http://dyneslines.blogspot.com/2009/12/ordeal-of-ronald-gold.html
On censorship of a gay man questioning the trans movement, interpretation and not kowtowing to their party line on Bilerico.
And my response:
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
There is no 'T' in Lesbian
THIS is a fantastic article for us, well researched, addressing MANY of the issues us Lesbians are going through now, and in relation to trans movement cooptation of our issues and needs, while silencing Lesbians.
http://liberationcollective.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/there-is-no-t-in-lesbian/
http://liberationcollective.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/there-is-no-t-in-lesbian/
My personal Vision of Goddess and WHY I stay on this Path as a DykeAmazon Warrior/Witch/Priestess/Goddess Worshipper with every fiber of my DykeAmazon Being
Wonderful article that inspired me to write the piece below about my dream, which has stayed my Vision...and WHY we MUST continue the work ahead.
"There is a rage, a fearlessness.
Men must realize, on some level, that they are creating their own opposition, that they are raising an army of Amazons that will come back for what’s ours."-When Women Were Warriors
http://wwomenwwarriors.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/she-is-a-counter-patriarchy-machine/
MasterAmazon-I had a dream and vision about this in the '80's, the most radical time of the Feminist/Lesbian and Womyn's Spirituality movements. I don't talk often of it, but your words here, in this article speak to that. When womyn FINALLY wake up, and realize the Warriors they are, the Witches, the Shamans, the Powerful spiritual, psychic and physical beings we can be, especially TOGETHER in Sisterhood, and gathering together, like Michfest, and other womyn's Festivals and Circles, and the MAGIC we can do to STOP the patriarchy combining our gynergy together, it is absolutely paradigm shifting and life changing. We need to ripple that out into EVERY aspect of our lives and never stop connecting with one another, affirming one another in our mutual Powers and strengths COLLECTIVELY.
That dream consisted of being taken above the Planet by Goddess and witnessing the holes in the world, where poverty and violence were occurring the worst, Africa, somewhere's near Europe, several holes that could ONLY be filled by bringing back Female Power and Female Energy, by Goddess, by womyn in their Power doing the Rebalancing, Before our lovely Planet Mother Earth is destroyed for good by these pricks!
It was an immensely POWERFUL dream, one of those Life Changing dreams, and it explained to me WHY I'm doing the work I'm doing(no not for pay) WHY I continue to circle with womyn, why I continue to be a DykeAmazon, why I continue to share Amazon mysteries, and circle with womyn, and believe so strongly about rebalancing with our Female energies, and connection with Goddess. Why every womon alive needs to shed the shame, the veils, the chains and every other attachment to male power that binds her, including male dominated religion which owns her heart, her soul and her body, keeping her chained to men and male rule on the most intimate levels. And so much more, why we are ALL doing the work we are doing! Goddess Awaken, Goddess Arise in the Hearts of ALL WOMYN, and ALL WOMYN RISE NOW!!!!
-In Sisterhood,
-M.Amazon
"There is a rage, a fearlessness.
Men must realize, on some level, that they are creating their own opposition, that they are raising an army of Amazons that will come back for what’s ours."-When Women Were Warriors
http://wwomenwwarriors.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/she-is-a-counter-patriarchy-machine/
MasterAmazon-I had a dream and vision about this in the '80's, the most radical time of the Feminist/Lesbian and Womyn's Spirituality movements. I don't talk often of it, but your words here, in this article speak to that. When womyn FINALLY wake up, and realize the Warriors they are, the Witches, the Shamans, the Powerful spiritual, psychic and physical beings we can be, especially TOGETHER in Sisterhood, and gathering together, like Michfest, and other womyn's Festivals and Circles, and the MAGIC we can do to STOP the patriarchy combining our gynergy together, it is absolutely paradigm shifting and life changing. We need to ripple that out into EVERY aspect of our lives and never stop connecting with one another, affirming one another in our mutual Powers and strengths COLLECTIVELY.
That dream consisted of being taken above the Planet by Goddess and witnessing the holes in the world, where poverty and violence were occurring the worst, Africa, somewhere's near Europe, several holes that could ONLY be filled by bringing back Female Power and Female Energy, by Goddess, by womyn in their Power doing the Rebalancing, Before our lovely Planet Mother Earth is destroyed for good by these pricks!
It was an immensely POWERFUL dream, one of those Life Changing dreams, and it explained to me WHY I'm doing the work I'm doing(no not for pay) WHY I continue to circle with womyn, why I continue to be a DykeAmazon, why I continue to share Amazon mysteries, and circle with womyn, and believe so strongly about rebalancing with our Female energies, and connection with Goddess. Why every womon alive needs to shed the shame, the veils, the chains and every other attachment to male power that binds her, including male dominated religion which owns her heart, her soul and her body, keeping her chained to men and male rule on the most intimate levels. And so much more, why we are ALL doing the work we are doing! Goddess Awaken, Goddess Arise in the Hearts of ALL WOMYN, and ALL WOMYN RISE NOW!!!!
-In Sisterhood,
-M.Amazon
Monday, August 19, 2013
"Forbidden Discourse: The Silencing of Feminist Criticism of 'Gender' "
Another very important article on silencing feminists from discussing 'gender' issues and how females are discriminated against around sex by males, and that it takes away from females organizing together against this struggle for the smokescreen of 'gender', 'gender rights' and'gender studies' by bio males who decide to transition(MTF's) especially. And that as they fight for 'gender rights' it is nonfeminist for many of us considering they are upholding the same old tired gender roles that some are transitioning into or away from....-M.A.
http://www.pandagon.net/2013/08/forbidden-discourse-the-silencing-of-feminist-criticism-of-gender/
http://www.pandagon.net/2013/08/forbidden-discourse-the-silencing-of-feminist-criticism-of-gender/
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
'Socialized trans' It's about young Butches being pressured to identify as Trans, genderqueer, FTM from all the peer pressure in queer society, especially the trans movement, but also from the straight world
Felt this is an important article, so am including the website address for you to put on your webbrowser.
http://crashchaoscats.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/socialized-trans/
Here's the whole article below, with her permission and all. Also some good commentaries in response.
One way to describe part of my experience is to say that I was socialized “trans”. That is, people assumed I was trans and treated me how they thought a trans person ought to be treated regardless of how I identified myself at the time. This treatment over time began to effect how I saw myself, helped to instill a trans male identity and encouraged me to transition. I think this is a phenomena that effects many females who are butch, “masculine” or otherwise don’t fit conventional “femininity”.
When I say that females are socialized “trans”, I mean that they’re treated as though their qualities, behaviors, mannerisms, appearances, and so forth are taken as indicators that they’re trans and so they get male pronouns, get asked when they’re going to transition, complimented on how well they pass, etc.
In my own circumstances, I would say being socialized “trans” included finding that my choice of name, clothing, physical features, interests, mannerisms and overall qualities were judged male by many people. These people decided that these qualities meant I was a boy with a female body rather than a girl with characteristics usually associated with boys and so it was therefore appropriate to use male pronouns without consulting me about my preferences. People used male pronouns to refer to me not only because they thought I preferred them but also because they seemed more comfortable using them to describe me. I was also told what a cute boy I made many times. On my own, I was considering that I could be trans but having many other people label me as such certainly reinforced that possibility and made it seem more likely.
