elisi: Rose <3 (Trans)
elisi ([personal profile] elisi) wrote2021-05-03 06:35 pm
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Transthology (like an anthology, but about trans issues)

Before we begin: This is not a ‘both sides’ post. Trans rights are human rights. <3

“You must unlearn what you have learned [about gender].”
Yoda

I’m not even sure when I first came up with the idea for this. Maybe a combination of putting together my huge Good Omens posts and realising that I rather enjoy organising large amounts of stuff. (*cries* This is SO LONG!) Or maybe just seeing how easily ‘gender criticals’ ensnare recruits using skewed information and scare tactics, because the framing of trans issues is usually done by cis people and there’s no guide book. So I thought I’d try assemble something resembling one.

Also, the burden of education is usually borne by trans people, so as a cis person it seemed the least I could do would be to try to help educate others. You should be able to find links for just about ANY 'But what about?' question. It’s a sort of collage, delving into all kinds of issues and will hopefully prove helpful for anyone wondering about the current ‘discourse’ (there shouldn’t be a discourse, people’s human rights shouldn’t be up for debate, but that’s where we’re at).

^This was written… IDK, before Christmas? And now, it’s not just up for ‘debate’ it’s a full-blown crisis. Literally. Things were bad before, but somehow they got worse... :(



Jump direct to topic:

General Links - organised by topic | The UK aka TERF island | JKR gets her own section | Other Stuff that wouldn’t fit in anywhere else | And finally… nice things!

ETA (addition 2025): Tracking the rise of anti-trans bills in the U.S.


Initial Rambling


(ETA: Update 2024 - EVERYTHING GOT WORSE. For more recent stuff, please follow the lgbt+ tag. Also I am no longer on Twitter.)


None of the current issues just happened randomly.


(This whole thing has now been thoroughly disproven.)


And this is where we are now (Spring 2021). This article is from March:

The GOP’s attack on trans kids’ health care, explained
Arkansas just became to the first state to pass a bill that would cut off trans kids from medical care. More are set to follow.





(The UK gets its own section incidentally.)

Now I talked about this post being educational, because this is kinda where we’re at:

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(Original image from Here)

(Also see this amusing thread)

But on the plus side: You get to learn lots of new stuff! I hope you enjoy, even if the ride will be a little bumpy, because the anti-trans brigade is out there and far too busy.

Now, you don’t have to go far to find the anti-trans brigade. Perfect example here. In August Nigella Lawson said ‘trans rights’, simply by linking to a lovely article:



The replies are full of haters. It’s like a bingo card, you soon learn to spot them. ‘Men in dresses’/bathrooms/changing rooms/prisons, ‘What About Sports?’ (Always, always, always re trans women. Trans men don’t seem to participate in sports), ‘Won’t somebody think of the CHILDREN?’, ‘It’s Basic Biology: There Are Only Two Sexes’ (intersex people are generally dismissed), 'Women Are Being Silenced' (they shout from every broadsheet), 'JKR is right', 'What About De-transitioners', and so on and on. A Gish Gallop of bad faith arguments. And most times there is a trans person (or ally) with the patience of a saint trying to respond to every bad take with facts and numbers and verified studies. It may not work, but it’s a way to at least try to halt the spread of dis-information and fear. The haters might not listen, but all the random people scrolling will hopefully have a look rather than be swayed by fear-mongering.

And fear-mongering is the right term.

Now the arguments aren’t stupid. Anyone reading them without knowing the context would be concerned, considering the way they’re framed. Because they deal in fear: these people are coming for your daughters, they’re coming into female-only spaces to attack women, they’re coming for your womanhood, they’ll silence you, BE AFRAID.

They would do well to remember Yoda: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Trans people suffer the most, but those caught up in their ideology (because being gender critical/TERF-y-ness is an ideology) don’t have a great time of it either.

Surprise surprise, the ‘toxic debate’ around trans rights is harming the UK, says human rights expert
The departing chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said that the “toxic debate” over trans rights will prove damaging to UK society if it continues.
9 Aug 2020

The thing is… there is such a vast gulf between the narrative created by the gender-criticals and the reality I observe around me that I sort of get whiplash trying to get one to in any way overlap with the other.

The way the gender criticals tell it, there is ‘a trans agenda’. I’m not sure exactly what the agenda is supposed to accomplish. Sounds much like ‘the gay agenda’.

Now I don’t know a lot of trans ppl IRL, and only a few in fandom, so I went looking for them on Twitter. And they are wonderful, and brave, and funny, and sad, and questioning, and hurting, and angry, and cute, and brilliant, and just… human.

If there’s some weird ‘agenda’ it’s very well hidden. The common theme is… freedom. Often at the expense of marriage and children, family, friends, support network, but they deem living as their true selves worth the price.

They just want to be treated like human beings. This should be a big ask…

Anyway, below I have divided everything up under different headings, which should hopefully make it easier to find stuff. Please let me know if anything is incorrect/out of date etc.







General Links - organised by topic



Explainers

9 questions about trans issues you were too embarrassed to ask
From pronouns to sports to puberty blockers, here are answers to the most common questions about trans issues.


(Direct link: https://twitter.com/JulietteBuet/status/1343410051248246785)






9 Things Not to Say to a Non-Binary Person






‘It’s a new-fangled fad!’ (Plz go learn some history)

If you only read one thing, make it this:

Thread unrolled: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1352418425663008768.html



Andrea Dworkin Was a Trans Ally

On the fifteenth anniversary of Dworkin’s death, her longtime partner observes that she is often invoked to support beliefs she actively repudiated in her work.

