Tuesday:

·         (Readings for Tuesday):

o   Check out fuckyeahftmsofcolor.tumblr.com, just look/read/reflect personally

o   3 chapters from “She’s Not There” by Jennifer Boylan:

§  “Hurricane Ethel,” 10 pages (explains coming out to self)

§  “Wibbly Wobbly,” 13 pages (coming out to wife)

§  “Boygirl,” 25 pages (coming out to kids)

·         Pre-class: reflect on last week J

·         Intro activity: first experiences of gender

o   Write privately for 5 minutes on the first time you experienced gender (broadly defined)

§  Became aware of gender, were punished for transgressing gender, questioned gender, had gender questioned, had gender expression challenged/enforced

o   Open to group: Share for 10-15 minutes (depending on quality of discussion)

·         Definitions of transgender (10 minutes)

o   Leanna knows this :P

·         Discussion of “She’s Not There” readings (20-30 minutes)

o   Thoughts to throw out if discussion is quiet:

§  Coming out to straight wife as female

§  Children being raised with a famously trans* author

o   Highlight idea of gay and trans* only having in common that we are beat up by the same people

·         Cross-cultural conceptions of trans* identities (20-30 minutes)

o   Hijra (select quotes from “With respect to sex: negotiating hijra identity in South India” by Gayatri Reddy)

o   Kathoey (select quotes from “What Made Me This Way? Contrasting Reflections by Thai and Filipina Transwomen” by Sam Winter)

o   Incorporate discussion of American interactions with other trans* culture (“Ladyboys,” sex tourism, imperialism)

·         “Reflection:” a theme song for transgender youth

o   Watch on Youtube; students should just watch (3 minutes)

o   Private written reflection: what resonated with you in that song? (4 minutes)

o   Groups of 3-5: Discuss what resonated (5-7 minutes)

o   Groups of 3-5: discuss whether that song was more MtF, FtM, or something else/more/both (project lyrics on screen) (3 minutes)

·         Engaging with data: “Injustice at Every Turn”

o   Hand out the executive summary to every group, let them read/absorb, then choose top 3 most shocking statistics (6 minutes)

o   Each group picks one of the their statistics and (for 15-20 minutes)

§  Analyzes what went into the question and what could have been asked

§  Considers what role other identities (racial, religious, national, sexuality) played in those statistics

§  Consider whose data wasn’t collected for this survey

§  Briefly, think about what questions we can ask to begin healing these statistics

o   Share with group at large, discussions and conclusions and hopes (10-20 minutes)

Thursday:

·         Pre-class: reflect on last week

·         Pre-movie: Trans Murder Monitoring Project

o   Show the interactive map of murders of trans* people since 2008 (2-4 minutes)

o   Highlight both areas with lots of reporting (Brazil) and little reporting (all of Africa), discuss why some are reporting and not others, consider murders vs. suicides (15 minutes)

o   Class as a whole discusses news reports of murdered trans* people, how they are treated by reporters (10 minutes)

·         Movie: Boys Don’t Cry (120 minutes)

o   Trigger warning? Mark has traditionally not done so, but this movie… phew

·         Post-movie: (15 minutes)

o   Discuss reaction to the film

o   MPAA objected more to the portrayal of the consensual sex scenes that showed female pleasure than the brutal rapes

o   Brandon was buried as Teena

o   People in the real-life murder suing, hiding

o   Miles Walser slam poem about Brandon: “Oscar-worthy murder”

§  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DYLa7tn8MlM

·         Homework: write a letter to one of the characters in the film (does not need to be Brandon, could be his girlfriend, his murderers/rapists, his mother, etc.) to be posted on Tumblr

How can we stand in solidarity with communities without appropriating or infantilizing?

What space for redemption exists for those who exploit the identities of others?

Realistically, how can we manifest our visions of the future when we are still bound under the United States government?

Why do we feel the need to compare/rank oppressions? What are we really looking for?

What is the best way to deal with well-meaning but hapless allies?

Can someone identify as an ally? Is this a title that they must earn? Can they lose this status? Who decides whether they have earned it or not?

How can we hold those responsible for our suffering accountable without creating a ‘witch hunt?’ Would a hostile search for oppressors be justified?

Can someone identify as an ally? Is this a title that they must earn? Can they lose this status? Who decides whether they have earned it or not?

            This is a question that I grapple with regularly. There are a lot of people in my world who self-identify as a transgender ally, and who by comparison with the rest of the world they are absolutely affirming. Is it enough to treat trans* people like human beings, is that all you have to do to be an ally to our community? When I think about the people who I think, in their heart of hearts, actually give a damn about trans* equality and rehumanization, I could probably count them on one hand, maybe two. Everyone else goes through the motions and checks off the checklist of ‘Here’s how to be a trans* ally,’ but I’m not convinced that this is enough to truly deserve the title. If they hadn’t run into me and didn’t consider me a friend, I don’t think they would make more than token efforts at trans* inclusivity.