Crucially, this socialization also consisted of a lot of positive reinforcement. That is, when people decided I was trans and treated me accordingly they were often at the same time trying to show respect or be friendly. I didn’t receive the same sort of treatment as a butch dyke. When people “accepted” me as a trans dude they also integrated me into their social scene. People listened to me when I talked about being trans, gave me an opportunity to hold forth on my life. There’s this dynamic that can arise between trans people and trans allies where trans people get support and attention from allies and allies gain political/socially progressive cred for being friendly and cool with someone society thinks is a freak. Such a relationship typically contains some degree of objectification of the trans person, ranging from being slightly tinted by it to being totally pervaded.
I don’t believe my experience of being socialized “trans” is totally unique. I think there are different degrees of it and it effects people differently. Some people just get annoyed when they’re presumed trans because they don’t see themselves that way. Other people can start to internalize it. This does not make the latter group weak, only human. People are very social creatures, very open to the influence of others. If you keep encountering people who make the same judgments about you over and over again, you may very well begin to think there’s some truth to them. Much of our sense of self is influenced and reinforced by other’s perceptions.
This “trans” socialization consists of several components. One is deciding that certain actions, appearances, practices etc are signs that a person is trans/male rather than a woman, female, and/or butch. This is based off the assumptions that any perceived “masculinity” is maleness and that stepping outside the female role and temperament makes one not a female. This belief that being/acting a certain way puts one outside “woman” or “female” can be an unconscious policing of the female category, a way to ensure that its boundaries are maintained. These judgments and assumptions are also linked to the belief that “man are like this, women are like that” and that these differences are fixed and innate and due to biology, not culture. Therefore if a female is “like a male” then they must be biologically male in some sense because biology is what makes someone “like a male” or “like a female”. There is constant propaganda that women and men are different and that these differences are rooted in the body and there’s not too much out there challenging these beliefs with the same force of those promoting them.
Another part is treating the presumed trans man’s behavior and self expression as more acceptable because they’re trans/male. This “masculinity” or whatever isn’t supposed to be present in a female body but being trans explains and makes it acceptable. What was unsightly, confusing or unnatural before is now something this person can feel entitled to. Males are still generally treated better than females and male “masculinity” is certainly better respected than female “masculinity”. I’ve found that people will treat me more like a human when I’m seen as a “normal” male instead of a female genderfreak. When I pass I don’t get stared at, people don’t get confused or disturbed and not know how to handle me and I don’t need to be as anxious about people fucking with me. Being seen as male can grant females more freedom to express themselves, ease some social burdens. We should not be surprised to find some females taking on trans male identities because of this.
Coming to see oneself as male can make regularly passing as such a more pleasant experience. If a female passes as a man and decides that they are one then every time they pass they’re being affirmed as what they are. If she passes as male but sees herself as a female/woman, then what she is is being rendered invisible and the message is conveyed that women like her are socially unthinkable. This culture doesn’t want to admit that women with “male traits” exist because it doesn’t want them to exist.
The many social benefits conferred on a female passing as male can lead them to take the maleness people read in them and make it a part of their own understanding of self. When people who know this person is female-bodied also read them as male, trans male in this instance, this reinforces the idea that because their actions, looks and so forth can pass for male, then they are male and this maleness is desirable. The outside world tells them that they pass for male, their close associates tell them their behavior makes them trans male and nowhere is femaleness being reinforced. Instead they’re being told again and again that they’re not female and will often find little to no representations of females who resemble them. In fact they might hear, as I did, about a lot of females who used to identify as dykes and/or butch but now identify as trans and maybe transitioned. In my own case, many of the females I did come across were not like me or what I wanted to be and many of the female-bodied folk who were like me were trans-identified or became so.
In this society at this particular moment, many women/females who don’t fit into conventional “femininity” are going to spend some time seeing themselves as trans/male or genderqueer before accepting themselves as women/females. A young female today who’s “masculine” enough to pass as male is likely to be presumed trans or genderqueer at some point because trans and genderqueer are becoming popular models for explaining why some people don’t match the prescribed qualities of their sex. A lot of unconventional females who’ve run up against the limitations of the female role in this society often spend some time dissociating from being female before they’re able to accept being so. Being socialized “trans” can extend this dissociation and encourage it. It can inhibit self-acceptance and feed self-hatred. In this context, taking hormones and getting surgery can be self-destructive.
Being trans can be a phase. We need social space to accommodate females who go through this phase and help them come out the other side because often, for this population at least, being trans is about self-hatred, internalized misogyny and/or homophobia and facing and working through that bullshit sucks. Realizing that you created an identity to fit into society because you learned that what you are is unacceptable can be really painful, overwhelmingly so, and there is virtually no resources for people going through this.
Radical feminists are some of the only people who acknowledge and provide support on issues like internalized sexism leading a person to transition. I don’t agree with everything they say, in fact I disagree with most of them pretty frequently, but I end up going to Rad Fem sites a lot because they are some of the only people talking about issues that have deeply effected me and I find radical feminist perspectives on gender pretty compelling after my own struggles with it. And people wonder why so many ex-FtMs end up radical feminists. Could it be that sometimes they have a point and they’re the only ones willing to say it? Plenty of people will say similar shit privately but not openly because they’re afraid of how they’ll be judged. The trans community contributes to a backlash against it when it fails to acknowledge that there are problems, that not every person who comes out as trans or transitioning is really finding themselves.
While some trans people go to great lengths to show that they’re transitioning to make peace with their bodies, not to fit into gender roles and stereotypes, many other trans people and much of the more widespread conceptions of transsexuality are bound up with traditional ideas of gender. There is a reactionary current within the web of ideas and practices that make up the social phenomena of transsexuality and it can fuck people up. Transsexuality isn’t one thing. People don’t call themselves trans or transition for the same reasons. I’m inclined to see people shaped by their social circumstances, so I’m also inclined to questions how those circumstances effect people’s identities and behaviors. I don’t think trans people are any more or less shaped by their culture than any other groups of people, nor do I doubt that most trans people are just trying to live as authentically as they can. Still, I see how people can be influenced to take on a trans identity in response to how gender operates in this culture, either to conform to it or consciously “subvert” it (The same person can do both, as I did) and I find both tendencies questionable and worthy of examining critically. It’s worth asking if many people could be transitioning for social reasons rather than innate drives. Overall, I think this phenomena of females being socialized “trans” or denying their femaleness for a time is a product of the overall society we live in but the trans community is sometimes complicit with this and when any community colludes with sexism and misogyny it deserves to face criticism.