Digital Transgender Archive (DTA)
A fantastic resource of digitized materials on transgender history.
(https://twitter.com/WhoresofYore/status/1347531657016991751)

Digital Transgender Archive (DTA)
A fantastic resource of digitized materials on transgender history.
(https://twitter.com/WhoresofYore/status/1347531657016991751)

#DiscoSexology Part I: Dr. Zucker, CAMH, & Conversion Therapy
With the recent enthusiastic promotion of disco-era ideas about trans people and gender identity in general, the TransAdvocate felt that it would be important to release a comprehensive review of these ideas. In this series that will feature the tag #DiscoSexology, the TransAdvocate will review the fomentation of these gender postulations into an axiomatic body of circular logic, how this circular logic was and continues to be vigorously promoted and defended, regardless of the cost to it research subjects: children and even infants.

The Stories of Those Who Lost Decades in the Closet
A new photography exhibit invites viewers to contemplate the emotional toll of discrimination.
(Collectively, the group of 12 lost almost 500 years.)









Scientific American: The Forgotten History of the World’s First Trans Clinic
The Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin would be a century old if it hadn’t fallen victim to Nazi ideology (posted 10 May 2021)


Online

Women’s rights aren’t at odds with trans rights
As someone who is an outspoken advocate for trans rights, I have often been a target of online abuse. And, in recent years, many of my bullies have been those who claim to campaign for ‘sex based rights’.

Trans Twitter and the beauty of online anonymity
The internet can seem like a horrible wasteland. But in small pockets of social media, love and support can be found among those with marginalized identities.



How the transphobic hashtag #BidenErasedWomen was transformed into a virtual rally for trans rights


QED:








The smart strategy that one LGBTQ forum uses to keep out trolls and bullies



Lived Experience

I Was Socialized Trans
People who push the idea that trans women are “socialized male” should walk a mile in my shoes.

Trans Women And The Danger of a Single Story — Where Chimamanda Got It Wrong
On the importance of being seen, the many narratives of women, and the toxicity of exclusionary thinking.

Until I Was a Man, I Had No Idea How Good Men Had It at Work
The reach of implicit bias is troubling, it can even get instilled into our “best” business practices.

Ultra-Orthodox and trans: 'I prayed to God to make me a girl'

Transgender struggle: 'I had to keep who I was secret’
"I had to live two lives. I had to keep who I was secret," says Caroline Paige, recalling her life over 20 years ago, when she was a Royal Air Force navigator - and living as a man.









Yes, You Are Trans Enough. Yes, Your Identity is Valid. No, You Shouldn't Police Other Trans People's Identities.

I was a shell of a person until I came out as trans to my loved ones


De-transitioners

Detransition as Conversion Therapy: A Survivor Speaks Out







Detransition as Conversion Therapy: A Survivor Speaks Out

All articles by Ky Schevers here: https://kyschevers.medium.com/

An “Ex-Detransitioner” Disavows the Anti-Trans Movement She Helped Spark



‘It’s basic biology’ (sex =/= gender)

Sorry, but the world is more complicated than what you learned in primary school…

The Trans experience explained w/Hermione & polyjuice <- This is SO GOOD

Why Sex Is Not Binary
The complexity is more than cultural. It’s biological, too.

Also it is impossible to define ‘woman’ biologically:
Define a chair

“Masculine” Describes Gender Expressions, Not Neurobiologies: Response to Dutton and Madison (2020)
This letter is a response to “Gender Dysphoria and Transgender Identity Is Associated with Physiological and Psychological Masculinization: a Theoretical Integration of Findings, Supported by Systematic Reviews” by Dutton and Madison (2020), which relies on theorisations for which substantial counter-evidence exists, fails to engage with these or other criticisms of the theories upon which it seeks to build, and reaches conclusions that contradict existing evidence. Furthermore, the original theorisations contained in Dutton and Madison (2020), and the conclusions drawn from those theorisations, risk causing serious harm to already-marginalised groups.

















Trust the science:


Tumblr posts:

We need to look at all the genders, just like we need to look at all the elements

Very long & indepth follow-up delving into what science *is*



‘Won’t somebody think of the ~children~’

When I first started collecting links, this section was about how people want to protect children from being ‘recruited’ by ’the trans lobby’ and how ridiculous a notion that is… Alas the situation, now, in many places in America is that parents of trans kids will be prosecuted if they support their child, literally trying to legislate trans people out of existence. Think of the children indeed. PROTECT the children from the transphobes omg. If you are in the UK or US look up what’s happening where you live and see what you can do.







Parenting a trans child:


National Catholic Reporter:
Responding responsibly as parents of transgender children
Three dynamic movements

Justin’s story: Advocating for respect and compassion
This father of a transgender daughter is committed to overcoming ignorance, online and off.
June 2016

The Guardian (US): 'She just started blooming': the trans kids helped by a pioneering project
New York’s Gender and Family Project advises parents how to support their children’s gender expression
Mon 15 Jun 2020

My trans child needs to be himself – I understand that now
When my son told me he was a boy, I worried he wasn’t sure. Then a community opened my eyes to the support he deserves

Free speech for George
We're in the middle of a pandemic and everyone refuses to log off.



















Transgender dolls and all that Jazz
A new toy billed as the world's "first transgender doll" has created a buzz on social media.

