Transphobia is rife in the US. It would seem no corner of society is free from anti-trans hate, including the LGBTQ+ community. A minority of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are now advocating for separating the LGB from the TQ+. But why?
A Fundamental Misunderstanding
People with anti-trans views often view gender as a concept rooted in biological sex and disregard the understanding that gender identity is a deeply personal and intrinsic sense of one’s self. Their rhetoric is based on the idea that biological sex and gender identity are the same thing but, as evidenced throughout history, language evolves and there’s always a group who protest the change.
The LGB Alliance
A small minority of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are now advocating for separating the LGB from the TQ+. One such group is The LGB Alliance, which emerged as a response to some concerns within the LGB community about the inclusion of transgender people and issues.
Criticism and Pride
It’s important to note that The LGB Alliance has faced significant criticism from the larger LGBTQ+ community. Critics argue that the organization’s approach is exclusionary and contributes to transphobia. Moreover, transgender women played a significant part in the Stonewall Riots, which started Pride as we know it.
Marsha. P. Johnson
Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender woman, was a prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the 1960s and was known for her activism. In June 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located in Manhattan. Raids weren’t uncommon but, this time, the community members present decided to resist. Marsha is credited to have played a significant part and some people even say she started the entire thing by throwing a brick. The anniversary of the Stonewall Riots is commemorated each year with Pride Month.
Transphobia Within the LGBTQ+ and “Pick Me Gays”
Transphobia is rife across society – and the LGBTQ+ community isn’t exempt. Despite transgender women playing a significant part in the event that started Pride, a minority of queer people think they should be separated from the rest. There are a plethora of reasons for this – but one of them is a desire to be accepted. LGB people still face homophobia and some will happily throw transgender people under the bus to gain approval from straight and cisgender conservatives. These people have been dubbed “pick me gays” by the larger community.
Intersectionality and Privilege
Another reason for the rise of anti-trans views within the LGBTQ+ community is intersectionality and privilege. Some members of the community may hold privilege based on their gender identity, sexual orientation, or other factors – and that privilege can lead to a lack of understanding regarding the experiences of transgender people. As an example, men who are White, gay, cisgender, and perisex – which means “not intersex” – have the most privilege of any group within the community. They don’t have straight privilege, not by any means, but they’re the most accepted in Western society among LGBTQ+ individuals – followed by women who fall into the same demographics.
Online Commenters Were Divided
Stories about anti-trans LGBTQ+ people were shared across social media and heated debate ensued. “I’m glad to see some people in that group have sense,” one person wrote. “I bet you’ve said many a homophobic thing in your life and you’re just now siding with them because you’re more transphobic than homophobic,” another hit back.
Christians Didn’t Care
Christians didn’t seem to care whether or not LGB people support transgender individuals. “Either way, they’re sinning,” one person said, presumably referring to the entire LGBTQ+ community. “We’re all sinning in one way or another,” another individual hit back. “How would other people, who you don’t even know, harm you with what you consider to be sinning? Their lives are not yours to judge,” a third added.
History Repeated Itself
History tends to repeat itself and the same can be said here. “[LGB people] don’t want to be associated with child lovers,” one person wrote. “You know they made the same accusations about gay people back in the day, right? Far-right propaganda intended to divide,” another hit back. A third wrote: “The way history repeats itself is so interesting. A minority of LG people tried to exclude bisexual people from the community in the 90s and then they tried to exclude asexual people from the community in the 2010s. They failed both times because they’re a tiny minority that the right-ring media always picks up on to spread hate.”
Gender Identity vs Sexual Orientation
Gender identity and sexual orientation are different things and, as such, a transgender person can be straight, gay, bisexual, or any other orientation. “I always wondered why the T was included. They say that sexuality and gender are different things so why include the gender stuff?” one person wrote. “Trans people are included because we face a lot of the same injustices as other queer people. Also, we literally started the Pride movement,” another hit back.
LGBTQ+ People Were Frustrated
Several media outlets made it sound like huge numbers of LGBTQ+ people are anti-trans and, understandably, members of the community were frustrated. One person wrote: “I’m cisgender and gay and the way the media is reporting on this infuriates me. I must know over 100 queer people and I don’t know a single one who wants to kick trans people out of the community. The people saying this must be an extremely tiny minority.”
Transgender People Aren’t Going Anywhere
Thanks to the actions of brave transgender women, the LGBTQ+ community has Pride as we know it. Moreover, anti-trans rhetoric within the community is extremely minimal and modern scientific research backs the existence of transgender people and the differences between biological sex and gender identity. It’s clear trans people will be going nowhere.