A reader writes: “I am a queer woman dating a trans guy. This is all very new to me, and a very sensitive subject to him. This person is in transition, having T regularly, is planning top surgery, but has no intentions to change his sex. “What do I call his sex? What do I [...]
Posts Tagged ‘language’
Ask Matt Monday: In Bed with a Trans Man
Posted in Advice, Ask Matt, tagged bodies, hormones, language, relationships, sex, surgery, testosterone, trans men on October 18, 2010 | 6 Comments »
‘Pro-Life,’ ‘Family Values,’ and Reclaiming Language
Posted in Commentary, tagged family, homophobia, language, politics, right wing, suicide, transphobia on October 7, 2010 | 7 Comments »
People in marginalized communities talk a lot and do a lot about reclaiming language that has been used against us in hurtful and harmful ways. “Queer” and “tranny” are words that have been reclaimed by some people in my community, and have been turned around to symbolize power, strength, or rebellion. But there are also [...]
Unleashing the Absurd: Red is Not a ‘Transgender’ Dog
Posted in Commentary, tagged headlines, language, media, transgender on August 11, 2010 | 8 Comments »
Forgive my whining, but I would sit up and beg for the press not to call Red, the dog with non-standard reproductive organs, a “transgender” dog. This tail that is chasing across the Internet is making me snarl. I also want to roll over and play dead when I hear his surgery referred to as [...]
Ask Matt: What Should I Be?
Posted in Advice, Ask Matt, tagged being trans, gender identity, identity, language, transgender, transsexual on August 5, 2010 | 6 Comments »
One of my favorite quotes is from Dolly Parton (yeah, really): “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” And I think it applies to a reader’s Ask Matt question: “What advice would you give regarding the consideration of whether to be butch or genderqueer or trans?” The simple answer is that what [...]
Tolerance vs. Acceptance: Is There Really a Big Difference?
Posted in Commentary, Observations, tagged community, homophobia, language, transphobia on June 18, 2010 | 17 Comments »
Tolerance used to be buzz word in some marginalized communities hoping to gain equality — until people started to realize that “tolerating” something or someone was not a particularly favorable stance. You tolerate mosquitoes if you live in Iowa. You tolerate humidity if you live in D.C. You tolerate your neighbor’s lawn mower on Saturday [...]
My Righteous Indignation Over ‘Tranvestite Prostitute’
Posted in Commentary, Observations, tagged headlines, language, righteous indignation on June 12, 2010 | 5 Comments »
I try to remain unoffended as much as possible — it just makes for a happier life all the way around. But there’s something about this story — “Conversation with transvestite prostitute gives insight” — in the Independent Florida Alligator, a student publication of the University of Florida, that, well, offends me (that’s my righteous [...]
Cisgender, Non-Trans, and ‘Other’ Language
Posted in Commentary, Observations, tagged assimilation, being trans, identity, language on June 10, 2010 | 40 Comments »
I was at a meeting recently with four trans men and one trans woman, and I posed this fascinating question: Do you use “cisgender” to refer to non-trans people? The men, who ranged in age from late 20s to early 40s, all said no. They all use non-trans. One of the younger guys said, “I [...]
Defending the ‘Sex Change Capital of the World’
Posted in Commentary, tagged Dr. Marci Bowers, Dr. Stanley Biber, film, language, surgery, Tila Tequila, Trinidad on May 27, 2010 | 1 Comment »
As much as I don’t like the term “sex change” — primarily because the press tends to use it as an adjective, as in “sex-change soldier,” “sex-change politician,” “sex-change teacher,” and so on — I feel strangely compelled to defend my state as the “sex change capital of the world.” Tila Tequila, who I know [...]
Bad Trans-Related Headline of the Week
Posted in News, Observations, tagged headlines, language on May 25, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Forget the GLAAD Media Reference Guide. In fact, forget journalistic integrity of any kind. Does it really exist anymore, or are cutesy headlines that get giggles from the public what “journalists” are currently evaluated on? Apparently so, if this headline from NBC Miami is any indication: Butt-Injecting Transgender Found Not Guilty This ranks right up [...]
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Don’t Worry, Ke$ha. I Don’t Want to Date You, Either
Posted in Commentary, tagged gender expression, Internet, language, LGBT, masculinity, music, trans men on December 20, 2010 | 21 Comments »
And neither do any of the trans guys I know. In fact, for someone who tries soooo hard to be hip, you are making yourself less cool every day. I first wrote about Ke$ha’s questionable notion of the transgender community when I was writing for Examiner.com. At that time, in an interview with The Advocate, [...]
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