Dad designs line of swimwear for trans girls named after his own daughter
These bikini bottoms could be a game-changer for transgender tweens and teens.



Thread here: https://twitter.com/FierceMum/status/1077249301561204736

It’s worth reading in full.

The New York Magazine lies to parents about trans children

31 March 2021:
The GOP’s attack on trans kids’ health care, explained
Arkansas just became to the first state to pass a bill that would cut off trans kids from medical care. More are set to follow.









'I finally feel right in my body': Houston kids confront anti-trans legislation that targets them

OPINION: I’m a Japanese American mother and a fierce advocate for my trans son

ETA: And a poem by a young trans person:

Dabit Deus Ηis Quoque Finem
Trans youth: with heartless grown-ups yet again we plead,
Yet on it goes; the crippling, vile charade.

ETA2:

Lengthy Reddit comment: Since anything relating to trans youth and medical treatment almost inevitably brings out the "kids are being castrated!" and "90% of trans kids desist and will regret transition!" concern trolling in defense of terrible legislation like this: No, that is not how this works. That's not how any of this works.



‘Bathrooms’

A 24-year-old comic has gone viral for showing trans fear is no new thing
Bathrooms making headlines might seem like a 2019 thing, but a comic strip has gone viral for showing trans fear is no new problem.

no title

On the policing of toilets.

THIS thread:


It’s dehumanising for trans people to have to worry about using the toilet
‘The young people we work with are being spat at in toilets, punched in the street and called freaks on a daily basis. Their lives are almost unlivable and now the government could be about to make them even harder.



(Lots more about bathrooms under JKR, generally within the posts 'addressed to her'.)



TERFs/Gender Critics

no title





Don’t Be Fooled by the LGB Alliance
They’re a trans-exclusionary hate group





















Transphobia was always going to end up as crude, old-fashioned homophobia
(Owen Jones, 5 April 2021)

Is ‘Gender Critical feminism’ an abuse culture?
How everyone from JK Rowling, The Daily Mail, an academic with a premium Survey Monkey account, the guy who co-wrote Father Ted and everyone else in the ‘Gender Critical’ movement may be normalizing abuse and endorsing conversion therapy

Alas, a common truth:

Who said it? Intel or TERF?
The horseshoe theory: In political science and popular discourse, the horseshoe theory asserts that the far-left and the far-right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear political continuum, closely resemble one another, analogous to the way that the opposite ends of a horseshoe are close together.

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An explainer:



And finally:

How to Leave the Gender Critical Movement
If you’re thinking of leaving GC World, this guide is for you. Anyone who wants a better understanding of what’s happening in the movement could also benefit.




Mumsnet gets its own subsection!





The Road to Terfdom
Mumsnet and the Fostering of Anti-Trans Radicalization

The Mumsnet Trap
British TERFs recruit by lying to women on the verge of a breakthrough. It’s happening here, too.

Youtube video: Are Transphobes The Baddies? Trans Guy Reacts
Re. Mumsnet post.


SPORTS

Chloe McCardel: Swimmer beats men's Channel record and quarantine
A swimmer has broken the men's record for the number of cross-Channel crossings - and been assured her fears of falling foul of the UK-France quarantine rules are unfounded.

https://twitter.com/Noelle_Boossy/status/1337549784224313355
(trans peeps in the olympics)







The Sports Arena Has Become Conservatives’ Favorite Anti-Trans Battleground
The ‘debate’ over trans student-athletes relies on ancient — and false — ideas about women’s weakness

I could add so many more links, but here’s a very recent one laying out the current situation and how ridiculous it is:






Movie/TV representation (good & bad)

How The Matrix universalized a trans experience — and helped me accept my own
The film, now 20 years old, is probably the most famous art ever made by trans people. But its cultural legacy doesn’t end there.
March 30, 2019

And a Twitter thread on the Matrix & all the metaphors:


"Rise" Actor Ellie Desautels Explained Why Showing Transgender People on TV Is a Huge Deal

Review in the Guardian. Pretty good, with an understanding of most of the issues, and informative on the license the film makers have taken with the story.

Excellent review of The Danish Girl. Long, but very informative and indepth.

Link no longer works, but this was the quote I pulled out:
To my cisgender friends, I ask that, even if you would not normally do so, you please read this. This film was made for cisgender people, so I feel it important that I write this for cisgender people. I would not normally watch this movie, but it has been a subject of some discussion on this site in a way that has compelled me to watch it in order to discuss it credibly. I do not imagine what I have to say will be definitive or particularly more substantial than what other trans folks have said, but I have a voice here that some listen to, even if only briefly. I might as well take advantage of that. I know that many of you prefer not to read things about films you haven't seen, so let me say the important things first:

1. Do not watch this film. It is not merely bad, but harmful.
2. If you discuss the film, refer to Lili only as Lili and she/her.

If you are inclined to read further, I will explain why.










TW violence

(If you want to skip this, the next section starts here. I have left large gaps.)













The Guardian: You saw me covered in blood on a bus. But do you get outraged about all homophobia?
The photo of me and my date went viral after our attack – but only as we’re white, feminine and cisgender. Sympathy and action must be for all

‘Epidemic': 5 more black transgender women found dead in past month alone, activists say
Brayla Stone. Merci Mack. Shaki Peters. Draya McCarty. Bree Black.
(10 July 2020)

Laverne Cox’s Transphobic Attack And The Constant Threat Of Violence For Black Trans Women
"It's just – it's not safe in the world," Cox said. "I don't like to think about that a lot, but it is the truth and it is not safe if you're a trans person.”