Many queer and trans people say they think gender is a social construct but I don’t feel like they always acknowledge the full implications. It doesn’t just mean that gender norms are made up and we can defy them or make up our own genders. It means that we are influenced by these norms even if we rebel against them. If gender is socially generated then a person’s sense of gender can be influenced by cultural trends and as culture changes, new norms and rules can arise. Something formally taboo can become a standard people are measured against and I see this happening with trans identities. Trans can be another definition forced onto people, another idea through which a person’s being and behavior can be interpreted and judged. Just as there can be pressure for a male to be a “manly man” or a female to be “girly”, there can be pressure to call oneself trans or transition if one’s actions are considered “inappropriate” or strange for one’s sex. This is not only a possibility, it is a reality. I have been socialized “trans” and I know I’m not alone.
If trans dudes and butch, “masculine” and otherwise unconventional females are going to coexist we need to talk about this shit. If trans people are serious about supporting all people who get fucked over by gender then this issue needs to be addressed. The trans community needs to acknowledge that social forces like sexism can lead people to transition and that for some people being trans is a phase, perhaps a harmful one. I’m tired of seeing any mention of social pressures to transition dismissed as transphobic. Not all trans people are guilty of this. I’ve met a few trans folks who straight up said that they’re not sure if they’d have transitioned if society was different. Recently too, I looked up some old discussions I first read years ago on an FtM online community about whether transitioning was becoming a trend, whether it was cooler to be a FtM than a butch female, and concern that many people were rushing into transition or transitioning for the wrong reasons. I recall reading similar conversations on other sites as well. Today though, it seems that, in some communities at least, these conversations have become less acceptable and un-PC.
Silence about these issues in the trans community is not the only problem though or even the main one. It’s this whole genderfucked culture and the people who buy into it, the vast majority of whom are not trans. Most of the people who assumed I was trans were not trans themselves, many had not knowingly met a trans person before. Many non-trans folks who thought I was trans had very narrow ideas of what being trans was and only supported those trans identities that fell in line with their own assumptions of gender. When I was a teenager, people would tell me how they though my ex and his boyfriend, who was also FtM, weren’t really trans because they were both too feminine and “unmanly”. These people, who were mostly gay or bi, couldn’t understand trans fags at all. They told me their doubts because to them I was a “real” trans guy who could substantiate their judgments. At the time though, I was far from sure that I was actually trans. These folks assumed I was “really trans” because I was “masculine” and easily passed but questioned these two trans dudes because they didn’t conform to their ideas of what men were. This “trans” socialization then is often not so much about promoting any and all trans identities as using transsexuality to reinforce already established standards of gender. The core problem is that we’re living in a patriarchy and the ultimate task is to challenge it and the sex/gender order than sustains it. Quite a daunting task indeed and one I’m still figuring out how to practically advance.
In the meantime, there needs to be more support and resources for females who don’t fit gender norms. More specifically, there need to be spaces created for women who’ve denied their femaleness, transitioned due to internalized misogyny, called themselves trans, and/or lived as men before they found a way to accept themselves as women/females. There seem to be quite a lot of us out there but we’re nowhere near as organized as other communities. There isn’t really a community of us yet but I feel the need to help create one.
http://crashchaoscats.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/socialized-trans/
Here's the whole article below, with her permission and all. Also some good commentaries in response.
reflectin' & dissectin', thoughts on "detransitioning"
Socialized “Trans”
by crashchaoscats
[Note: this essay draws largely from my own experience and so only covers the experience of female-bodied people, primarily those who are butch or have “masculine” attributes. I believe that females who aren’t butch or “masculine” can also be socialized “trans” but I don’t know enough to talk about that. Perhaps if others find this concept helpful, they could add what they’ve learned from their own experiences to help expand it.]One way to describe part of my experience is to say that I was socialized “trans”. That is, people assumed I was trans and treated me how they thought a trans person ought to be treated regardless of how I identified myself at the time. This treatment over time began to effect how I saw myself, helped to instill a trans male identity and encouraged me to transition. I think this is a phenomena that effects many females who are butch, “masculine” or otherwise don’t fit conventional “femininity”.
When I say that females are socialized “trans”, I mean that they’re treated as though their qualities, behaviors, mannerisms, appearances, and so forth are taken as indicators that they’re trans and so they get male pronouns, get asked when they’re going to transition, complimented on how well they pass, etc.
In my own circumstances, I would say being socialized “trans” included finding that my choice of name, clothing, physical features, interests, mannerisms and overall qualities were judged male by many people. These people decided that these qualities meant I was a boy with a female body rather than a girl with characteristics usually associated with boys and so it was therefore appropriate to use male pronouns without consulting me about my preferences. People used male pronouns to refer to me not only because they thought I preferred them but also because they seemed more comfortable using them to describe me. I was also told what a cute boy I made many times. On my own, I was considering that I could be trans but having many other people label me as such certainly reinforced that possibility and made it seem more likely.
Crucially, this socialization also consisted of a lot of positive reinforcement. That is, when people decided I was trans and treated me accordingly they were often at the same time trying to show respect or be friendly. I didn’t receive the same sort of treatment as a butch dyke. When people “accepted” me as a trans dude they also integrated me into their social scene. People listened to me when I talked about being trans, gave me an opportunity to hold forth on my life. There’s this dynamic that can arise between trans people and trans allies where trans people get support and attention from allies and allies gain political/socially progressive cred for being friendly and cool with someone society thinks is a freak. Such a relationship typically contains some degree of objectification of the trans person, ranging from being slightly tinted by it to being totally pervaded.
I don’t believe my experience of being socialized “trans” is totally unique. I think there are different degrees of it and it effects people differently. Some people just get annoyed when they’re presumed trans because they don’t see themselves that way. Other people can start to internalize it. This does not make the latter group weak, only human. People are very social creatures, very open to the influence of others. If you keep encountering people who make the same judgments about you over and over again, you may very well begin to think there’s some truth to them. Much of our sense of self is influenced and reinforced by other’s perceptions.
This “trans” socialization consists of several components. One is deciding that certain actions, appearances, practices etc are signs that a person is trans/male rather than a woman, female, and/or butch. This is based off the assumptions that any perceived “masculinity” is maleness and that stepping outside the female role and temperament makes one not a female. This belief that being/acting a certain way puts one outside “woman” or “female” can be an unconscious policing of the female category, a way to ensure that its boundaries are maintained. These judgments and assumptions are also linked to the belief that “man are like this, women are like that” and that these differences are fixed and innate and due to biology, not culture. Therefore if a female is “like a male” then they must be biologically male in some sense because biology is what makes someone “like a male” or “like a female”. There is constant propaganda that women and men are different and that these differences are rooted in the body and there’s not too much out there challenging these beliefs with the same force of those promoting them.
Another part is treating the presumed trans man’s behavior and self expression as more acceptable because they’re trans/male. This “masculinity” or whatever isn’t supposed to be present in a female body but being trans explains and makes it acceptable. What was unsightly, confusing or unnatural before is now something this person can feel entitled to. Males are still generally treated better than females and male “masculinity” is certainly better respected than female “masculinity”. I’ve found that people will treat me more like a human when I’m seen as a “normal” male instead of a female genderfreak. When I pass I don’t get stared at, people don’t get confused or disturbed and not know how to handle me and I don’t need to be as anxious about people fucking with me. Being seen as male can grant females more freedom to express themselves, ease some social burdens. We should not be surprised to find some females taking on trans male identities because of this.
