Laverne Cox – Jaye Em Edgecliff

There was an article I found on Facebook, shared it too as I recall. The Best Way to Change Minds: Come Out, Stay Out, and Speak Out.

Of particular note, for me, is the first paragraph:

Last week my friend, Professor Jenny Boylan of Barnard College, penned an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times entitled “Trans Community Can Change Minds by Changing Discourse.” I think it’s very important that our scholars are finally being provided with a platform to reach a far wider audience, and Jenny is one of our most articulate spokeswomen. It’s also important to note that — gasp! — trans women are Ivy League college professors. I will even go so far as to say that what she said is less important than the fact that she is published in The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. That will have a great impact on accomplishing what she stressed as the goal of her piece: changing the nature of the public discourse around trans persons and the experience of being trans.

Now, of course, it’s about the transgender community. Applicability, a word I learnt from the late Professor J R R Tolkien‘s lovely writings on the subject of storytelling, though means it says so very much more. Amazing how much storytelling and life can have in common if you take a moment to look around and see it.

I’m rather torn on the subject myself. This is why I hope this will be a discussion in the comments. It’d be interesting to see the varied opinions and discourse on the matter. I’m a private person. I don’t like, as I’ve said before, giving details about myself. I’ve no problem standing up for people. Race, sexuality, gender expression, gender identity … we’re all people. I stand up for people because first off, it just seems the right thing to do. None of my business if someone is a woman, man, or other. Doesn’t matter the slightest to me if they’re Buddhist, Pagan, Jew, Christian, Islamic, or pray before an old Pepsi can from 1973. I certainly can’t imagine being too upset about anything that two or more consenting people might like to do with/to one another. Above all else, I’m not going to say that someone doesn’t deserve the same rights as anyone else just because of who it is that they love and find attractive.

My point is; do people in the public eye – authors, actors, politicians, etc. – do we have some obligation to be out? And out about any of it. Out about being heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, pepsisexual, transgender, transvestite, transatlantic, or transmitted; anything. Does it matter?

I do feel that we should certainly speak our minds if we’re willing and able. I’m somewhat able and somewhat willing, so I do. But that’s not because of our being public. I think that’s just a very good and human thing to do. If you want to be objectivist about it and find some self-serving reason for it then how about Martin Niemöller‘s words:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Should it matter if you are gay or trans*? Should it matter if I am? Your cousin? Should it be enough that you don’t feel that anyone should ever be treated as less than human?

So I do, I ask: am I right or wrong? Is it enough to speak out, even if I will not come out cis/trans/queer, gay/straight/bi/other? I am out on one point: I’m an out redhead and an out woman. I’m also an out writer (exceedingly vague reference to The Notebooks of Lazarus Long). Does it add some weight to what I say if I am Cis or if I’m trans? If I’m gay or straight?

The article seems to think so. At least taken in an extrapolated form. To be fair, the article itself isn’t talking so much about the Laverne Coxes, the Ellen Pages, the George Takeis of the world. It’s talking about the guy who bags your groceries, the woman who delivers your mail, etc. It’s about advocating by simple example. By not isolating yourself, as a trans person, estranged from anyone who ever knew you as your assigned gender to begin fresh and reborn as your true gender in another town all alone … It points out that, if no one can really identify with an issue, put a real face and person to it they’re not really going to feel much point in supporting the cause. Little girls like Jazz, women like Laverne Cox; they may seem unreal to people, or isolated curiosities. George Takei and Ellen DeGeneres; same thing. They plant the seed, the curiosity, the vocabulary. They shout the issues from the rooftops, but the ones who prove them right are the gay parents at the PTA conference for their’s daughters’ school; it’s the little boy struggling to be allowed to play for the boys’ team instead of the girls’; it’s your trans brother and your lesbian sister-in-law, your bi cousin. That point I don’t argue with. Those who know me I’m out about my sexuality with, my marital status, etc. What I can’t seem to make up my mind about is this: does it matter in either direction to the public?

Funny I should say this, given my post about representation, but I guess it comes down to this: representation in my work exists. I’d assume that my characters present far more valid role models than myself. You get to know them, you see their thoughts, dreams, hopes, fears, all of that – you share a bond with them. Me? What am I? A dyslexic typist who happens to occasionally take it into her head to string several English words together in something like a logical and coherent order. Does this make me the kind of public figure whose personal details matters for representing anything or anyone? I can paint landscapes populated by cis/trans/queer alike, homo/hetero/bi/pan/a whatever, but I can do that regardless my gender, race, height, weight, bust size, inseam, zodiac sign, sexuality, etc.

Still, perhaps I’m wrong. I’d love to hear what others think: does my sexuality, gender-status, marital status, etc. matter? Never mind me specifically, I mean anyone. Does J K Rowlings’? Does Stephen King’s? George R R Martin’s? Neil Gaiman‘s?

Is it me or is that a long list of Caucasian, cisgender, heterosexual people? Look, writing as a profession or even hobby doesn’t actually need representation, does it?! I mean, the anonymity of the pen/keyboard? How many authors use pseudonyms! I mean … people know this right? I mean were I gay or bi or whatever, that wouldn’t make a difference to whether or not some little girl who falls in love with my books decides to take up the quill and tell her own tales … would it?

Damn, now I can actually see arguments both ways. Stupid blogpost … bad blogpost, no cookies!

Life would be so much easier if humanity weren’t so caught up on the idea of finding reasons to look down on one another. I mean, aside from obvious ones like rape, murder, theft … people are starving, and there’re religious groups spending money and energy on fighting the legality of Portia and Ellen’s marriage. Really?!