And — [cis] women can be violent too. Violence is not tied to men exclusively.


(Direct link to thread: https://twitter.com/WhatTheTrans/status/1277363658893508609)

(Related: I’m a woman. I was raped by a woman. And I know what you’re thinking.)














The UK aka TERF island


Background & context, laying out the history:

16 June 2020
Vice: Inside the Great British TERF War
This is how the debate over human rights for transgender people ended up dominating mainstream media, poisoning newsrooms and dividing British feminism.
16 June 2020

Money quote:
But the debate has remained the same: are trans people who they say they are? “We’ve found that the purpose of the debate isn’t to move the conversation on at all,” Faye says. “It’s to have the same debate again and again and again, almost as if that’s a strategy in and of itself, to keep us debating and to keep a question mark over every aspect of trans lives and rights.” The optimism quickly wore off. “We thought visibility meant people will understand us better and they’ll relate to us better and we’ll be accepted. That doesn’t happen. We don’t have control of the media – the discussion is never on our terms.”

I have simply arranged these chronologically… But be aware of the fact that this is the background for JKR. This is the context in which she has to be viewed.

12 June 2020
Make no mistake, the government is mandating state-sponsored violence against trans people
These plans confirm what many of us already knew – the people in power do not care about marginalised communities

17 June 2020


23 June 2020
It’s dehumanising for trans people to have to worry about using the toilet
A trans dad fears rights could be rolled back in the UK amid reports Boris Johnson is scrapping proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).

27 June 2020


28 June 2020
Black Trans Lives Matter march in London – in pictures

11 July 2020
Isle of Wight Trans Protest Open Letter
We are charities, campaigning organisations, activists, and concerned individuals, writing in support of the socially distanced protest by the trans community and their allies here on the Island planned on July 11th 2020.

9 August 2020
Surprise surprise, the ‘toxic debate’ around trans rights is harming the UK, says human rights expert
The departing chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said that the “toxic debate” over trans rights will prove damaging to UK society if it continues.

28 August 2020
Tory MPs stage trans rights rebellion and demand Boris Johnson ‘keep his promises’ to the community
Nine Tory MPs have broken ranks and demanded the government urgently reform the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) and improve lives for trans people in the UK.

29 August 2020


8 October 2020


10 October 2020
Video: Transphobic hate crime reports have quadrupled over the past five years in the UK
Transphobic hate crime reports have quadrupled over the past five years in the UKThere has been a surge in reports of transphobic hate crimes across the UK. Crime statistics obtained by the BBC show that between the latest year - and the one before - there was an increase of 25%.The BBC’s LGBT Correspondent Ben Hunte meets with two people who, though their lives were changed by transphobic attacks, wouldn’t go to the police again.

16 October 2020


18 November 2020


1 December 2020


3 December 2020


9 December 2020
Transgender Brits Struggle Against a Toxic Tide: ‘I Don’t Feel Safe Anywhere’a>

11 December


13 December


22 December 2020
Puberty blockers: Parents' warning as ruling challenged
The NHS gender identity service is seeking leave to appeal against a High Court ruling that restricts children under 16 from accessing "puberty-blocking" drugs.

4 January 2021


8 January 2021

(Direct link: https://twitter.com/WhatTheTrans/status/1347457964320452608) / Unrolled: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1347457964320452608.html

20 January 2021


5 February 2021
There is no such thing as “sex-based rights” (in the UK)

14 February 2021
Census 2021: England and Wales gender question 'a good first step’

23 March 2021


15 April 2021


21 April 2021


22 April 2021


6 May 2021


Pink news break down: Judge throws out LGB Alliance founder’s fight to ban trans women from women’s single-sex spaces







20 May 2021


7 Sept 2021
The parts that got censored out of the Judith Butler interview






JKR gets her own section


(ETA: June 2024. Vox has written a timeline that goes past mine: Is J.K. Rowling transphobic? Let’s let her speak for herself. An exhausting — if not exhaustive — timeline of J.K. Rowling’s transphobia.)

A very quick summary:

no title

I don’t really care about J.K.Rowling, but she is a lightning rod for all the issues, so here goes. I have no doubt that JKR sees herself as the hero of her own story. She genuinely believes she is on the side of ‘right’. But one thing that really struck me on reading her essay was this, which (according to her) kick-started a lot of things:

On one occasion, I absent-mindedly ‘liked’ instead of screenshotting. That single ‘like’ was deemed evidence of wrongthink, and a persistent low level of harassment began.

She doesn’t say what the tweet said. Or why she was following a bunch of transphobic accounts. HOWEVER. I recall some months ago when she tweeted the tweet quoted in this article. Mark Hamill ‘liked’ it. His fans — not surprisingly — piled on, wondering why he would do that.

He replied saying he had liked the general tenet of the tweet (‘dress how you please’ and so on) and had no idea of the connotations of ‘I stand with Maya’ or that it was transphobic. He apologised and re-iterated that he certainly did not mean any harm.

And there. Done. He made a mistake (and goodness knows, it’s easy to do and pile-ons are not a good thing), explained he wasn’t aware and life went on. Should there be a better way to deal with these things? Absolutely. Twitter is a ridiculous place. But it is POSSIBLE to say ‘My bad, I got it wrong’. Rather than:

no title

As another counter-example here’s someone else who has done some learning and posted about it on Twitter (please read the whole thread, but I’ve posted the first two below, which tie in with the Simpsons meme):




(Direct link to thread: https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1330946334334050305)

And I remember Neville Southall (one of the best human beings on this planet) at some point asking his followers about trans people (probably a few years ago): ‘I don’t know much, please educate me’. And his followers did and he’s a wonderful ally. (He’s an ally to all marginalised people and lets different groups take over his Twitter account to reach a wider audience — and honestly, why can’t more people be like Neville?)

