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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

The shifting language around the T issue.

107 replies

FloralBunting · 07/06/2019 23:22

Ok, strap in for this one. I share it for the purpose of examining the language, as I try and keep tabs on the way AWAs use terms to shift their argument, and this is replete with things I have been noticing for a while, and some new trends. It will also befuddled and frustrate you, and that's what it is written to do, so you might need a glass of something to get you through it.

First thing - the scorn poured on the 'born in the wrong body' phrasing. We've recognized this one coming for a while, knowing that the Trans movement would be jettisoning the older understandings of gender dysphoria as quick as it could. But the way it's being enacted is to say that the phrase 'born in the wrong body' is the term trans people used because cis people were too stupid to understand the deep concepts involved in 'transness'.

That's significant because 'transness' appears to be an emerging buzzword that I suspect may supplant 'queer' in due course. Cislation is another newer coinage you may come across.

Also, if you really can't face wading through the whole thing, and I wouldn't blame you, this particular bit will tell you the most important message:

Who we are as trans people is often complex, always beautiful, and infinitely boundless. As we have shown, to have our transness codified and limited through the phenomenon of cislation, which substitutes our limitless natures for cisgender peoples’ coherence, is problematic on multiple levels. We also understand that our arguments may be challenging for readers in that we stray from easy solutions and digestible understandings of our trans selves for others to consume. This is intentional, lest we fall into the traps of cislation. Thus, we close our essay with a call for people of all genders — and especially cisgender people — to embrace complexity over a false sense of readability of trans realities.
Embracing our call means focusing not on cis-readability via cislation, but on trans humanity via centering transness in all its boundless potentialities and possibilities. If we care deeply about trans lives, then we need to recognize that the promotion of a nonbinary/binary trans dichotomy does more harm than good.

Yes, that's right, please remember that trans people are so very much more complex and beautiful than 'cis' people, and the most important thing that cis people can do is centre transness in everything.

medium.com/national-center-for-institutional-diversity/not-another-gender-binary-a-call-for-complexity-over-cis-readability-d9eaefdcefc2

Now, as tempting as it is to rip this into confetti, it is useful to be aware of what is going on out there is the land of meaningless babble, where the removal of women's rights is just one glorious step in the boundless vision of transness.

OP posts:
FloralBunting · 07/06/2019 23:54

Except you could, and we call it established religion. Everyone seems to understand that it's ok to reject the authority of religion. But they still need their priests and gurus and idols to bow to.

Scary how it works, isn't it?

OP posts:
HerFemaleness · 07/06/2019 23:49

It is very cultish language. The thinking behind it is clear. Only the faithful (i.e trans) have the esoteric knowledge necessary to unlock the divine mysteries (trans whateverness). Secular (cis) people are not blessed with this secret knowledge so are unable to comprehend the the mystical beauty that is the reality of the faithful.

Unbeliever and secularists should stop demanding a coherent narrative but should accept that the believers just have sooper seekrit speshul knowledge and because of this should be centered in all things and at all times.

You. Couldn't. Make. This. Shit. Up.

LangCleg · 07/06/2019 23:40
Grin
FloralBunting · 07/06/2019 23:34

Lang, you so and so, I still haven't worked that one out.Grin

And yes dancingcamper, this isn't about discussing the merits of these ideas - clearly it's all fucking bananas. But I've always found it useful to know how the cult language shifts as a control mechanism - because if you're still arguing about 'trans' being born in the wrong body, for example, you need to know that the adherents are leaving those terms behind.

OP posts:
JellySlice · 07/06/2019 23:30

Cake! Cake! Cake!

(Did nobody ever tell them that you can't have your cake and eat it?)

LangCleg · 07/06/2019 23:29

Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.

dancingcamper · 07/06/2019 23:27

It just shows that whenever babble like that occurs we need to go back to basics. They can talk as much as they like about their perceptions and feelings but none of that trumps biology.

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