Still, these comments are no less moderated than any others. Your comment won’t show up unless you have a previously approved comment or unless I hit the magical, mystical approval button. But, you know, discuss away. Between the comments and my own soul searching, maybe I’ll get around to writing up some kind of bio about myself. Maybe I won’t. I’m still leaning to “it doesn’t matter”, besides … could turn out I’m just as status quo as Ms Rowling; at least with the silence there’s a mystique.

Letter to the editor: Transgender lives matter (trentonian.com)
What’s stopping the spread of gender-neutral restrooms? (mydoorsign.com)
TV Legends Revealed: Is Laverne Cox Really the First Openly Transgender Emmy Nominee? (spinoff.comicbookresources.com)
Six Questions for Transgender Rights Advocate Mara Keisling (abcnews.go.com)
This Week in Misogyny: You Won’t Believe What Happens Next Week! (persephonemagazine.com)

I’ve been thinking very hard about something recently.

Time magazine has been receiving a lot of flak for calling trans the next civil rights frontier of America. Even I criticised this on my Facebook page. But while there were numerous other reasons to criticise the article, I believe this is one thing it was dead right on; albeit I think it’s the new worldwide issue, not just America. There may be legal recognition of 3-5 genders in parts of former Persia and in India and Thailand might have no problem with its ladyboys (hey, literal translation and one that those ladies who speak English from there prefer or don’t mind), but by and large it’s a struggle abroad, too.

Thing is, the criticism is that it makes it seem like the fight is over for women, for races, for homosexuals. It’s not, no, but the battle there has evolved and has momentum; it ain’t won, but it’s a matter of time, winning is becoming inevitable. Trans is sort of the new kid, our battles began … when would you like to say? With the fops and dandies of a bygone era? With the 20th century? Somewhere in the 19th? History is fun that way, depending how you want to interpret a question the answer could actually be since before we came down from the trees.

I was thinking about this because I wondered why so many of the things lately I’ve been seeing, sharing, talking about, etc. have been trans-rights. I realised because it is the new war for equality. Trans has had it’s battles, its skirmishes, but that was the underground, viva la resistance! Now it’s armies at war, now it’s faces like the young Jazz or the beautiful and talented Laverne Cox, now it’s something that is in the news every freaking day in some fashion or another. Now it’s on the cover of Time Magazine! Racial equality, women’s rights, gay rights? These have fought those battles. Kirk & Uhura kissed on national TV. Babylon 5 had a woman pope and president to say nothing of the force of nature which was Ivanova! Will & Grace?

Legally these wars are won. Note, though, I said legally. The need for an equal pay act isn’t a question of legal victory, it’s the get legal protection from a social ill. It’d be a legal victory if there was a law specifying women earn less than men; it’s a form of the Affirmative Action laws which made it law that society give blacks a chance so that they could take advantage of the elimination of the laws that kept them in second class status. Gay marriage is a legal win, and one that 20 of 50 states have been won in! Numerous countries have bowed out of that war and homosexuals have their rights — other fronts are still a bloody and brutal battle; some parts of the Middle-East, for example.

To say that transgender isn’t the new fight, isn’t the new war, isn’t the new frontier isn’t to invalidate the fighting for it that has already happened, nor does it say word one to deny that other civil rights battles haven’t and aren’t still in process of being fought. It just says that the battles are big, public, and people are actually aware of them now. More importantly the fights are being won! Before the fights were more to do with small measures of acceptance from this employer, from that family member, from this friend … now bottom surgery is slowly disappearing from the laws governing changing the gender on ID; now little by little gender-identity is being specified as a protected status – and if you think that isn’t important, talk to a homeless transgender person who can’t get even a job at McDonald’s and who has been denied housing, has been turned away from shelters … except maybe you can’t because odds are now the poor woman or man is dead, murdered for being who he or she is and in a few too many cases it was discovered because as ever when a group is marginalised so thoroughly — they turned to prostitution, and unless whoring is legal with nice safe and clean brothels to work in … well … not a happy scene.

I believe wholly that all people regardless race, religion, gender, sex, orientation, etc. are people. Some people are good, some are bad, some contribute better to society than others — but that’s because of who they are, not what they are. Catholics can be amazing people or utter twats; I’ve known Asians that were the most fantastic people you’ll ever meet and others who were the most hateful and horrible people; same with gay, trans, men/women/other … truly it matters not because labels don’t make someone bad or good, they just help us communicate things like “she prefers the ladies”, “he has a kind of reddish tint to his skin” and so on; our actions and our words make us good or bad people that’s what makes us “oh, he is such a saint!” or “God, she was Satan in her past life”.

So I suppose the answer to why I’ve shared so much related to trans is simply that besides the latest news on the latest fight won, the war for gay equality and the fight for women’s equality and the fight for racial equality … no, they’re not over, but they’re not news! We all know that battle is still being fought and what the issues are. The odd reminder now and then keeps the fight alive, the celebrating of the next milestone victory let’s us know yet another checkbox on the to-do list has been filled. Thing is I’m an author of teen fiction. I’m not an Advocate, this blog isn’t for promoting anything but myself and my work — and to fill in the time in-between that purpose I ramble and subject you all to the inner-workings of my psyche — it’s on Human Rights Campaign‘s website, or on George Takei‘s Facebook page, or Lizzie the Lezzie’s blog/Facebook that one can find a constant barrage of “this fight is being fought” “there’s a pride parade over here!” “oh bloody hell! can you believe someone actually said this to me today?!”. If you want live, up-to-the minute coverage of women’s rights, gay rights, racial rights, and even trans rights this is not the place to find that, those other places are. I’ll just share the news that catches my attention and right now the important part of that word, ‘new’, is the inroads that trans rights have suddenly found itself making. I am, for the time being, celebrating that. I think it’s beautiful and wonderful.