Thoughts on Communism and transgenderism

[Engel]

Greetings comrades!

I'm gonna be real honest here by saying that I am a transgendered girl. A girl in a boys body in other words. It had been a long on going struggle for me to try to accept this about myself and a painful one too. I just wanted to know if anyone can tell me how the communist movement has been active in transgendered rights in the USA.

☭☭Engel☭☭

[Rusty Shackleford]

In the US, most Communist and Workers' organizations have struggled side by side with the LGBTQ community. Speaking from my own experience, the PSL/ANSWER office in San Francisco is actually open to the Trans-Latina community(im not sure if it is an organization or not but i have met them and they are very nice) to host its weekly/bi-weekly meetings in a safe space. They are allowed to use the biggest room to host their meetings autonomously.

[tir1944]

Speaking from my own experience, the PSL/ANSWER office in San Francisco is actually open to the Trans-Latina community to host its weekly/bi-weekly meetings in a safe space.
What about the Trans-Africanamerican community or the Trans-Asian community?:confused:

[Rusty Shackleford]

What about the Trans-Africanamerican community or the Trans-Asian community?:confused:


i dont know how it got started, all i know is a group is allowed to use our space to have their meetings. I dont know if they are an organization or not. Its not like we put one group over another.

Maybe they couldn't find a place to meet, maybe the other communities have their own or are not organized. I honestly dont know, but i have no suspicions about it.

The point was that we are supportive of LGBTQ people whether they are party aligned or not.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Leslie Feinberg, of the Workers World Party is one of the main editors of their paper and is trans. He/she is the author of Transgendered Warriors, a historical account of TGism. Its somewhat breezy but makes for a good read.

Feinberg's WW column on lgbt rights though a Marxist perspective is quite good.

One of the Nepalese Maoists (I forget who, someone who has been moving towards Trotskyist ideas) has called for transgender rights.

The CWI has been and is very active in working for lgbt liberation.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I'm a transwoman. In my experience, American communists tend to be pro-LGBT, although sometimes they need educating on trans-specific issues.

[Queercommie Girl]

I've encountered a few instances of implicit transphobia, both online (e.g. RevLeft) and in real-life. (More online than in real-life actually)

On RevLeft there have even been a few explicit transphobes, but generally they are banned or at least restricted relatively quickly.

[tir1944]

The point was that we are supportive of LGBTQ people whether they are party aligned or not. Does it mean that you're supportive of LGBTQ people whether they're communist or,for example,libertarians or something?

[Queercommie Girl]

Does it mean that you're supportive of LGBTQ people whether they're communist or,for example,libertarians or something?

Technically they could be both - "libertarian communists".

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Technically they could be both - "libertarian communists".

I think he was rather thinking of what we'd call "lolbertarians", and not libcoms.

[fionntan]

I'm a transwoman. In my experience, American communists tend to be pro-LGBT, although sometimes they need educating on trans-specific issues.


Ive read your posts for years on the irsm forum and never knew that.Not that it is relevant.:thumbup1:

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

Ive read your posts for years on the irsm forum and never knew that.Not that it is relevant.:thumbup1:
One of the things that attracted me to the IRSP back in the 1990s is that it had supported equality for lesbians and gays since 1975, the first Irish party to do so. Of course, in 2000, the IRSP explicitly added bisexuals and transgender people to their equality policy. I drafted the motion submitted to the 2000 Ard-Fheis, and was on hand to vote for it and see it passed.

[Engel]

I've encountered a few instances of implicit transphobia, both online (e.g. RevLeft) and in real-life. (More online than in real-life actually)

On RevLeft there have even been a few explicit transphobes, but generally they are banned or at least restricted relatively quickly.

Prejudice is the spawn of Ignorance. Generally speaking, those who are more informed do not carry such feelings.

[Die Rote Fahne]

All revolutionary leftists are welcome here. Transgenders are no exception. A comrade is a comrade, a worker a worker.

[NewLeft]

Actually the Socialist Party USA has been supporting gay rights since the 40s, but they reversed their position only after it started getting negative press.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Actually the Socialist Party USA has been supporting gay rights since the 40s, but they reversed their position only after it started getting negative press.

We are talking about Transgendered people here,not gay people.:)

[NewLeft]

We are talking about Transgendered people here,not gay people.:)

I meant to say LGBT, the major proponent (forget her name) was transgendered.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

We are talking about Transgendered people here,not gay people.:)
An important distinction because transpeople have also faced discrimination from some gays and lesbians, and similarly some people who are fine with gays and lesbians can be transphobic.

[Dzerzhinsky's Ghost]

What about the Trans-Africanamerican community or the Trans-Asian community?:confused:

I would assume it's not a slight against Transpersons whom are black or asian more the group was probably formed by Transpersons whom were Latino/a and that's how it all got started to meet the needs of their specific community and what has been set out by their group. I don't think they would only be Latino/a specific and not allow blacks, asians, arabs, etc. into their group or to work with them as well.

[Queercommie Girl]

An important distinction because transpeople have also faced discrimination from some gays and lesbians, and similarly some people who are fine with gays and lesbians can be transphobic.


Well said. Many people are ignorant in the sense that they think transphobia can be completely reduced to homophobia, so that if one supports LGB rights, one must support trans rights too. But this simply isn't true. Some LGB people are indeed transphobic just like some LG people are biphobic and some transsexual people are genderqueer-phobic.

This is why if a socialist organisation or online forum simply states "we oppose all forms of homophobia" one cannot simply assume that they are against transphobia as well.

[Queercommie Girl]

An important distinction because transpeople have also faced discrimination from some gays and lesbians, and similarly some people who are fine with gays and lesbians can be transphobic.

The only thing I would add here is that not only does LGB transphobia exist, trans homophobia (prejudice against LGB people by transgendered people) also exists sometimes, even though it's quantitatively less generally speaking.

Even within the trans community, there is sometimes prejudice against genderqueer people and crossdressers by (fully) transsexual people. And within the LGB community there is antagonism between gays and lesbians, and also LG biphobia (prejudice against bisexuals by lesbians and gays).

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

The only thing I would add here is that not only does LGB transphobia exist, trans homophobia (prejudice against LGB people by transgendered people) also exists sometimes, even though it's quantitatively less generally speaking.

Even within the trans community, there is sometimes prejudice against genderqueer people and crossdressers by (fully) transsexual people. And within the LGB community there is antagonism between gays and lesbians, and also LG biphobia (prejudice against bisexuals by lesbians and gays).
This is all very true. The hierarchy of privilege can be part of the consciousness of LGBT people, too, and it manifests itself in these ways.