[Blog/Commentary] [Australia] Is calling 'Tranny' an offensive word Offensive?
Stephanie Stevens
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Is calling 'Tranny' an offensive word Offensive?
No thats not a joke. Or a defence of bigotry.
This is a VERY serious question.
One relating to Cultural Imperialism, to Class, to Transphobia between
subsets of Transgender, to anti-sex-worker hate too.
The calls for Tranny to be considered a dirty word have been
substantial. And they have some clear merit. Most of the time we
encounter the word in the general media it's used as a derogatory
word.
Its often condemned for being a word used with hate. A word used to
un-gender or label third-gender binary identified transsexual women
and women of transsexual history. A word that associates Transsexuals
with the sex industry.
Wait a moment!
I know people who ARE third-Gender people! Intersex people who embrace
being neither male nor female. Cissexual Genderqueer people. Bi-gender
people.
I have been told by one commentor at Bilerico that the term originally
referred to transvestites and so is offensive... wait a moment! I have
friends who self-identify as transvestites! Their not fetishists
either.
The use of the term to incorrectly call a binary-person non-binary is
bad yes.. but being a non-binary person is not! Thats like saying Gay
is an offensive word because some people call things that are bad Gay.
But trans is used substantially in the sex industry... hey! I have
friends who've been in the sex industry! It's legal to be a sex worker
in Australia. Those are real people with real feellings facing real
prejudice and thats not ok either. To say all Transgender people are
sex workers is wrong but to oppress and villify sex workers is also
very very wrong.
Let me return to the term Transvestite. This is a bad word, connected
to sex and the assumption that it is nothing more than a sexual fetish
so the polite term is crossdresser right? No! As in the U.K. for
example this is not such a demonised term. They both translate as the
same thing anyway.. and for many the reason to reject Transvestite is
the Trans bit. The association with Transsexual! There has been plenty
of transphobic hate bettween transsexuals and crossdressers, between
binary transsexuals and non binary transsexuals, between crossdressers
who dont live full-time or modify their bodies and those who do either
or both. And in some places and communities it's the word Crossdresser
thats the dirty word connected with sexual fetish rather than internal
gender identity.
And when i'm told Tranny is offensive because it started out as a
shorthand for transvestite well that itself is offensive because there
is nothing wrong with being a transvestite! Being mislabeled is wrong
but objecting to a term for someone elses valid identity being used at
all is also wrong. It'd be like a straight person sick of being called
Gay wanting the word Gay banned as offensive. (And i'm sooo sick of a
few het crossdressers whining about people thinking they are Gay and
so making homophobic remarks!)
And it's not just some countries where the language use differs.
Different places in a country, different social groups, different
classes all may vary between which is the good term and which the bad.
And often hatred of another part of S&GD people is part of the
motivation.
And the bias against things sexual is often part of this. I've had
Transsexuals tell me that Crossdressers are to blame for social
stigma. I've had Crossdressers tell me that it's unconventional
dressers that are at fault for dressing too sexy. I've seen non-binary
Transsexuals blamed. Goth Crossdressers blamed. Drag blamed.
Genderqueers blamed. Cos-players blamed. What a load of bovine manure.
And of course the sex industry gets blamed. Now of course there is
massive exploitation issues in much of that industry. But there is
also a large trans-attracted population in the world who are closetted
too. They too are often derided for finding people attractive? Yes.
And yes there are problems amongst many who are trans-attracted but
then thats hardly surprising for a deeply clossetted population now
isn't that? Sex workers are people. The people who visit sex workers
are people. With feellings, desires, aspirations and fears. While it
is a shamefull thing to find Trans attractive people will slink off in
secret to purchase trans-erotica and to visit trans sex workers. Sex
workers who are from under more than one part of the Sex and Gender
Diverse umbrella.
Yes the constant assumption that Trans is all about having sex must be
stopped but the villification of Trans sex workers and Trans-attracted
people must also be stopped.
And the Internet is International. Not only that but American media in
particular is spread worldwide filling TV and Cable and DVD stores
worldwide. And so these cross-country language issues have serious
consequences worldwide.
I have had a friend since my teens who is a transsexual. She always
uses the term Tranny. She rarely ever says Transexual or Transgender.
Thats been the case the whole time I've known her. And she's not the
only Australian Transsexual that uses the term.
If a term is someones identity, like Tranny and like Gay then
attacking the term itself as offensive is oppressing the people who
validly have claim over the term. That doesn't mean the misuse of the
term cannot or should not be condemned and decried. Of course they
should be. Demanding the term only be used for those with a valid
claim to it? In a non-offensive manner? Absolutely. But it's not ok to
attack the term itself. Especially in ways that support the idea that
being non-binary gender, being third sex, being a sex-worker, being
gay, being transsexual, being a transvestite etc are themslves bad or
wrong. That merely contributes to the oppression of those people.
That people, is clearly Transphobic.
Posted by Battybattybats at 1:17 AM
Labels: non-binary transphobia, tranny, transphobia, villification
http://caveofrationality.blogspot.com/2010/03/is-calling-tranny-offensive-word.html