11-18-2009, 02:39 PM | #101 |
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Medusa, your post is very powerful and speaks very clearly to how all of this has played out over the years. Thank you so much for your post.
What I said yesterday was that having male identified people in a primarily female queer space introduces power dynamics, hierarchies, privileges, etc that would not be there- in the same way- if male identified people were not there, just as white people being in a group of people is different than if it was a community that was made up of all people of color. Does that mean I think that male identified people shouldn't be here? No, it does not. Does it mean I think male identified people are to blame entirely for the hierarchies, the erasure, the misogyny that has taken place. No, I do not. We have all played a role in it. However, I believe that male identified people have a responsibility to recognize that their presence does make an impact and it absolutely has to do with how male is valued over female- in society and in queer communities. The fact that transmen have their own struggles does not lessen this fact. I believe transphobia stems from misogyny as well. |
11-18-2009, 03:14 PM | #102 | |
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I want to thank you more than words can truly convey.
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I've been out for 30 years, and only online has this been an issue for me -- not because people don't refer to me as "he" in the real world, but because within my own butch-femme community I never thought I'd have to fight to be seen for who I am. I'm tired of this conversation, and yet I know it needs to take place if only to help butches who are still coming out realize that it's okay to retain a female identity without having their "butchness" questioned, scrutinized, or devalued. (If that identity is what is true for them.) And in no way does that (or should that) discount those who male-ID; it just doesn't allow that to be the default. Do I believe it's a product of internalized homophobia and/or misogyny? Yes, most likely in many cases; however, generally I believe it is more a result of habit. Habits can be broken and should be if they're detrimental. This nasty habit has erased many and created an aritificial, bullshit hierarchy that is detrimental to our cohesion as a community online. I'm swamped with work presently and should not even be on here reading, let alone posting, but I just had to publicly express my gratitude for your ownership of your actions and your perspective on how this can be addressed. in admiration and respect, Beau, who'd really prefer to be "just butch" |
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11-18-2009, 04:34 PM | #103 | |
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I believe the automatic he, hy/she-ing has more often been the fault/responsibility of the butches who actually identified as female and their partners who participated in and/or allowed this to go on without speaking up. See, I do not and will not ever believe that the number of transmasculine folks compares. It can't have been that they were enforcing this behavior via the terrible power of misogyny. And like Medusa, I have been guilty of doing it myself - in a relationship where it went on for some time until we both looked at each other and asked, "Why?" Even she didn't know. It seemed the thing to do, and harmless enough. (It wasn't.) I have witnessed both you and Bulldog fight for your own recognition, however, and I was always and still am glad for this. What I argue here is what seems like a false dichotomy. I disagree that we can compare queer people or born-female-bodied ones who inhabit male space/identity as the Oppressor. As He Who Must Examine His Misogynist Tendencies More Than Us. It sets him apart. And I believe that 'setting apart' is the rub. Most transpeople, to my mind, are not receiving privilege. Not in this space, and not in any other. I disbelieve even an online space allows for it. I call the notion that they are misandry. Transphobia, possibly. I don't know. But it feels...wrong. We have all had these discussions before. I want every woman here - butch or no - to be recognized. I have always felt this way. But I also do not want to see an 'othering' take place where transfolk are somehow shouldering the responsibility of the misogyny that was born of a patriarchy that does not even allow for their existence.
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11-18-2009, 04:57 PM | #104 | |
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This is great news. When I was new on another site I got the impression that male pronouns were the default for butches, and because I am masculine-identified that suited me just fine. It wasn't until years later that I realized that was not okay with some people. It has been difficult to know how to refer to folks, and having this specified I hope will have a significant impact on valuing all butches.
In reading over this thread, one thing jumped out at me. I don't know how prevalent this is, but I actually do not identify as female or male. Now, biologically I am female (sex) but when female and male are used to define gender I don't use either. I see it as once again falling into a binary. I identify as masculine, I have masculine energy, but I am not male. A butch friend once described himself as FTNF - female to not female - which really resonates with me. The act of not identifying as female (gender) but not identifying as male either. Binaries suck, because they seldom, if ever, work. Quote:
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11-18-2009, 07:32 PM | #105 |
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D U S A ! ! !
