[Blog/Commentary] [USA] How the Election & the SCC 2012 Highlighted the "T" Divide for Me

[Stephanie Stevens]

abitchforjustice, USA


Sunday, September 23, 2012

How the Election & the SCC 2012 Highlighted the "T" Divide for Me

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans


For those of you who don't know, the Southern Comfort Conference (SCC)
is a large group of transgender individuals who hold an annual
conference, that for the last five years has happened in Atlanta, GA.
at one of its premier hotel venues. To my knowledge, they've been in
existence twenty years, and until recent years has been without racial
diversity, composed as they were of "upwardly mobile" Caucasians. To
the great credit of its leadership, SCC has attempted in the last five
years or so to become more inclusive. They have offered 'scholarships'
in a program to cover registration for "first timers" in an effort to
make it possible for lower income transgender individuals to
participate in the events, seminars and workshops offered at its
three-day festivities.

I have become involved with SCC, greatly enjoyed it, and my
organization TILTT, Inc. <http://www.tiltt.org/> (Transgender
Individuals Living Their Truth, Inc.) has for the second year hosted
the event, "Trans Persons Of Color Reception", as an African
American-focused event (though open to the entire SCC populace that
may want to attend and fellowship with us). I have greatly enjoyed the
SCC, and have viewed it as one of the highlights of my year, but this
year the highly controversial and intense election between President
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney served to highlight for me the "T" divide
that even the SCC's concerted attempt at diversity could not hide,
leaving me with mixed feelings this year...


In line with my adamant support of our President (yes, I readily admit
that I am an "Obamatron"), I have become a part of Trans United for
Obama (TU4O) <http://www.transunitedforobama.org/> . As one of its
members 'on the ground' here in Atlanta, I was sent fliers to pass out
to our community, and I decided to take them with me to the SCC; my
thought was that such an event, consisting as it is, of so many
transgender individuals would be the perfect place to distribute
information on an organization (TU4O) showing support for a president
whose administration has shown so much support for transgender
individuals.

At the age of sixty, I've seen presidents come and go, and NEVER has
there been one who publicly showed so much support for transgenders;
even appointing a couple of us to his administration, as well as
having some from the community to the White House. It seemed a
no-brainer that I would take these fliers and the attendees would be
glad to see them, take them and govern themselves accordingly. There
was even a trans speaker at Saturday's luncheon who spoke about "the
advances made by the transgender community in the last four years",
and to my mind at least, I knew she had to be talking about what this
administration had accomplished for us.

So needless to say I was surprised, even shocked to find the reactions
I got to my flier distribution...virtually every African American
transgender person I offered one to, took it (some with the smile &
"Obama in '12" comment). But I found that many of the Caucasians in
attendance would refuse with a shake of the head (one telling me, "I'm
not a fan of Obama's"), or just lay them down and leave them
somewhere. It was during one of my 'smoke breaks' that I witnessed and
heard comments from some Caucasian trans who were discussing a flier
that was lying on a table between us from one of these "lay it down &
leave it" occasions. "I really don't see what difference it's gonna
make," she said, "they're both the same; they're gonna say one thing
and do another after they're elected..." WHAT??! Where have they been
the last four years?? Hadn't they heard what one of their own had just
said at lunch? (Also, I could see they were old enough to have seen at
least three different presidents and their actions with regards to
transgenders.) Then I had to stop and think about who was talking...

They were a couple of crossdressers. It is well known that a goodly
portion of SCC is attended by crossdressers, as opposed to
transsexuals who identify as female (or male, in the case of
transmen); many are married business people who come to the conference
with their understanding spouses. Often the conference is the one time
in a year that they submit to their fantasies and fetishes, while the
rest of the year they live 'undercover', and usually with a "white
male privilege" that wouldn't be conducive to supporting Obama or any
African American.

First of all, even though I personally embrace ALL branches of the
transgender "umbrella", I understood that these were male identified
individuals, so that when they finished their annual "SCC weekend",
they would not need or really be affected by the "transgender
progress" achieved in the last four years of this administration. They
would be living as men; Caucasian men at that, which brings me to
another "T" divide...(particularly with older Caucasian transgenders)
there is still a racial divide in our community. I dislike it, and
struggle against it everywhere I come up against it, but it still
exists; they seem to have brought their attitude of 'privilege' right
with them into their transition, so that it affects how they interact
with transgenders of color. And I suppose it is just this attitude
that would make them, not unlike Log Cabin Republicans, vote against
their own best interests for a man like President Obama who has shown
the transgender community his support.

So I left the Southern Comfort Conference this year with mixed
feelings; I'd enjoyed it a lot (the leadership had even awarded me
with a small 'token' in appreciation of my working with them the last
two years, and TILTT's receptions), but my attempt at distributing the
TU4O fliers left a somewhat sour taste in my mouth.


Posted by Cheryl Courtney-Evans at 10:04 PM


http://abitchforjustice.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-election-scc-2012-highlighted-t.html