JKR can say she isn’t transphobic until she is blue in the face. But when trans people say she is, that her words and actions impact them negatively, that’s what matters. (How many people have claimed that they aren’t racist?)

It isn’t about what you ‘are’, but what you do. This little sketch is obviously a parody, but there is truth in it…



Now, for most people it would seem that JKR’s transphobia/bigotry sort of just ‘appeared’. But when you piece things together it has been building for a long while, and the signs were there. I have put together a time line of articles outlining actions/people trying to work out why she ended up where she did:

10 March 2016
Tor: J.K. Rowling No: The Opportunism of “History of Magic in North America”
J.K. Rowling’s “History of Magic in North America” marks the first instance of the Harry Potter author weaving her wizarding world’s history deeply within the history of our world. And it’s not going well.
(Nothing to do with LGBT+ issues, but it shows an unwillingness to educate herself and do research.)

4 Sept, 2016
VOX: The Harry Potter universe still can't translate its gay subtext to text. It's a problem.


24 March 2018
Medium: J.K. Rowling: The Blatant Transphobia Of A Beloved Social Justice Hero


28 March, 2018
Them: Is J.K. Rowling Transphobic? A Trans Woman Investigates
The most insulting thing about J.K. Rowling's transphobia is how mundane it is.
By Katelyn Burns

4 March 2019
JK Rowling was always this terrible
The polyjuice potion has worn off.

19 December 2019
VOX: J.K. Rowling’s latest tweet seems like transphobic BS. Her fans are heartbroken.
JKR just ruined Harry Potter, Merry Christmas.

23 December 2019
Vice: JK Rowling's Transphobia Wasn't Hard to Find, She Wrote a Book About It
It's not just her blatant transphobia on Twitter. As the trans community has been saying for years, Rowling's transphobia is obvious in her writing, too.

7 June 2020
J.K. Rowling Is Destroying Her Legacy, One Tweet At A Time

8 June 2020
Daniel Radcliffe Responds to J.K. Rowling’s Anti-Trans Tweets: ‘Transgender Women Are Women’

10 June 2020
How JK Rowling Betrayed the World She Created
Gabrielle Bellot on Transphobia and Growing Up with the Harry Potter Universe

11 June 2020
VOX: Harry Potter and the Author Who Failed Us
The Harry Potter book series helped me realize I’m nonbinary. Now I know that had nothing to do with J.K. Rowling.

29 June 2020
Tweet by Simon Whitten: JK Rowling just liked a tweet opposing a bill that will criminalise conversion therapy (both sexual orientation and gender identity) at the federal level in Canada. If you were on the fence or thought people were overreacting before, now is the time to take a stand.

3 July 2020
BBC: JK Rowling: Harry Potter fan sites reject author's trans comments

3 August 2020
A Statement from Kerry Kennedy
President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

14 Sept 2020
Them: Avowed TERF J.K. Rowling Wrote Another Transphobic Book
According to the first major review, the novel features a male serial killer who hunts his victims by pretending to be a woman.

16 Sept 2020
Them: J.K. Rowling Denies Pen Name Is Inspired by Anti-LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapist
“Any assertion that there is a connection is unfounded and untrue,” a spokesperson told Newsweek.

24 Sept 2020
The Bias Magazine: What to Do About Harry Potter?
J.K. Rowling, Transphobia and Idolatry. By M.K. Anderson

22 Dec 2020
The Cut: Who Did J.K. Rowling Become?
Who Did J.K. Rowling Become? Deciphering the most beloved, most reviled children’s-book author in history. By Molly Fischer

26 Jan 2021

ContraPoints: I did not come out of the cupboard under the stairs for this.
(Very fair & balanced)


Can more Harry Potter ever be okay?
The rumored Harry Potter TV series isn’t worth enabling J.K. Rowling’s transphobia.

20 May 2021


17 July 2021
JK Rowling, again…

17 March 2022
Gamespot: JK Rowling's Anti-Transgender Stance And Hogwarts Legacy
With a brand-new Harry Potter game on the way, now is the time to unpack and try to understand the impact of franchise creator JK Rowling's discriminatory behaviour.

^This is a REALLY GOOD summary of transphobia in general & JKR in particular.


~~

Other articles/responses to her ‘essay’, dealing with specific issues & bringing receipts:

All dealing with the transphobic dog whistles she traded in, and explaining and countering them.

Spiller of Tea: J.K. Rowling and the Guileful Intolerance
The piece published by Rowling on 10 June was an absolute masterclass in the art of manipulating the narrative to suit a particular agenda, while maintaining plausible deniability for the damage that would inevitably ensue.

Mermaids UK: An open letter to J.K. Rowling

Gender Analysis: We the Mudbloods: J. K. Rowling and the Trans-Exterminationists (Book 1)
JKR in her essay wrote about ‘many people’ and ‘large numbers’ and used a good number of other generalisations, largely without any kind of back-up. This lovely lady brings all the receipts and all the links.

Mermaids UK: A call to J.K. Rowling
Please understand the impact of your public statements on trans people.