Coming to see oneself as male can make regularly passing as such a more pleasant experience. If a female passes as a man and decides that they are one then every time they pass they’re being affirmed as what they are. If she passes as male but sees herself as a female/woman, then what she is is being rendered invisible and the message is conveyed that women like her are socially unthinkable. This culture doesn’t want to admit that women with “male traits” exist because it doesn’t want them to exist.
The many social benefits conferred on a female passing as male can lead them to take the maleness people read in them and make it a part of their own understanding of self. When people who know this person is female-bodied also read them as male, trans male in this instance, this reinforces the idea that because their actions, looks and so forth can pass for male, then they are male and this maleness is desirable. The outside world tells them that they pass for male, their close associates tell them their behavior makes them trans male and nowhere is femaleness being reinforced. Instead they’re being told again and again that they’re not female and will often find little to no representations of females who resemble them. In fact they might hear, as I did, about a lot of females who used to identify as dykes and/or butch but now identify as trans and maybe transitioned. In my own case, many of the females I did come across were not like me or what I wanted to be and many of the female-bodied folk who were like me were trans-identified or became so.
In this society at this particular moment, many women/females who don’t fit into conventional “femininity” are going to spend some time seeing themselves as trans/male or genderqueer before accepting themselves as women/females. A young female today who’s “masculine” enough to pass as male is likely to be presumed trans or genderqueer at some point because trans and genderqueer are becoming popular models for explaining why some people don’t match the prescribed qualities of their sex. A lot of unconventional females who’ve run up against the limitations of the female role in this society often spend some time dissociating from being female before they’re able to accept being so. Being socialized “trans” can extend this dissociation and encourage it. It can inhibit self-acceptance and feed self-hatred. In this context, taking hormones and getting surgery can be self-destructive.
Being trans can be a phase. We need social space to accommodate females who go through this phase and help them come out the other side because often, for this population at least, being trans is about self-hatred, internalized misogyny and/or homophobia and facing and working through that bullshit sucks. Realizing that you created an identity to fit into society because you learned that what you are is unacceptable can be really painful, overwhelmingly so, and there is virtually no resources for people going through this.
Radical feminists are some of the only people who acknowledge and provide support on issues like internalized sexism leading a person to transition. I don’t agree with everything they say, in fact I disagree with most of them pretty frequently, but I end up going to Rad Fem sites a lot because they are some of the only people talking about issues that have deeply effected me and I find radical feminist perspectives on gender pretty compelling after my own struggles with it. And people wonder why so many ex-FtMs end up radical feminists. Could it be that sometimes they have a point and they’re the only ones willing to say it? Plenty of people will say similar shit privately but not openly because they’re afraid of how they’ll be judged. The trans community contributes to a backlash against it when it fails to acknowledge that there are problems, that not every person who comes out as trans or transitioning is really finding themselves.
While some trans people go to great lengths to show that they’re transitioning to make peace with their bodies, not to fit into gender roles and stereotypes, many other trans people and much of the more widespread conceptions of transsexuality are bound up with traditional ideas of gender. There is a reactionary current within the web of ideas and practices that make up the social phenomena of transsexuality and it can fuck people up. Transsexuality isn’t one thing. People don’t call themselves trans or transition for the same reasons. I’m inclined to see people shaped by their social circumstances, so I’m also inclined to questions how those circumstances effect people’s identities and behaviors. I don’t think trans people are any more or less shaped by their culture than any other groups of people, nor do I doubt that most trans people are just trying to live as authentically as they can. Still, I see how people can be influenced to take on a trans identity in response to how gender operates in this culture, either to conform to it or consciously “subvert” it (The same person can do both, as I did) and I find both tendencies questionable and worthy of examining critically. It’s worth asking if many people could be transitioning for social reasons rather than innate drives. Overall, I think this phenomena of females being socialized “trans” or denying their femaleness for a time is a product of the overall society we live in but the trans community is sometimes complicit with this and when any community colludes with sexism and misogyny it deserves to face criticism.
Many queer and trans people say they think gender is a social construct but I don’t feel like they always acknowledge the full implications. It doesn’t just mean that gender norms are made up and we can defy them or make up our own genders. It means that we are influenced by these norms even if we rebel against them. If gender is socially generated then a person’s sense of gender can be influenced by cultural trends and as culture changes, new norms and rules can arise. Something formally taboo can become a standard people are measured against and I see this happening with trans identities. Trans can be another definition forced onto people, another idea through which a person’s being and behavior can be interpreted and judged. Just as there can be pressure for a male to be a “manly man” or a female to be “girly”, there can be pressure to call oneself trans or transition if one’s actions are considered “inappropriate” or strange for one’s sex. This is not only a possibility, it is a reality. I have been socialized “trans” and I know I’m not alone.
If trans dudes and butch, “masculine” and otherwise unconventional females are going to coexist we need to talk about this shit. If trans people are serious about supporting all people who get fucked over by gender then this issue needs to be addressed. The trans community needs to acknowledge that social forces like sexism can lead people to transition and that for some people being trans is a phase, perhaps a harmful one. I’m tired of seeing any mention of social pressures to transition dismissed as transphobic. Not all trans people are guilty of this. I’ve met a few trans folks who straight up said that they’re not sure if they’d have transitioned if society was different. Recently too, I looked up some old discussions I first read years ago on an FtM online community about whether transitioning was becoming a trend, whether it was cooler to be a FtM than a butch female, and concern that many people were rushing into transition or transitioning for the wrong reasons. I recall reading similar conversations on other sites as well. Today though, it seems that, in some communities at least, these conversations have become less acceptable and un-PC.
Silence about these issues in the trans community is not the only problem though or even the main one. It’s this whole genderfucked culture and the people who buy into it, the vast majority of whom are not trans. Most of the people who assumed I was trans were not trans themselves, many had not knowingly met a trans person before. Many non-trans folks who thought I was trans had very narrow ideas of what being trans was and only supported those trans identities that fell in line with their own assumptions of gender. When I was a teenager, people would tell me how they though my ex and his boyfriend, who was also FtM, weren’t really trans because they were both too feminine and “unmanly”. These people, who were mostly gay or bi, couldn’t understand trans fags at all. They told me their doubts because to them I was a “real” trans guy who could substantiate their judgments. At the time though, I was far from sure that I was actually trans. These folks assumed I was “really trans” because I was “masculine” and easily passed but questioned these two trans dudes because they didn’t conform to their ideas of what men were. This “trans” socialization then is often not so much about promoting any and all trans identities as using transsexuality to reinforce already established standards of gender. The core problem is that we’re living in a patriarchy and the ultimate task is to challenge it and the sex/gender order than sustains it. Quite a daunting task indeed and one I’m still figuring out how to practically advance.
