When Sheffield Pride announced a few months ago that its parade was going to be a celebration and not a protest, there was widespread outrage. They had completely misunderstood the history of Pride and the current state of affairs for LGBT+ people if they thought that there was nothing valid to speak up against, and while some people want to focus on the party element of Pride events, there is still plenty of work to be done. After complaints, they changed their approach.
However, some people at London Pride got the wrong memo. Instead of speaking up against homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, they arrogantly headed to the front of the march and spread lies and misinformation against trans people themselves. Instead of protesting the people who oppress LGBT+ people, they spoke up against one of us.
The group in question was a small group of radical feminists who aim to exclude trans people from their events, services, and lives. These trans exclusionary radical feminists were lesbians, determined to persuade people that trans people were going to be the death of lesbians, for two reasons:
- Some trans women are lesbians and this was unacceptable to the transphobic protesters
- Some trans men would previously have identified as lesbians, in the days when there was even more pressure not to transition. This, too, was unacceptable to the protesters.
London Pride’s reaction to the protest was not to expel the protesters from the march, nor was it to ask the police to do the same. Instead, and almost unbelievably, London Pride allowed the transphobic protesters to lead the march that was supposed to have been led by an NHS float celebrating the 70th birthday of the service, and a Muslim LGBT group.
Well done, London Pride. That was handled appallingly.
Stop implicating lesbians
These transphobic protesters, and many of the transphobes you see on social networks like Twitter, explain away their transphobia by saying that they are doing what they do to protect cis lesbians. Well, of course they don’t say ‘cis lesbians’ because they mostly object to the completely neutral and actually quite useful word cis, but that’s what they mean.
The idea that we – cis lesbians – need protecting from trans women, as if we will collapse in a fit of the vapours if somebody who was assigned male at birth came into our eyeline, is patronising at best. We are implicated in transphobia that we do not relate to at all. And, while the Pride protesters were lesbians, in day-to-day life, it seems to be predominantly straight women who insist that cis lesbians need to be protected.
These are people who will even challenge cis lesbians who are in relationships with trans lesbians, saying they are not proper lesbians. This is an impossibly offensive thing to say, to somebody whose identity is vital to their being. We fought hard for our lesbian identities. We lost friends and family in the process, and these identities are ours and ours alone to keep and define. Nobody else, especially not a heterosexual transphobe, can come in and redefine our sexualities according to their own biases and prejudice.
Pride should be better
Pride should be the safest of safe spaces for all LGBT+ people. Trans people are particularly discriminated against and need places where they can be themselves, happily exploring their identities among kindred spirits and supportive allies.
It is no exaggeration to say that my first few Pride events were life changing. To be so surrounded by people facing similar issues and discrimination did so much for my sense of self-acceptance, and I want younger, newer LGBT+ people to experience the same, whether they are there because of their sexual identity or their gender identity, or both. With protesters targeting trans people in every direction, that sense of safety and that ability to explore are eliminated, instead replacing them with a challenging, threatening environment. This cannot be tolerated.
Not the same
Transphobic lesbians do not represent me. It is offensive to trans women to suggest that they are men in disguise, waiting to pounce on lesbians who do not want anything to do with them. And it is offensive to trans men to suggest that lesbians have some kind of ownership over their bodies and deserve access to their body because they may previously have identified as lesbians.
We do not need transphobes to defend us as lesbians if their defence is full of hate. And we do not deserve a subset (transphobic) of a subset (white) of lesbians to be considered to represent us, our views or our principles.
Trans women are women, and trans men are men. As a lesbian, neither of these is a threat to my existence or my sexuality. I resent the suggestion that because some fellow lesbians are bigoted, we all are, and I use this as fuel to power my fight for my trans and intersex friends so that they have the rights and respect that they deserve.
This is a sexuality I am proud of, and one that I do not want to have to abandon because of the association with people with offensive and exclusionary politics. I do not want to feel ashamed to identify this way in case people link me with campaigners who are targeting a highly vulnerable group of young people.
Trans people are not trying to eliminate us or ruin our identities. They are trying to live their lives and avoid the bigotry of those who wish to exclude them. Thankfully, the transphobes have shown themselves to be in a minority, with around eight of them at the demo compared to the 2285 people who signed this open letter condemning their behaviour and Pride’s response.
Pride is not a place for hatred, but let’s not pretend that this is the only place trans people will feel oppressed. The entire world is an oppressive place for all LGBT+ people, and we must never join in with the oppression of our siblings in gender or sexuality diversity.
Now, the remaining Pride events need to demonstrate that they have prepared for the eventuality of bigots protesting, and they need to guarantee that whatever happens, the bigots are not allowed to even march, never mind lead the parade while shaming the community.
Photo: Funk Dooby/Creative Commons
I dont think any of us blame lesbians in general. We are well versed in Terfology unfortunately and understand very clearly they are a minuscule rogue breakaway group and dont and never will represent the lesbian community.
Thank you. 🙂
Well said Philippa. Great article.
I’ve been dealing with these self-proclaimed “radical feminists,” who are neither by the way, for decades now. Here in the US, people understood that TERFers were whack jobs. Then these groups joined up with alt-right religious extremists, and started using that money to pass laws that would, and do, deny us our humanity and human dignity.
Not sure about the UK, but here in the US the TERF groups joined forces with far-right religious extremist groups, where they allegedly now receive the majority of the funding they use to lobby politicians and demand they erase us. A transwoman of color is in constant danger here, but they’ll lock her up if she makes any effort to defend herself.
And there are now MEN patrolling women’s restrooms, and even cis women are being targeted for not being what the MALE thinks is female. And the TERF whackadoodles are cool with this. This sure as hell isn’t what feminism is about, and there’s nothing especially radical about their bigotry.
For 16 years I drove tractor-trailer rigs all over North America, and never once was challenged over what restroom I used. I’ve forced a couple of employers to stop wondering about what’s between someone’s legs, and start being more concerned about if they are hiring a safe professional driver. A “Big Rig” doesn’t care about genitals, why should they? In 2011 I was involved in an accident (I was the only injury), so now I drive a wheelchair instead of a tractor-trailer. My bones are like glass now due to a medication reaction. I have CRPS Type II, it’s pretty obvious my left leg is in business for itself (currently purple with white spots, would be funny if it weren’t for the hideous nightmare of pain).
How am I a threat? Why am I being punished for something they think some as yet unknown sexual predator MIGHT do? Something that has NEVER happened in the US? Why is it okay for an old white politician to fantasize on stage in front of an audience about taking showers with girls just hitting puberty? Why is it okay for radical religious extremists to cover up their son raping his sisters while they slept? Once again, how am I the threat?
Yes, I’m angry about what a very tiny but vocal and well funded group of bigots defines as “radical feminism.” But, I promise, I am not a bigot, I don’t cast blame on those who did me no harm. I do have problems with male docs, but that’s a long story not related to this discussion. Yes, I agree the issue with the TERF group leading the parade was badly handled. In a way, though, they lost. Because now I know that my sisters have my back.
And that makes me feel a whole lot safer. I’d say that’s a win. 🙂