USA Today: What JK Rowling should know about a transgender woman like me: Every day in public is risky
Trans people constantly adjust to the feelings of cisgender people. There aren't enough hours to fight every battle, enough rights to guarantee safety.

Medium: JK Rowling and The Reasonable Concerns
The division between responses to JK Rowling recently has been that of anti-trans voices across the spectrum, cis allies stating their support, and trans people who are just too tired. I want to continue to speak for trans rights — I really do — but my voice is hoarse. I am tired.

Medium: I’m A Rape Survivor and I’m More Scared of TERFs than Trans Folk; Why JK Rowling is Wrong
I am sick to death of TERFs and SWERFs using stories of sexual violence to justify their bigotry

We Hunted the Mammoth: On J.K. Rowling’s TERFy sleight of hand
But there is one small part of her essay that I haven’t seen addressed so far, and I think it desperately needs some critical attention. In the passage in question Rowling uses a simple but effective bit of rhetorical sleight of hand meant to demonize critics of TERFy transphobia and claim the mantle of true womanhood for those on her side.

Medium: Why What JK Rowling Said is Transphobic
On the ‘Sex is real’ issue.

~~

And related tweets that I didn’t want to clutter up all the links:

Re. Being stripped of her award:


Re. Having a ‘debate’:


Samantha Bee:






Other Stuff that wouldn’t fit in anywhere else


Legal stuff

Loretta Lynch Just Became the World’s Most Powerful Advocate for Trans Rights
(May 2016)

US trans rights: The teen who sued his school, and won, over bathroom use
"I hope we've now moved past the need to have courts saying trans people should be respected and treated normally."

There is no such thing as “sex-based rights” (in the UK)

I love pie. Equality is not pie.
There's plenty of equality to go around.







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As non-binary people, do we really want legal recognition? Or should we just abolish gender markers altogether?
A petition to make non-binary a legally recognised gender in the UK has collected almost 130,000 signatures, which means that parliament will consider holding a debate on the question and must formally respond.

~~

Intersex Human Rights Australia

This Young Man Wants You To Know What It's Like Being Intersex
When Anick was a baby, doctors knew his body wasn't like other boys'. He tells BuzzFeed News how he has spent his life battling shame, secrecy, and endless surgeries, but is determined to give others hope.

The intersex movement has been silenced for too long - we must all campaign, together


Comic

Real Life comics. Creator is transitioning, and is now documenting her journey. Web comic, start here:

Real Life ComicsStart here

Her wife’s story


Short films etc

Her Story
Her Story is a 6-episode new-media series that looks inside the dating lives of trans & queer women as they navigate the intersections of desire & identity.

Trailer:


Website: http://www.herstoryshow.com/

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BBC article: India jewellery ad starring trans model wins hearts




Music

Band: Lunachicks (https://www.lunachicks.com/)



Band: Schmekel
Schmekel was an all-transgender, Jewish folk punk band from Brooklyn, NY, known for their humor. (x




Charity

THE RAINBOW CARDS PROJECT

A charity in its early stages, The Rainbow Cards Project is a non-profit organisation aiming to combat the prejudice and discrimination that LGBTQ+ people face with kindness and human connection. We believe that some of the simplest acts make the biggest differences, and that inspired us to start sending birthday & holiday cards to those with discriminatory families in the hope that we can remind everyone that they are always loved and never alone.

Mermaids UK
Mermaids has been supporting transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children, young people, and their families since 1995.


Petitions

Change.Org: #UKTransRights - things you can do to help!

Crowd Justice: Legal Defence Fund for Transgender Lives

UK Petition: Make non-binary a legally recognised gender identity in the UK

Change.org: UK Media: Stop Uncritically Platforming LGB Alliance "Hate Group”


Podcast
Love in a Time of Science w/Dr. Emmy Zje

You’re Wrong About: "Political Correctness"


Books

Pediatric Gender Identity
Gender-affirming Care for Transgender & Gender Diverse Youth
A comprehensive guide to supporting transgender and gender-diverse youth clinicians, educators, researchers, and families

NYT (you may have to create a free account): Not From Venus, Not From Mars: What We Believe About Gender and Why It’s Often Wrong





And finally… nice things!


Completely random

Trans kids reading a Christmas story:


Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/FierceMum/status/1077249157025402883

At Last, Authentic Stock Images Of The Trans Community's Diversity



More than 200 writers and publishers sign letter in support of trans and non-binary people
Described as ‘a message of love and solidarity’ and with signatories including Jeanette Winterson and Malorie Blackman, it comes days after a host of prominent literary names signed a letter defending JK Rowling

My bf is trans, how do I help):


Fell in love with trans woman not knowing she was trans:


Found pills in teenager’s pocket:

(Link to reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/MtF/comments/7cwfak/a_long_overdue_update_im_the_mother_that_found/)







60,000 Want This Christopher Columbus Statue Replaced With Marsha P. Johnson
A petition to remove the Columbus statue, which has stood in Elizabeth, NJ since 1971, was started by a 19-year-old activist.



Youtube video: Elliot Page Infuriates Conservatives with TIME Magazine Cover

A Prayer for Transitioning Gender (Jewish)
Added 11 October 2023


HRT is fucking magic


















Celebrities being good allies and listening to people + more





James Acaster calling out Ricky Gervais for his trash “comedy” about the trans community.



Actor Michael Sheen confronts Salvation Army over notorious anti-LGBT+ reputation
The actor Michael Sheen confronted the Salvation Army on its notoriously anti-trans reputation after his recent donation was criticised by several LGBT+ fans.