In the meantime, there needs to be more support and resources for females who don’t fit gender norms. More specifically, there need to be spaces created for women who’ve denied their femaleness, transitioned due to internalized misogyny, called themselves trans, and/or lived as men before they found a way to accept themselves as women/females. There seem to be quite a lot of us out there but we’re nowhere near as organized as other communities. There isn’t really a community of us yet but I feel the need to help create one.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
August 9th, 2013 my Birthday
Well, it's been a hard year at 52....work has been scarce, very scarce, especially in my Trade, and too many obstacles to try to obtain it. So in the Fall of 2012 I took a parttime job working for a Democratic candidate going door to door stumping for votes. I could do this because I was NOT asking for money. I drove other coworkers and we would each work our own blocks. I met folks from many different races and ethnicities, ages, and classes....I found the rich folks to be the most selfish, Democrats much easier to deal with than Republicans, and generally friendlier, the same with working class/poor folks vs those better off. Of course we were working for a Democratic candidate, but there's generally a huge correlation of class between more working class Democrats, vs more well off Republicans.
Sometimes the scariest neighborhoods were the friendliest...and people were concerned about my safety(I was too) but the richer neighborhoods were snooty and I got to the point that I never cared to see or hear from a dog again, dreading every door I walked up to that had one, or 3 in the case of smaller dogs....
Folks were worried about their livelihoods, had real fears about the economy and genuinely hoped the candidate could help them and address their issues. There was always at least one person I spent a good 15 minutes with hearing their story, before moving on...sometimes an elderly woman whose husband had recently died and she wondered how she was going to pay her bills, same with a gay man whose partner had died...an Indian family where the husband had a hard time getting work, and worried about the economy and if he'd be able to support his family, their shoes lined outside the door and I could smell the delicious Indian food.
Some of them worried about their healthcare or what Obamacare meant for them. Sometimes it was a young person who saw no point in voting and I told them they NEEDED their opinion represented, since they would inherit the world from us, and not to sit on the sidelines.
Then there was one unincorporated town with big huge houses far apart, which on the surface represents the rich, but underneath was thoroughly redneck and fairly Republican....these folks were often rude to me. I remember one block where someone shouted at me: "How do you like your Socialist President?" when I wore an Obama shirt that day. I also stumped for defeating an anti union bill, so I also represented the Union while working for this Candidate, and it was great connecting with all the Union households. It was a learning experience to connect with so many people from so many different backgrounds.
Since we worked around Halloween it was wonderful to see how all out some people went with their yards for Halloween, quite creatively!
Then I didn't have work for awhile till I worked for a big hardware retailer for 3 months in my field. I found myself educating customers to our products in my department but also answering questions with them about my trade. There were the professional customers who knew what they were doing, but some of the do it yourselfers were truly frightening. They really had very little knowledge of my profession, and yet they were going to do these projects around their homes with no or very little experience. I educated them to the best of my ability what to do, and which products to get for their projects, but if the questions got too intense, I suggested they hire a worker in the field who knew how to install them properly. Some of the men got real testy about that(too much testosterone of course) and said they could do it..and I had to finally let it go. If they want to destroy their homes because of improper installation and refusal to hire a professional because the project was beyond their level of experience or knowledge, then there was nothing I could do about it. The women were far more willing to be open to suggestion and I think they really enjoyed having a womon who knew about the field they could ask questions.
But the hours of the job constantly got rotated, from days to evenings, whichever I allowed in my schedule, and no schedule or days were set in stone...it changed from week to week. Hard to really schedule the rest of one's life around such an unstable schedule. And the number of hours were never permitted to be above 29, and often quite below that. Finally I'd had it when our numbers got reduced and I started feeling used. I never worked for such a big corporation before in my life. Very, very corporate, anti-union, even though catering and SELLING to union members in the trades, but not for the employees. And no employee discount with low pay. All the years in my trade, all the questions I answered and even customers who came back and ASKED for me because I knew my stuff! It did help me stay on my toes in my field and challenged me! No hope of ever getting on fulltime, and I was laid off shortly before the end of the 90 day probationary period. Frustrating....
My partner has had some serious health struggles this year, and I know I have some hidden ones too. The dizzy thing came back a week ago, I had it for 6 weeks a year ago, but fortunately this time it only lasted a day...
However on a good note, we have been looking at our diet(often breaking it) but trying to juice and generally eat much healthier. We mostly eat at home these days, partly because of money issues, partly for health. And we have been swimming 2-3 days a week since February.
For my birthday, when I worked recently in my field and made some good money I bought two new swimming suits I desperately needed since mine was falling apart, and also some beautiful neon green tennis shoes, VERY COMFORTABLE, some for her, an A's hat and A's shirt, same for her....and we went to an A's game. Also I bought myself a leather armband at Dore Alley Fair, and a beautiful leather pouch with crosstrap for her. It was nice having money, at least for two weeks, where we could enjoy ourselves. But that job took everything from me, and I was sad I got laid off after two weeks, as I was hoping the job would last longer, I could pay off more bills and save....
I had no energy left over, and came home in ALOT of pain. I could see my aging. My wrists really hurt from the repetitive motion, as well as my back and about everything else. Construction work is HEAVY WORK...compared to the other two jobs....where mostly what I had to endure was walking or standing on my feet.
I am hoping that this year ahead I figure out what I really want to do with my life workwise, and find the perfect situation where I'm paid decently, have good co workers and folks on the job who truly appreciate me, and I can use my mind and my skills. I bore easily. And I have a creative side I'd really like to bring to the rest of my life and my work.
I feel saddened that I chose NOT to go to my womyn's spirituality festival this year, but I had to deal with some dramarama from the steering committee as I called them on some issues and it was really a nasty piece of work. But truthfully, I really couldn't afford it, from the little work I've gotten(unless I didn't do that shop till you drop at Sports Authority!) and sad as I am that I don't get my Land time to renew, I had to take a break from the personalities....
NEXT YEAR MICHFEST!!! And maybe hopefully I'll get to celebrate my birthday on the Land at Michfest! Meanwhile I'd like to find a way to be as happy at home as I am on Land, and have all my Selves integrated: Sexual, Spiritual, Right Livelihood, Intellectual, and Psychic!
My brother sent me back the check I sent him for his 50th, which saved me some money, and $53 cash to represent my current birthday. He too has struggled as he was let go from his job, a big mess, but he just had an interview today on my birthday, and it sounded good.
Best I can do is turn it over to the Goddess, keep working out, keep swimming, keep loving my partner and kitties, and reaching out to my friends and likeminded Sisters on the internet! We are growing our DykeAmazon Movement all over again, for ALL Lesbians to be free, and connect with one another: Black, White, Red, Brown, all races, ages, ethnicities, Leather, non Leather, into Goddess worship, womyn's mysteries, Amazon Warriors, Witches, Wisewomyn, Lesbians who remember, Lesbians who missed out, Dykes who are Proud to be Female, Sister Butches, and all those who want womyn throughout the world to be powerful and free and to save this beautiful Planet Mother Earth from destruction and Her creatures.