I love you baby...........thank you so much for speaking up....that was hard to do and I, for one, really appreciate that you did..........the role of femmes in the male pronoun default has always been on my mind..... ---------- e I will have to come back to you. I am recovering from pneumonia and still have huge amounts of drugs in my system and my brain can hardly put a paragraph together.... oh yeah.....I think I disagree with you..........even after you further explained.... and thank you for the apology..... |
11-18-2009, 07:59 PM | #106 | ||
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When I first read this post, I wanted to rep you, BullDog, for drawing attention to the importance for all masculine peoples (I'm sticking with the general here) to examine masculinity and how we wear/utilize it. I have spent a number of years consciously examining my masculinity in an effort to better understand the creature that I am, and so that I might more fluidly navigate a world that does not understand me without feeling perpetually ill at ease and misunderstood. Then I got to this last paragraph. To put it bluntly, I felt a door closing. The door not solely to this thread, but to this site. Now, I know you weren't addressing me in particular and that I should know better than to take your statements personally. But I did. Your statement felt exclusionary. Your statement said, “In this female queer space, you are a tolerated outsider.” (There is a fundamental fallacy in the term “female queer space” in that this is not identified as “female queer space,” but I think that’s already been addressed.) What it feels like is that we (male identified) should have to justify our presence here. I resent feeling like I need to reveal parts of my history in order to be validated; like I should pull down my pants and show you my bits so we can see how “alike” we all are. I struggle constantly with trying to reconcile my life – my history, accomplishments, journies – with where I am today. I believed this was one place – and this is relevant to the thread title – where butches would understand; where I could be accepted as just butch. What a lot of this feels like to me - this unwarranted saddling of male-id’ed butches with male privilege – is to place us in the position of oppressor. Really? Not so much. Because while I don’t disagree that there are circumstances in which female identified butches might feel invisible or have to fight to be seen as who they are, maybe we need to examine who is responsible for that, because, to quote Johnny Cash, it ain’t me, babe. See, I just see butch. I don’t subscribe to hierarchal thinking, it’s rubbish, and anyone who does subscribe to it needs some serious educating. Not lines drawn, not us/them speak, not victim/oppressor posturing. Last night, I wanted to ask to whom you addressed the following, “You can't just be here to get fluffed up and be told how manly you are.” Personally, I’m hoping you are fair minded enough to recognize that is a statement that applies equally to butches of all flavors, it is hardly unique to male-id’ed butches. And then I thought, well, here goes another "butch (inclusive) thread turning into a gender identity war." That hadn't happened here yet. Now, I'm not blaming you for that simply because you were the first person to feel it necessary to draw some sort of line distinguishing "types" of butch. I suppose those of us who take issue with your post could simply have remained silent; just taken our invisibility and sat there quietly with it. Quote:
This feels incredibly dismissive to me: "It isn't just about what privilege people may or may not receive out in the world at large..." It's dismissive of male-identified/trans butches who have not one whiff of male privilege out in the world at large, and worse, it's dismissive of the shared experience of ALL butches. This thread, which got off to a rocky start, and may have been ill-conceived to begin with, was about what we relate to among ourselves - as butches. No modifiers necessary.
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11-18-2009, 08:00 PM | #107 | ||
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I don't know how deep I'll be in these particular conversations, I'm kind of getting into "just being" these days w/o having to explain it at every turn... and a bit tired too. That said I do still feel invested in these particular issues, so we'll see. Peace, Metro
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11-18-2009, 08:06 PM | #108 |
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Mister Bent I read your post and wouldn't really even know where to begin. You certainly don't appear to understand at all what I am talking about.
Best wishes to you- sincerely meant. |
11-18-2009, 08:13 PM | #109 | |
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I think it's unfortunate that you don't want to take ownership for the power of what you said, perhaps because you can't understand that your statements were as exclusionary as those of which you accuse others? I won't presume to understand your reasons. You have, however, again been dismissive. This method of non-discourse and discounting another's ability to understand is a further means by which to exclude.
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11-18-2009, 08:25 PM | #110 |
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I took time to watch the video today... love google video! Luckily so does my brother, so I passed along "tough guise" for his evaluation as well.
