transgender men that identify as male.

31. Dirt states: As hyper femininity began being hammered upon younger and younger women/girls, Trans Trending among lesbian youth took off.

Fact: Cisgender women/girls (straight, gay or bi) and transgender men all have dealt with the cultural need to be feminine. But only transgender men transition because gender identity is separate from sexual orientation.

32. Dirt states: Transitioning children has been rare due to the lack of legal medical grounds to do so.

Fact: Most parents and doctors wait until they know for sure if the child is really transgender, if so they may put the child on puberty blockers and then later when the child is older they decide what they want done. No one is forcing a child to transition.

33. Dirt states: Since the recent publication of the DSM5 which includes transitioning children, the trans kid phenomena has skyrocketed.

Fact: There have always been transgender people; they are more visible today because society and medicine have finally acknowledged they exist. 

34. Dirt states: Trans kids are considered children who do not sport the Gender Straight Jacket.

Fact: Not everyone that does not fit gender stereotypes are considered transgender, this is a fallacy.

35. Dirt states: Trans kids if left alone will grow up in most cases to be healthy gay and lesbian adults.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. Though, being a masculine cisgender girl or a feminine cisgender boy carries their own problems in a society that expect girls and boys to act a certain way.

36. Dirt states: Homophobic parents are transitioning their children rather than have a gay son or lesbian daughter.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. A transgender man or woman may identify as gay. So I do not get Dirt’s point here.

37. Dirt states: Transitioning children IS an overt attempt to eradicate gays and lesbians in their youth.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. There is NO eradication of gays and lesbians. This is TERF propaganda.

38. Dirt states: Transition is the ONLY treatment for modern MENTAL illness that barbarically removes or rearranges healthy body parts for its cure.

Fact: Not every transgender person goes through transition. Transgenderism is no longer considered a mental illness. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/12/dsm_revision_and_sexual_identity_gender_identity_disorder_replaced_by_gender.html    

39. Dirt states: hormone blockers used to "treat" GI-gender in-congruence in children are dangerous and life threatening.

Fact: Any medication can have both negative and positive effects. Education and medical monitoring is the best way to deal with medication, whether its heart medication or hormone treatment. Hormone blockers helps a child avoid puberty and its unwanted changes and it will also help later transition, if the child decides to transition fully when they are older.

40. Dirt states: The GID/GI diagnoses requires the patient be suffering from dysphoria (severe uncomfortableness with the body or how the body is viewed by society).

Fact: “The presence of clinically significant distress or impairment is no longer required for the diagnosis of GID/GI but is proposed to be evaluated "separately and independently" (APA, 2010c, Rationale section, ¶ 9)” Archives of Sexual Behavior (2010) 39: 1253-1260 By Anne A. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D. http://www.annelawrence.com/gid_in_dsm-5.html

41. Dirt states: Female fetishizers who make up most transitions NEVER suffer from dysphoria.

Fact: Cross-dressers do not transition because they are not transgender women.

42. Dirt states: ALL females suffer from varying degrees of dysphoria.

Fact: This is a generalization, without factual evidence, like most of what Dirt states. TERFs will try to make cisgender women sound weak in body and mind, if it fits their agenda. 

43. Dirt states: Yet lesbians remain the prime females receiving transition as a cure for their dysphoria.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation.

44. Dirt states: Children do not suffer from dysphoria, yet those suspected of being gay or lesbian are being labeled trans and transitioned.

Fact: Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation.

45. Dirt states: Transition has NEVER cured anyone of their dysphoria.

Fact: It does but probably not for everyone, because everyone is an individual and may have other issues with their body image that has nothing to do with transgenderism. Though, there are there is empirical evidence that thousands are cured annually of their dysphoria. This evidence proves that dysphoria can be relieve by treatment.  

46. Dirt states: Dysphoria relief from transition is temporary.

Fact: Some individuals may still have dysphoria, especially if they had other issues with their bodies that had nothing to do with their gender identity.

47. Dirt states: Dysphoria increases over time post transition.

Fact: This is another generalized statement.

48. Dirt states: Outside of transition, no therapy has been used to ease dysphoria or attempt to cure it.

Fact: Yes, there has been.

49. Dirt states: Transition drugs have no serious long term studies and have caused cancer and other complications in trans persons.

Fact: Yes, there have been studies and all hormone replacement has the risk of cancer grow, even replacement hormones for cisgender men and women. But those who are transitioning to male to female have LESS cancer risk with the transitioning drugs- less likely to have prostate cancer, or breast cancers. But it is always wise educate yourself about any medical treatment.

50. Dirt states: Once the trans person passes as the opposite sex, there is a perpetual mental fear and stress of being found out.

Fact: Another generalized statement. This statement has a complete lack of evidence and is being used to degrade transgender men and women. I know activist  Allison Woolbert is an out and proud transgender woman and there are thousands of transgender men and women like her that advocate for transgender rights and the LGBTQI community as a whole. Allison Woobert states: “The fear is not being found out, the fear is that every 38 hours as of this writing, a trasnsphobic person murders us in brutal ways. Every day, we are violently assaulted by transphobic people. We aren't afraid of being found out- we are afraid of being  violently attacked by people who viscerally hate us just like the TERFs”

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You can read more here about Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism: What Exactly Is It, And Why Does It Hurt?