some things you basically can't do if you're (pre-op) transgender

[sophiaserpentia]

Virtually all ideologies and institutions are devoted to a gender binary that has no room at all for people who do not fit it. As a result all facilities, processes, and designs are made in ways which are completely blind of the needs of people in transition. This makes a lot of things difficult, risky, or essentially impossible to do if you are pre-op or non-op transgender. Here's a few of them; people are welcome to add more in comments.

• Travel on an airline. If existing procedures didn't make it fraught with risk, imagine what it will be like after the TSA finishes installing new scanners which basically see right through all layers of clothing.


• Pee in public. I've heard too many accounts of run-ins with rude, ignorant, transphobic security guards to ever feel safe doing this, even in nominally trans-friendly spaces. Actually, this can even happen to cisgender people, if they are perceived as trans, as happened in two high-profile cases in the last year.


• Swim in public. Unless you don't care if a wet bathing suit makes you non-passable, or you've taken extra heroic measures to compensate.


• Fall in love with someone you meet at random. Meet someone you really dig at work, or in an online forum, or at a bar? Unless they just happen to be one of the few people who are willing to consider a transperson as a viable romantic partner, they are going to reject you when you have "The Talk."


• Work out at the gym. Unless you can arrange special locker room and shower facilities, this could be very complicated.

Comments

[goldoyster.livejournal.com]

I don't understand why the bathroom would be an issue if the person just goes into a stall. The falling in love one must REALLY suck :( Most people are rejected anyway, but to have that extra factor makes it so much harder I can imagine.

[liminalia.livejournal.com]

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5696

This person was born female and used the women's room and still got harassed and called "it". People are assholes to those who do not conform. Even on this liberal blog, some of the commenters basically said, "If she's not dressed feminine enough, what does she expect?"

too many words

[goldoyster.livejournal.com]

:(

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

Reading the article about the new scanners made me angry. Not so much at the device itself, but at how willing most people are to give up their privacy without questions.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

I wonder how many people even know these machines are being used. But, yes, they are definitely infuriating on that level too.

[gesundyke]

http://ishottheserif.livejournal.com/771044.html

I posted more information here. and it's now a public post.

[dorothy-android.livejournal.com]

Are you about to have an operation? If so good luck.
What exactly does cisgender mean?

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

I'm not about to, no. I'm sure when and if i ever go that route i will write a lot of angst here about it.

The word "cisgender" was first used during the mid-90's (by someone who was not herself transgender, or so i recall reading somewhere) to mean, basically, not transgender. The idea is to make it possible to talk about people's gender identity in a way that doesn't focus only on transpeople as the "marked" or "modified" or "deficient" class and everyone else (the cisgender population) as normal.

[akycha.livejournal.com]

--Visit the emergency room/receive emergency medical care. In some cases, receive medical care at all. (Aside from well-known cases in which transgender people have been left to die after being struck by a car or have died because a doctor didn't want a "male" patient being treated for a "female" cancer, there is always the everyday risk of uneducated and/or bigoted medical attendants.)

There are certain parallels with my own situation here as a fat woman, but I definitely think I run less risk in general.

--Receive "voluntary" medical services which require the removal of clothing, such as massage and chiropractic (this is less important than the above, but massage and chiropractic can be important pain-management techniques).

--Shop for one's preferred clothing in a brick-and-mortar store, including using the dressing rooms

--Fill out forms with a two-gender option (and how much of our lives center around forms?) -- does one use the social gender? or the legal gender?

--Do anything requiring ID (such as use a credit card, purchase tickets, etc.) unless physical appearance matches the drivers license photo.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I never would have thought of any of that. I'm glad I saw this; thanks for enlightening me.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

I don't mind. Any public entry i make is fair game for linking or reposting.

I'm not complaining about the wonderful people i have and have had in my life. But none of them have been people i just encountered at random.

[sammhain.livejournal.com]

When I go to the gym I don't change or shower there. I show up in work out clothes and shower at home. Though if your wanted to use the gym's sauna or something I can see how it might pose a problem.

"Fall in love with someone you meet at random. Meet someone you really dig at work, or in an online forum, or at a bar? Unless they just happen to be one of the few people who are willing to consider a transperson as a viable romantic partner, they are going to reject you when you have "The Talk."

This one is probably the most heart breaking to me.

[sammhain.livejournal.com]

Additionally thank you for posting these things, it's always an eye opener.

[aerieofgrace.livejournal.com]

I hear ya. I've started refusing to check male or female on forms in protest. wtf does it matter anyway? grrrr.