If you’re feeling sad about JK Rowling, here’s a heartwarming story about Buffy’s Anthony Stewart-Head going out of his way for a young trans fan
Tired: J.K. Rowling pledging her support for a woman with “absolutist” anti-trans views. Wired: Buffy actor Anthony Stewart-Head quietly going above and beyond for his trans fans.




If you have anything you would like me to add, just tell me in comments (and please provide a link!) - I will get to it eventually, promise. :)

With special thanks to Owls for taking the time to do a look-through and for a few additions - not to mention the naming of the post! <3 (You are a genius, darling)
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owlboy: (DW - Dr squee)

[personal profile] owlboy 2021-05-03 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
it is i m m e n s e
elisi: (Impossible Girl)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-03 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Can I stop reading about JKR now? Yes? (That part was like... Inception. I literally just kept following links, going deeper & deeper.)
owlboy: (HP - O Rly?)

[personal profile] owlboy 2021-05-03 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
currently the most reblogged post i ever made on tumblr is the one calling jkr a nasty bitch. 47,000+ notes
elisi: Rahul from Bake Off 2018 <3 (OMG!!!)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-03 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
!!! Holy crap. Respect.

ETA: JKR is just like... the perfect example of online radicalisation. It's very sad, except she has gone on to cause so much hurt. *hands*
Edited 2021-05-03 18:05 (UTC)
owlboy: (Default)

[personal profile] owlboy 2021-05-03 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
oh i dont think she was radicalized at all, she's always been nasty and transphobic
elisi: (Vote Saxon by diapadme)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-03 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Somewhere up there is an article about how she was the perfect Blairite-type. So 'left-leaning' but actually conservative...
promethia_tenk: (Default)

[personal profile] promethia_tenk 2021-05-03 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
*whistles*

Holy hell. It took me 5 minutes to scroll down this page, let alone to read it all. What an epic compendium. How long have you been working on this?!?!
elisi: (Clara (FACE))

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-03 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Since... last summer? I don't know, the details are lost to me in the general 2020ness of it, but I think it was JKR going on the warpath which spurred me on.
nostalgia: (eleven and amy)

[personal profile] nostalgia 2021-05-03 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
GOOD WORK!

the "CritFacts, the anti-transphobe doom enby (@ CritFacts) June 7, 2020" link doesnt seem to work though (maybe the Tweet was deleted?)
Edited 2021-05-03 18:58 (UTC)
elisi: LOVE (i got you blue)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-03 07:00 pm (UTC)(link)
THANK YOU!

And thank you for the heads up - I'll find that tweet & delete it. That is always the problem with online stuff... things disappear. And I have to be honest: I did not check all the links before hitting post. :)
nostalgia: (Default)

[personal profile] nostalgia 2021-05-03 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
well there are A LOT of links it must have taken you ages!
elisi: (Choose Love)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-03 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
I think I started it last summer?? (It's lost in the mists of 2020.) But yeah. Very much a longterm project.
lirazel: Wei Wuxian from The Untamed ([tv] wei ying)

[personal profile] lirazel 2021-05-04 05:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh wow! How useful! Thank you for this! (I haven't added anything to my memories in so long, but I'm definitely adding this post!)
elisi: (Choose Love)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-04 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay! That's exactly what I was hoping for. It's basically just a resource to dip into when needed. :)
shadowkat: (Default)

[personal profile] shadowkat 2021-05-05 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, wow. That's a lot work. Kudos. I was scrolling for a good fifteen to twenty minutes. You've got to have close to fifty pages worth there.

I'm going to link to it in my journal. It's informative, and a lot of folks don't understand what transgender is.

There's a decent documentary on Netflix directed/produced by Ryan Murphy (of all people) about trans - what is it called, Disclosure? I can't remember - it's about how Hollywood has spread misinformation and painted the transgender group in a negative light over time. (It has. Murphy did in Nip/Tuck - which is why it was surprising that he produced the film.)

Roz Kazney, who used to be on lj and DW - I believe is trans, she wrote a lot about it. And tried to educate folks.

I've run into the TERF's throughout my life (they give me a headache - ugh, rabid feminists who hate anything that doesn't fit their idea of female, I went to school with some of these nitwits, I wanted to smack them), and I know a lot of Trans, not friends, but acquaintances through church. My church now has people stating which pronouns they wish to use. And they've been training us for about the last five years to use "they" unless told otherwise. I'm now using it more and more. You just need to train your mind to think that way. It takes time. I like it actually - it's easier than his/her, or hir.

My brother and family are in agreement - gender is a spectrum. The universe isn't binary, our thinking has become so. My niece in a sociology course - wrote a research paper about how the Hindu culture had three genders. And the British came in and eradicated one of the genders from the Indian Hindu culture, and ostracized it. As a result, the trans were ostracized and marginalized within India's society - because the British colonials imposed their view of a binary gender system onto the Hindu cultural system which wasn't binary. We had a long discussion about it. (My niece is hoping to study human rights at the London School of Economics for a year in a foreign exchange program, although she may wait and do the graduate school program.)

I keep explaining trans to co-workers. One woman told me that it was sickening - she said, how could they deny what they are? I said, well - I know it is hard to wrap your head around, but some people are mentally, emotionally and spiritually a woman inside a male body or identify male yet inside a female body, or they identify as both. And that's okay, that's interesting, and unique.