-In DykeAmazon Sisterhood,
-MasterAmazon
Sometimes the scariest neighborhoods were the friendliest...and people were concerned about my safety(I was too) but the richer neighborhoods were snooty and I got to the point that I never cared to see or hear from a dog again, dreading every door I walked up to that had one, or 3 in the case of smaller dogs....
Folks were worried about their livelihoods, had real fears about the economy and genuinely hoped the candidate could help them and address their issues. There was always at least one person I spent a good 15 minutes with hearing their story, before moving on...sometimes an elderly woman whose husband had recently died and she wondered how she was going to pay her bills, same with a gay man whose partner had died...an Indian family where the husband had a hard time getting work, and worried about the economy and if he'd be able to support his family, their shoes lined outside the door and I could smell the delicious Indian food.
Some of them worried about their healthcare or what Obamacare meant for them. Sometimes it was a young person who saw no point in voting and I told them they NEEDED their opinion represented, since they would inherit the world from us, and not to sit on the sidelines.
Then there was one unincorporated town with big huge houses far apart, which on the surface represents the rich, but underneath was thoroughly redneck and fairly Republican....these folks were often rude to me. I remember one block where someone shouted at me: "How do you like your Socialist President?" when I wore an Obama shirt that day. I also stumped for defeating an anti union bill, so I also represented the Union while working for this Candidate, and it was great connecting with all the Union households. It was a learning experience to connect with so many people from so many different backgrounds.
Since we worked around Halloween it was wonderful to see how all out some people went with their yards for Halloween, quite creatively!
Then I didn't have work for awhile till I worked for a big hardware retailer for 3 months in my field. I found myself educating customers to our products in my department but also answering questions with them about my trade. There were the professional customers who knew what they were doing, but some of the do it yourselfers were truly frightening. They really had very little knowledge of my profession, and yet they were going to do these projects around their homes with no or very little experience. I educated them to the best of my ability what to do, and which products to get for their projects, but if the questions got too intense, I suggested they hire a worker in the field who knew how to install them properly. Some of the men got real testy about that(too much testosterone of course) and said they could do it..and I had to finally let it go. If they want to destroy their homes because of improper installation and refusal to hire a professional because the project was beyond their level of experience or knowledge, then there was nothing I could do about it. The women were far more willing to be open to suggestion and I think they really enjoyed having a womon who knew about the field they could ask questions.
But the hours of the job constantly got rotated, from days to evenings, whichever I allowed in my schedule, and no schedule or days were set in stone...it changed from week to week. Hard to really schedule the rest of one's life around such an unstable schedule. And the number of hours were never permitted to be above 29, and often quite below that. Finally I'd had it when our numbers got reduced and I started feeling used. I never worked for such a big corporation before in my life. Very, very corporate, anti-union, even though catering and SELLING to union members in the trades, but not for the employees. And no employee discount with low pay. All the years in my trade, all the questions I answered and even customers who came back and ASKED for me because I knew my stuff! It did help me stay on my toes in my field and challenged me! No hope of ever getting on fulltime, and I was laid off shortly before the end of the 90 day probationary period. Frustrating....
My partner has had some serious health struggles this year, and I know I have some hidden ones too. The dizzy thing came back a week ago, I had it for 6 weeks a year ago, but fortunately this time it only lasted a day...
However on a good note, we have been looking at our diet(often breaking it) but trying to juice and generally eat much healthier. We mostly eat at home these days, partly because of money issues, partly for health. And we have been swimming 2-3 days a week since February.
For my birthday, when I worked recently in my field and made some good money I bought two new swimming suits I desperately needed since mine was falling apart, and also some beautiful neon green tennis shoes, VERY COMFORTABLE, some for her, an A's hat and A's shirt, same for her....and we went to an A's game. Also I bought myself a leather armband at Dore Alley Fair, and a beautiful leather pouch with crosstrap for her. It was nice having money, at least for two weeks, where we could enjoy ourselves. But that job took everything from me, and I was sad I got laid off after two weeks, as I was hoping the job would last longer, I could pay off more bills and save....
I had no energy left over, and came home in ALOT of pain. I could see my aging. My wrists really hurt from the repetitive motion, as well as my back and about everything else. Construction work is HEAVY WORK...compared to the other two jobs....where mostly what I had to endure was walking or standing on my feet.
I am hoping that this year ahead I figure out what I really want to do with my life workwise, and find the perfect situation where I'm paid decently, have good co workers and folks on the job who truly appreciate me, and I can use my mind and my skills. I bore easily. And I have a creative side I'd really like to bring to the rest of my life and my work.
I feel saddened that I chose NOT to go to my womyn's spirituality festival this year, but I had to deal with some dramarama from the steering committee as I called them on some issues and it was really a nasty piece of work. But truthfully, I really couldn't afford it, from the little work I've gotten(unless I didn't do that shop till you drop at Sports Authority!) and sad as I am that I don't get my Land time to renew, I had to take a break from the personalities....
NEXT YEAR MICHFEST!!! And maybe hopefully I'll get to celebrate my birthday on the Land at Michfest! Meanwhile I'd like to find a way to be as happy at home as I am on Land, and have all my Selves integrated: Sexual, Spiritual, Right Livelihood, Intellectual, and Psychic!
My brother sent me back the check I sent him for his 50th, which saved me some money, and $53 cash to represent my current birthday. He too has struggled as he was let go from his job, a big mess, but he just had an interview today on my birthday, and it sounded good.
Best I can do is turn it over to the Goddess, keep working out, keep swimming, keep loving my partner and kitties, and reaching out to my friends and likeminded Sisters on the internet! We are growing our DykeAmazon Movement all over again, for ALL Lesbians to be free, and connect with one another: Black, White, Red, Brown, all races, ages, ethnicities, Leather, non Leather, into Goddess worship, womyn's mysteries, Amazon Warriors, Witches, Wisewomyn, Lesbians who remember, Lesbians who missed out, Dykes who are Proud to be Female, Sister Butches, and all those who want womyn throughout the world to be powerful and free and to save this beautiful Planet Mother Earth from destruction and Her creatures.
-In DykeAmazon Sisterhood,
-MasterAmazon
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Women in the Woods
Here's a Lesbian Only event that is WBW only for those interested....and coming up at the end of August, no I've never been, but if any of you have, please let us know about it and what it was like.
-In Sisterhood,
-MasterAmazon
http://www.womeninthewoods.com/?page_id=4
-In Sisterhood,
-MasterAmazon
http://www.womeninthewoods.com/?page_id=4
Monday, August 5, 2013
Make tree of life pendant!
http://recycledawblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-your-own-tree-of-life-pendant.html?m=1
Employment Discrimination Against Lesbians and other issues
This indeed is my greatest oppression, and that of other Butch Lesbians I know, including my spouse: getting, staying and progressing in the work environment. Lesbians who 'pass' better or with really specialized skills and training and college may be able to overcome some of this, but for those I know on the more working class side, obviously Butch, in the Trades or Social Services, we get the brunt of it, and I have had a very hard time since the Great Recession retaining and keeping work on a steady basis in my field in particular(construction).