Briefly? it's fucking powerful. A very well done documentary, and hats off to the maker of it. I posted it on facebook as well. It's in my mind, a "must see" for all genders, even if the focus is on cisgendered boys and men. If I was a cocky sob (which I'm not - honest!) I'd make every single questioning, pre-everything trans-masculine identified person watch that video and fuckin' learn something. Peace! -PapaC |
11-18-2009, 08:50 PM | #111 | |
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11-18-2009, 08:52 PM | #112 | |
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11-18-2009, 08:59 PM | #113 | |
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Kinda wish all mothers would make their sons watch it... Just like I wish all teenage boys had to read All's Quiet on the Western Front" |
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11-18-2009, 09:10 PM | #114 | ||
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When I was in grade school , my dad would tease me and tell my friends I was queer... One day my uncle said..."Tommi is butch, get used to it". So, at 13 I told my 14 year old girlfriend I was Butch. She smiled and said, oh, good your not queer...and , it has been fun ever since.. |
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11-19-2009, 12:57 AM | #115 | |
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I do not understand how I - as a male identified butch have any responsibility to you or anyone other than kindness and respect as a human. I do not think I have any more of an impact in a community online or rt than anyone else. And if I do have some kind of an impact that is more - more whatever than anyone else then isn't it the person's own personal shit that gives it more meaning than than it is mine? I simply don't get it. What you wrote pisses me off. I feel like I need to walk some kind of tight rope around female identified butches. I feel like it's not ok to be me. I direct this specifically to you Bulldog and I'd appreciate it if no one else jumps in cause this is between her and me please. Am I personalizing this? Cause I truly feel like you're attacking male identified butches. Honestly, I feel like you hate male identified butches. I honestly feel like you feel margonalized by our very presence and in turn try to silence us. Perhaps I take your words too personally. But after I read your posts I'm almost always angry. I'm not attacking you - I truly want you to understand that. I'm sure you must be a good person and I say that with all sincerity. So look at this post as someone honestly trying to get it please. If you and I - a male identified butch and a female identified butch walk into a room and people treat me differently than you - how does that reflect on me? How is that my fault? I do not understand how you can hold me accountable to someone elses actions or consequently their reactions. If society has raised them to listen to the masculine over the feminine - how is that my fault? Should you not be having this conversation with the people who treat us differently - like femmes or whoever? rather than me/other male id'ed butches? Have male id'ed butches treated you differently or has it been other people who id differently that have made you feel margonalized next to us? And male privilege? Again, I don't think you need to be posting to me or other male id'ed butches because we cannot give privilege to ourselves! And when you say stuff like this it honestly makes me feel shunned, dismissed, silenced. Again, to be clear, I'm not attacking you - I'm trying to explain how I feel and I wonder if there's something I'm missing? I do understand that you feel margonalized perhaps silenced too. But after reading your posts I feel like you point the finger at male identified butches instead of the people who have actually margonalized and silenced you. Again, I want to be clear, I'm not writing this in anger - there is no anger in the tone behind my words, but more frustration than anything. I honestly want to understand what or if I'm missing something. Sincerely Shark
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11-19-2009, 04:25 AM | #116 | |
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11-19-2009, 06:50 AM | #117 | |
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Don't Ask Don't Tell
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I heard that it's going to be required reading before you get your high school diploma. How misleading Thread Titles can be: ...only another Butch would understand. Pleeeaseeeeee I don't understand this turmoil. Reminds me of the TV shows where the gangs separate off while behind bars and condemn one another for being different. We are a mere dot on the spectrum of this diversity rainbow. AND TO THOSE POSTERS ABOVE , whether you know, accept me or not... It makes me heartsick to see us act like my Bio family did when they threw me away, and how society talked and tried to stomp out my light for 40 years. I have fought to live as ME since I was 2 and a half. I do mean fought to live. I am one of the earlier Butch warriors here on this planet. Some of you know my life story, have met my bio famliy, and know the miracles of me still being alive, and being loved or rejected, I became ME, and don't need approval ratings. I do know we should live, let live and appreciate every day, that we have the freedom to be here and to post to one another. Maybe, only when that freedom has been taken away, as mine had been, can we really understand, and extend the hand of friendship and acceptance to all. Thanks for the respectful post shark, and to those who discovered the peaceful place called the Planet. I think I'm taking my toys and looking for another playground for now. Tommi |
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11-19-2009, 07:38 AM | #118 | |
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I am butch. Masculine is much more valued than feminine- both in society and in butch femme circles. I didn't ask it to be that way, but I still feel it's my responsibility to be aware of that, to speak up, and to be a strong ally to femmes. Not only because I love femmes but also because of this inequity that exists. I have an extra responsibility because of it. I don't go around crying it's not my fault. I have done my best over the years and will continue to do so. It mystifies me that male identified people are saying they don't have a responsibility to be aware of their surroundings and how being male identified can impact others, particularly when they are in a community of primarily female people. I am absolutely mystified. Taking personal responsibility and being aware of how your presence and participation in a community may impact others- it certainly appears to be a dying and lost art. |
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11-19-2009, 08:21 AM | #119 | |
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Metro
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Last edited by Jett; 11-19-2009 at 08:23 AM. |
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11-19-2009, 08:27 AM | #120 | |
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ETA: I think male priviledge is a very fickle thing when it comes to butches, and we all should take a look before just absolving ourselves of the need to check it based on other injustices we may receive as butches.
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Last edited by Jett; 11-19-2009 at 09:03 AM. |
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