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PSA - A Big Deal
3 years ago
A lot of people don't seem to get why LGBTQ+ people consider it a 'big deal' when a public figure (respected or otherwise) makes a transphobic remark; especially if the person being transphobic has done good work elsewhere. I'm sure Stonewall could do a much better job than I, but here is the best I have: denying who transgender people are is to deny their existence and that they have any value.
Whenever someone famous makes a transphobic statement (e.g., JK Rowling), there are inevitably a host of celebrities (e.g., Jonathan Ross, Graham Lineham, et al.) who go to their defense with the argument that it is 'their right' to believe and promote what they are saying, and even some otherwise reasonable people believe that to be true.
When it comes to transphobic statements, try replacing 'transgender women vs true women' with 'women vs men', 'gay people vs straight people', or 'black people vs white people'.
-- "The rights of men are going to be affected if women are afforded the same rights."
-- "We can't let gays use men's bathrooms because they might molest our kids."
-- "I don't think blacks should be allowed to compete against whites in sports because they have a natural biological advantage."
How bigoted do those statements sound with the groups changed? And if it were those statements being voiced, then how many people would voice that it is the speaker's 'right' to believe and publicly promote those statements?
Denying the validity of transgender people is no different than denying that women, gay people, or black people are their own people: it is denying a core part of their being. Each of these oppressed groups deserve the same rights and treatment that the majority enjoys.
So the next time a public figure (who may otherwise have a 'good track record') makes a transphobic statement, please don't be tempted to just brush it off, and please remember this post; if you wouldn't brush off someone making an intensely sexist, homophobic, or racist remark, then you shouldn't do so for a transphobic remark. And do your best to enlighten other people to why this is an issue.
Thank you for reading. x
Whenever someone famous makes a transphobic statement (e.g., JK Rowling), there are inevitably a host of celebrities (e.g., Jonathan Ross, Graham Lineham, et al.) who go to their defense with the argument that it is 'their right' to believe and promote what they are saying, and even some otherwise reasonable people believe that to be true.
When it comes to transphobic statements, try replacing 'transgender women vs true women' with 'women vs men', 'gay people vs straight people', or 'black people vs white people'.
-- "The rights of men are going to be affected if women are afforded the same rights."
-- "We can't let gays use men's bathrooms because they might molest our kids."
-- "I don't think blacks should be allowed to compete against whites in sports because they have a natural biological advantage."
How bigoted do those statements sound with the groups changed? And if it were those statements being voiced, then how many people would voice that it is the speaker's 'right' to believe and publicly promote those statements?
Denying the validity of transgender people is no different than denying that women, gay people, or black people are their own people: it is denying a core part of their being. Each of these oppressed groups deserve the same rights and treatment that the majority enjoys.
So the next time a public figure (who may otherwise have a 'good track record') makes a transphobic statement, please don't be tempted to just brush it off, and please remember this post; if you wouldn't brush off someone making an intensely sexist, homophobic, or racist remark, then you shouldn't do so for a transphobic remark. And do your best to enlighten other people to why this is an issue.
Thank you for reading. x
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