So here goes my first quote from Liberation Collective: http://liberationcollective.wordpress.com/
Under: "There is No T in Lesbian"
"Employment discrimination against lesbians
As described by Margaret Ryniker in her article, “Lesbians still face job discrimination,” lesbians are in the unique position of facing sexual harassment as women and, at the same time, discrimination because of their sexual orientation. Lesbians also represent a larger percentage of female workers in male-dominated fields, making them even more vulnerable to workplace harassment and discrimination. And in the U.S., a woman can be fired in over half the states just for being a lesbian.
Yet the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would provide protection for lesbians from being fired just for being lesbian, has still not been passed by Congress. There was a window of time when it might have been passed, but trans* activists very effectively derailed that opportunity to fight for their own rights instead of the rest of their coalition’s rights. Outrageously, most of their socio-political resistance has focused on the inclusion of language allowing males to use female bathrooms on the basis of gender identity. (Also note at that link the hateful language used toward a gay member of Congress.)
In 2007, when Congressman Barney Frank was trying to get ENDA passed, even the Washington Post had some advice: “Delaying passage of ENDA, which was first introduced in the House in the mid-1970s by Rep. Bella Abzug (D-N.Y.), until the transgender community changes enough hearts and minds would be a mistake.” They may have said this because Frank was getting no help from Gay, Inc. In fact, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was far more interested in trans* inclusion than in fighting for the named constituents of their organization.
Large political/legal groups don’t focus on lesbians’ issues and concerns
In addition to their fight against the better judgement of members of Congress, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has been known to create their annual conference program without any mention of issues and interests specific to lesbians."
And to add to that, here is a direct quote from the previous article(which I linked instead of quoted) from Victoria Brownworth on 'Why do Straight Feminists Hate Lesbians?" about the employment and other distinctly LESBIAN issues!
"
"Lesbian-rights issues abound, but I have yet to see a straight, liberal feminist address those issues as if they were her own. When I wrote about anti-lesbian "corrective rape" for The Advocate, the response from straight, liberal feminists was resounding: crickets.
Employment discrimination is a fundamental issue for lesbians. Where is the straight feminist outrage over lesbians being fired for being gay, or over lesbians who don't pass as straight being unable to access employment? Where is the discourse over lesbians being denied visitation with their children? Where is the concern over lesbians being barred from seeing their partners in hospitals or nursing homes? What about the lesbian cancer epidemic or the inability of lesbians to access non-homophobic health care? How about lesbians and poverty? And lesbians who have been raped, as I wrote about here last month? What about us?"-Victoria Brownworth
So here goes my first quote from Liberation Collective: http://liberationcollective.wordpress.com/
Under: "There is No T in Lesbian"
"Employment discrimination against lesbians
As described by Margaret Ryniker in her article, “Lesbians still face job discrimination,” lesbians are in the unique position of facing sexual harassment as women and, at the same time, discrimination because of their sexual orientation. Lesbians also represent a larger percentage of female workers in male-dominated fields, making them even more vulnerable to workplace harassment and discrimination. And in the U.S., a woman can be fired in over half the states just for being a lesbian.
Yet the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would provide protection for lesbians from being fired just for being lesbian, has still not been passed by Congress. There was a window of time when it might have been passed, but trans* activists very effectively derailed that opportunity to fight for their own rights instead of the rest of their coalition’s rights. Outrageously, most of their socio-political resistance has focused on the inclusion of language allowing males to use female bathrooms on the basis of gender identity. (Also note at that link the hateful language used toward a gay member of Congress.)
In 2007, when Congressman Barney Frank was trying to get ENDA passed, even the Washington Post had some advice: “Delaying passage of ENDA, which was first introduced in the House in the mid-1970s by Rep. Bella Abzug (D-N.Y.), until the transgender community changes enough hearts and minds would be a mistake.” They may have said this because Frank was getting no help from Gay, Inc. In fact, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was far more interested in trans* inclusion than in fighting for the named constituents of their organization.
Large political/legal groups don’t focus on lesbians’ issues and concerns
In addition to their fight against the better judgement of members of Congress, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has been known to create their annual conference program without any mention of issues and interests specific to lesbians."
And to add to that, here is a direct quote from the previous article(which I linked instead of quoted) from Victoria Brownworth on 'Why do Straight Feminists Hate Lesbians?" about the employment and other distinctly LESBIAN issues!
"
"Lesbian-rights issues abound, but I have yet to see a straight, liberal feminist address those issues as if they were her own. When I wrote about anti-lesbian "corrective rape" for The Advocate, the response from straight, liberal feminists was resounding: crickets.
Employment discrimination is a fundamental issue for lesbians. Where is the straight feminist outrage over lesbians being fired for being gay, or over lesbians who don't pass as straight being unable to access employment? Where is the discourse over lesbians being denied visitation with their children? Where is the concern over lesbians being barred from seeing their partners in hospitals or nursing homes? What about the lesbian cancer epidemic or the inability of lesbians to access non-homophobic health care? How about lesbians and poverty? And lesbians who have been raped, as I wrote about here last month? What about us?"-Victoria Brownworth
"Why Do Straight Feminists Hate Lesbians" By Victoria Brownworth
I agree with most of her article and she brings up many, many points where Lesbian needs, issues and visibility are given short shrift, especially those of us who are OBVIOUS Dykes, and Butch, or Big Butches, and in no way demure or cater to men lookswise. Even she plays into some of that. But all the issues she brings up, MANY of us Dykes deal with on a daily basis. While 'hate' might seem like a bit of a strong word in relation to straight feminists, because there are those who can be allies, there ARE many straight women including liberal straight feminists who feel VERY UNCOMFORTABLE around obvious Lesbians or Butch Dykes.....and make it clear in many subtle and sometimes obvious ways.
Here's the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victoria-a-brownworth/why-do-straight-feminists-hate-lesbians_b_3695587.html
If you need to see the whole article, I can cut and paste it, but don't want to get in trouble for doing so.
-In Sisterhood,
-MasterAmazon
Here's the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victoria-a-brownworth/why-do-straight-feminists-hate-lesbians_b_3695587.html
If you need to see the whole article, I can cut and paste it, but don't want to get in trouble for doing so.
-In Sisterhood,
-MasterAmazon
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Cut out the reference to "Judeo-Christian" ethic PLEASE! Our histories are VERY DIFFERENT!
Ok,
could we CUT OUT, the whole reference to "Judeo-xtian ethic" because as
a Jew ethnically and raised Jewish, even though I practice Goddess
worship now, we DON'T recruit. That's the HUGE difference between Jews
and xtians. And I can tell you over and
over again how xtians CONSTANTLY TRIED to convert me when in junior
high, high school and college, how in grade school I had to always ask
to have our holidays off like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and how in
parochial school we read from the xtian bible it being an xtian school,
not a Jewish one(till I went to schools that were NOT religious).
How there are MANY xtians who hate Jews, misunderstand Jews, assume we all don't eat pork or we eat kosher or that on Passover we sacrifice babies or did, and we are told that 'Jews are the killers of Jesus' by ignorant people.