What I like about the General Hospital fanboard, I'm on at the moment - is that it does not allow any bashing or bullying of anyone who is different. And there's a character on the soap - not a major character, shows up every once and a while, who is transgender, and they did a brief story on it. Also transgender stories have entered most if not all of the broadcast television shows. The Connors has a transgender character, as does A Million Little Things, Grey's Anatomy, 9-1-1 Lone Star, and they are played by transgender actors.

It's good that television, films, books are tackling this subject in a progressive and positive manner. People need to be educated on it. It's hard to deprogram folks - our elementary through high school, plus a lot of religious teachings programed us to think a certain way - it can take time to undo that, I think. Particularly if you are a person who hates to question things or despises change.

Anyhow, sorry for the ramble. Thank you again for all of your hard work.

elisi: (Choose Love)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-08 09:22 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, wow. That's a lot work. Kudos. I was scrolling for a good fifteen to twenty minutes. You've got to have close to fifty pages worth there.
I have been collecting for a long time... And it just kept growing! (I have more to add already.)

I'm going to link to it in my journal. It's informative, and a lot of folks don't understand what transgender is.
Thank you again! <3 And yes, lots just don't really understand. And the only solution is education.

There's a decent documentary on Netflix directed/produced by Ryan Murphy (of all people) about trans - what is it called, Disclosure?
Yes that rings a bell. Haven't watched it, but I've heard of it.

Roz Kazney, who used to be on lj and DW - I believe is trans, she wrote a lot about it. And tried to educate folks.
I have two close dw friends who are trans (and some NBs) - I don't really tend to think of them as 'my trans friends' since in fandom spaces other things are obviously more important, like 'What is their opinion on Doctor Who?' ;) And I know a trans people IRL also, but again not particularly through a trans lens. Twitter is definitely where I got most of my information. (Which sounds crazy on the face of it, but the trans community is awesome.)

I've run into the TERF's throughout my life (they give me a headache - ugh, rabid feminists who hate anything that doesn't fit their idea of female, I went to school with some of these nitwits, I wanted to smack them)
:(

My church now has people stating which pronouns they wish to use. And they've been training us for about the last five years to use "they" unless told otherwise. I'm now using it more and more. You just need to train your mind to think that way. It takes time. I like it actually - it's easier than his/her, or hir.
Well done your church! And in my work (college admin) I definitely try to use they/them a lot since... well. You are best never to presume. I just wish our computer system was more flexible.

My niece in a sociology course - wrote a research paper about how the Hindu culture had three genders. And the British came in and eradicated one of the genders from the Indian Hindu culture, and ostracized it.
*nods* Have read about that - and plenty of other cultures too. Jewish teaching has six iirc. (there's a thread up there)

(My niece is hoping to study human rights at the London School of Economics for a year in a foreign exchange program, although she may wait and do the graduate school program.)
Not a good time for it... Hope she manages to get here.

I keep explaining trans to co-workers.
That is good work. It doesn't come up very often at my work, but I make a pitch for they/them as often as I can. But as a college the ethos is very inclusive - for LGBT+ month (February) their chosen charity was Mermaids (which supports trans youth) and posted lots of info & historical facts on LGBT+ issues, including an essay by a student talking about trying to work out their gender & sexuality. Despite living on TERF island, people are generally supportive. They might not really know much about what being trans *is* (and be uncomfortable asking), but One Does Not Discriminate.

What I like about the General Hospital fanboard, I'm on at the moment - is that it does not allow any bashing or bullying of anyone who is different.
Good moderation is the best thing in the world.

Also transgender stories have entered most if not all of the broadcast television shows. The Connors has a transgender character, as does A Million Little Things, Grey's Anatomy, 9-1-1 Lone Star, and they are played by transgender actors.
Excellent.

Particularly if you are a person who hates to question things or despises change.
*nods* And it's way too easy to Other people.

Anyhow, sorry for the ramble. Thank you again for all of your hard work.
Rambling always welcome. Thank you for your long & indepth comment. :)
a_phoenixdragon: (Eleven - Thinking)

[personal profile] a_phoenixdragon 2021-05-08 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
I've got this saved! Thank you so much! As a cis-woman, there is a lot for me to learn. I openly acknowledge my ignorance and will happily dig into this treasure trove of information to educate myself.

But I see what you said at the top and I totally agree. It is sad when we have to argue for someone's humanity and their rights AS a human being. This should not EVER be an issue. And anyone who says they are a feminist and/or all about equality 'except for' can !@#$ right now off with that $%^#.

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

*HUGS*
elisi: (Choose Love)

[personal profile] elisi 2021-05-08 09:26 am (UTC)(link)
I've got this saved! Thank you so much!
You're welcome! <3

As a cis-woman, there is a lot for me to learn. I openly acknowledge my ignorance and will happily dig into this treasure trove of information to educate myself.
A lot of this represents my own journey into all the issues. I've basically just lurked & read & learned stuff. Hope you find it useful (if occasionally infuriating) and also often delightful.

But I see what you said at the top and I totally agree. It is sad when we have to argue for someone's humanity and their rights AS a human being. This should not EVER be an issue. And anyone who says they are a feminist and/or all about equality 'except for' can !@#$ right now off with that $%^#.
Yeah, I wanted to nip THAT take in the bud. Why no, I will NOT let the bigots have the floor. I am sorry they have been misled (and I have posted a link to a 'how to leave the GC movement' guide) but that's all.

Thank you, thank you, thank you...
♥ ♥ ♥
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