            I feel like ‘ally’ should be an active verb rather than a passive noun. “I ally myself with this community” rather than “I am an ally to this community.”  Especially considering the importance of self-identifying in modern liberation movements, allowing ‘ally’ to be an identity seems risky. “I identify as an ally” does not leave room for critique, but “I do my best to ally myself” does. Construction it as a verb rather than a noun emphasizes that alliance is not just a mindset, it is action; it is not just action, it is a mindset. The two must be linked. Going through the motion of alliance without understanding why it is important results in a hollow identification, whereas understanding the theory without implementing or fighting for any sort of positive change with that community is equally unhealthy and unhelpful.  I might label myself an anti-racist (an ally to people of color) but if I do not actively deconstruction and challenge systems of racial oppression, instead only committing myself to this mindset, do I deserve to pat myself on the back?

            I’ve noticed a trend of delegimization of alliance in my queer organizing circles. Saying “I’m an ally” has increasingly been used as a nonchalant expression of approval. “I think I’m going to go study in the library for four hours,” says one activist, to which another replies, “I’m an ally, you’ll get a lot done there.” I’m guilty of this as well. On one hand it can be seen as a rejection of alliance, but it is also a critique of the ease with which people slip into an identity of alliance. If one can so simply claim the label, does it mean anything? I’m inclined to think no.

            If we want to continue with a non-separatist politic (and I’m not convinced that is a valid assumption) and engage with people who do not belong to communities but support them, we need more of a protocol for incorporating and supporting their involvement. Merely identifying as an ally may provide a safe space for a marginalized person to seek, but unless that alliance becomes an active verb (in any myriad form), it rings hollow. 

So, today is my birthday, which means I can have some Real Talk and get away with it. If you want to give me a gift, read this, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. If it’s hard for you to read, understand that it’s a lot harder for me to write.

I’m 20 now. People keep asking me, “how are you going to celebrate your birthday?” The reality is that birthdays aren’t always something to celebrate in my community. Being 20 means that I can statistically expect about 1100 more days left alive—at least, that’s our best guess, because no organizations with resources consider us worth studying. I’m one of the privileged who can hope to outlast that—I have access to resources as a Stanford student that so many of my peers do not.

What does a birthday mean to a community that has suicide attempt rates in excess of 50%? Is it worth celebrating 20 years on the planet when I have been able to live as Leanna for less than two? When I was born, my parents were told, “It’s a boy!” and I had to survive under that—why would I celebrate that? It makes a lot more sense to me to celebrate the day I began living as Leanna, or the day I started hormones, or (eventually) the day I have surgery.

So, yes, I made it 20 years. I’m very grateful for the people who’ve made it possible for me to make it this long, and for the people who will continue to lift me up when I fall down. I really mean that.

The sad part is that I know a lot of my cisgender friends will read this and shake their heads and say, “Why can’t you be happy for just one day? Just for today, stop worrying about this! Just be Leanna!” And you know what I say to that? “I wish I could.”

I appreciate all of the well wishes and the kind words. I just want you to understand everything that’s wrapped up in the words “Happy Birthday.” 

(With special thanks for Mark Gonzales for showing me how to use my voice.)

Gender Justice/Gender Violence

 
Multimedia
  1.      An excerpt from Jennifer Boylan’s comic trans autobiography, “She’s Not There”. https://www.colby.edu/personal/j/jfboylan/snt_excerpt.htm
  2.      “Reflection,” from Mulan; unofficially the anthem of transgender youth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A_Rl8aQxII
   3.      A tumblr for FTM-identified people of color, user-submitted rolling content http://fuckyeahftmsofcolor.tumblr.com/

Five statistics
   1.      A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population, with rates rising for those who lost a job due to bias (55%), were harassed/bullied in school (51%), had low household income, or were the victim of physical assault (61%) or sexual assault (64%) (Injustice at Every Turn, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force)

 
   2.      Black transgender people live in extreme poverty with 34% reporting a household income of less than $10,000/year. This is more than twice the rate for transgeder people of all races (15%), four times the general Black population rate (9%) and over eight times the general US population rate (4%). (Injustice at Every Turn: A Look at Black Respondents, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force)

   3.      Black transgender people are affected by HIV in devastating numbers. Over one-fifth of Black respondents were HIV-positive (20.23%) and an additional 10% reported that they did not know their status. This compares to rates of 2.63% for transgender respondents of all races, 2.4% for the general Black population, and 0.60% of the general US population. (Injustice at Every Turn: A Look at Black Respondents, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force)

   4.      Half (50%) of Black transgender people said they had been compelled to sell drugs or do sex work for income at some point in their lives (Injustice at Every Turn: A Look at Black Respondents, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force).

   5.      Those who expressed a transgender identity or gender non-conformity while in grades K-12 reported alarming rates of harassment (78%), physical assault (35%) and sexual violence (12%); harassment was so severe that it led almost one-sixth (15%) to leave a school in K-12 settings or in higher education. (Injustice at Every Turn, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force)

Bonus 6.: While little official data is available, our community’s best estimate of life expectancy for transgender people is 23 years.