So, I FEEL for ANY indigenous, native, 3rd world peoples forcibly pressured into xtianity, as many Jews were in the past, often to avoid discrimination, harassment or even death, because xtians go around trying to convert EVERYONE, but Jews DO NOT. And we are a small minority who faced our OWN genocide just a bit more than 65 years ago at the hands of the Nazis!
-FeistyAmazon
How there are MANY xtians who hate Jews, misunderstand Jews, assume we all don't eat pork or we eat kosher or that on Passover we sacrifice babies or did, and we are told that 'Jews are the killers of Jesus' by ignorant people.
So, I FEEL for ANY indigenous, native, 3rd world peoples forcibly pressured into xtianity, as many Jews were in the past, often to avoid discrimination, harassment or even death, because xtians go around trying to convert EVERYONE, but Jews DO NOT. And we are a small minority who faced our OWN genocide just a bit more than 65 years ago at the hands of the Nazis!
-FeistyAmazon
In response to Women Warriors: She is a Counter Patriarchy Machine
http://wwomenwwarriors.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/she-is-a-counter-patriarchy-machine/
From M.A.- I had a dream and vision about this in the '80's, the most radical time of the Feminist/Lesbian and womyn's spirituality movements. I don't talk often of it, but your words here, in this article speak to that. When womyn FINALLY wake up, and realize the Warriors they are, the Witches, the Shamans, the Powerful spiritual, psychic and physical beings we can be, especially TOGETHER in Sisterhood, and gathering together, like MIchfest, and other womyn's Festivals and Circles, and the MAGIC we can do to STOP the patriarchy. We need to ripple that out into EVERY aspect of our lives and never stop connecting with one another, affirming one another in our mutual Powers and strengths COLLECTIVELY.
That dream consisted of being taken above the Planet by Goddess and witnessing the holes in the world, where poverty and violence were occurring the worst, Africa, somewhere's near Europe, several holes that could ONLY be filled by bringing back Female Power and Female Energy, by Goddess, by womyn in their Power doing the Rebalancing, Before our lovely Planet Mother Earth is destroyed for good by these pricks!
It was an immensely POWERFUL dream, one of those Life Changing dreams, and it explained to me WHY I'm doing the work I'm doing(no not for pay) WHY I continue to circle with womyn, why I continue to be a DykeAmazon, why I continue to share Amazon mysteries, and circle with womyn, and believe so strongly about rebalancing with our Female energies, and connection with Goddess. Why every womon alive needs to shed the shame, the veils, the chains and every other attachment to male power that binds her, including male dominated religion which owns her heart, her soul and her body, keeping her chained to men and male rule on the most intimate levels. And so much more, why we are ALL doing the work we are doing! Goddess Awaken, Goddess Arise in the Hearts of ALL WOMYN, and ALL WOMYN RISE NOW!!!!
-In Sisterhood,
-FeistyAmazon
From M.A.- I had a dream and vision about this in the '80's, the most radical time of the Feminist/Lesbian and womyn's spirituality movements. I don't talk often of it, but your words here, in this article speak to that. When womyn FINALLY wake up, and realize the Warriors they are, the Witches, the Shamans, the Powerful spiritual, psychic and physical beings we can be, especially TOGETHER in Sisterhood, and gathering together, like MIchfest, and other womyn's Festivals and Circles, and the MAGIC we can do to STOP the patriarchy. We need to ripple that out into EVERY aspect of our lives and never stop connecting with one another, affirming one another in our mutual Powers and strengths COLLECTIVELY.
That dream consisted of being taken above the Planet by Goddess and witnessing the holes in the world, where poverty and violence were occurring the worst, Africa, somewhere's near Europe, several holes that could ONLY be filled by bringing back Female Power and Female Energy, by Goddess, by womyn in their Power doing the Rebalancing, Before our lovely Planet Mother Earth is destroyed for good by these pricks!
It was an immensely POWERFUL dream, one of those Life Changing dreams, and it explained to me WHY I'm doing the work I'm doing(no not for pay) WHY I continue to circle with womyn, why I continue to be a DykeAmazon, why I continue to share Amazon mysteries, and circle with womyn, and believe so strongly about rebalancing with our Female energies, and connection with Goddess. Why every womon alive needs to shed the shame, the veils, the chains and every other attachment to male power that binds her, including male dominated religion which owns her heart, her soul and her body, keeping her chained to men and male rule on the most intimate levels. And so much more, why we are ALL doing the work we are doing! Goddess Awaken, Goddess Arise in the Hearts of ALL WOMYN, and ALL WOMYN RISE NOW!!!!
-In Sisterhood,
-FeistyAmazon
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b) some still retain penises and us Lesbians should just 'get over it' a la 'The Cotton Ceiling' debate. We are FEMALE HOMOSEXUALS, as such, our love and lust is reserved for female bodies, minds, spirits....but especially Female bodies.
No amount of external appearance can change that, or the potential fear an MTF might still retain a penis, and many still retain assumptions of their former male privilege, thinking we will give in to them if they are forceful enough.
Here is an article that addresses the difference between the Gay/Lesbian movement and Lesbians and Gays vs Trans interests. We are different communities. YOu just don't 'get over' the biological sex you come from...it is a lie.
http://liberationcollective.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/there-is-no-t-in-lesbian/
I have heard gay men complain to me in the same manner, as many, many of us Lesbians feel completely coopted by the trans movement, and both MTF's and FTM's who INSIST in being in all our women's and Lesbian spaces, while also having some of their own.Now the gay men are understanding somewhat what us Lesbians have had to deal with MTF cooptation all these years, when FTM's, most who do not fully transition either, are now crashing the gay male community. An FTM with a 'bonus hole' who engages in sex with a male, who enters that hole with his penis, is in effect indulging in HETEROSEXUAL sex, as that FTM can then be impregnated. MTF's and FTM's have garnered the sympathy of the bisexual community and both have stormed the barn on those of us who are exclusively homosexual, pressuring us to basically have a large pansexual community to accomodate ALL of them.
Our issues are different and our needs are different. Sometimes gay men want to be with other bio gay males sexually or socially. And often many of us Dykes want to be with bio women, Lesbian or otherwise, we share a girlhood in common, similar outlooks, puberty, fear of impregnation, and many, many other things that no MTF will ever understand. And FTM's should take responsibility and leave instead of undermine our communities to accomodate their new found 'male' status.
And it saddens MANY of us Dyke Butches to see more and more young women shamed of their female bodies, pressured by their peers, to identify as male, and go down the whole 'male identifying, hormone, surgery' route, as our strong Lesbian communities and spaces and businesses and bookstores have declined much of it due to trans infiltration and cooptation, the trans community has risen AT OUR EXPENSE and on the backs of our young Butches, convincing them for their freedom, if ONLY they identified as male, they truly could be free, and must be 'born in the wrong body', instead of a society that still DOES NOT accept Butch Dyke Women and effeminate Gay Men!
-MasterAmazon