Just Add Hormones by Matt Kailey

Author:Matt Kailey [Kailey, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8070-9727-4
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 2005-03-04T16:00:00+00:00

You Say GLB, I Say GLBT

In recent years, some transsexual people, regardless of sexual orientation, have aligned with the gay and lesbian community and have requested (or demanded) inclusion in that “movement.” Many gay and lesbian organizations have agreed, and have changed their names and mission statements to include transgendered and transsexual people—they have added “T” to “GLB.” The most progressive organizations have had it there all along. But others have not been so receptive. In fact, the “T” does belong there. For all of us—gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans—it’s about gender. It’s not about the gender we’re attracted to—it’s about the gender we are.

Unfortunately, it’s been a hard sell. Many in the gay and lesbian community have rejected transfolk in the larger scheme of things, arguing that our two communities have nothing in common and that “weird” and “crazy” transpeople will destroy the credibility of the mainstream GLB movement. They’re wrong. The two communities have much in common, because we share a common problem—we are all discriminated against because of our gender.

First, we’re discriminated against because of our gender presentation. Transpeople who are born with male bodies but are really female are discriminated against because they present a female gender. Transpeople who are born with female bodies but are really male are discriminated against because they present a male gender.

Gay men and lesbians also experience the same kind of discrimination. Research has shown that the majority of people who exhibit “gender-variant” behaviors in childhood (i.e., “feminine” boys and “masculine” girls) grow up to identify as gay or lesbian, not as trans. As these children get older, they are singled out, harassed, and physically assaulted based on their appearance and behaviors—their gender presentation—and not on their sexual orientation. Unless someone comes out as gay or lesbian, his or her sexual orientation is unknown. The harassment and the discrimination are based on perceived sexual orientation—perceived through that person’s gender presentation. The same thing happens to straight children and straight adults who do not present an “acceptable” masculine or feminine gender.

If a man is walking down the street alone—no rainbow flags, no T-shirt with a cute saying, just walking—and a stranger leans out of the car window and yells “Fag,” it’s not because this stranger knows the man’s sexual orientation. It’s because of the way the man is presenting his gender. It’s in the way he’s walking or the clothes he’s wearing. He’s presenting his gender in a way that’s inconsistent with what’s expected of a straight American male—and because of this, he’s perceived as gay. He might be gay. He might not be. But he’s perceived as gay because of his gender presentation.

If a gay man or a lesbian interviews for a job and doesn’t get that job, he or she might believe it has something to do with sexual orientation. And it might. But if sexual orientation isn’t discussed in the interview—and it shouldn’t be—the only reason that it could be a factor is because of gender presentation. If this

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