Monday, 5 July 2010

A little bi of trans politics

So mostly here I stick to the bi stuff. But however many years ago I started agitating on trans and genderqueer things (before we had the latter word to work with, and boy does having a word for it help!) could I have really thought I'd see a mainstream parliamentarian saying things like:
"I believe it is legitimate to extend the interpretation of EU law so that it protects not only (as it does) people who have undergone gender reassignment but also those whose gender identity is complex or who identify with no gender. We also need to promote a greater public awareness of transgender and gender neutrality issues."
 People of London who re-elected Sarah Ludford MEP last summer, we salute you!
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6 comments:

  1. liminalD5 July 2010 at 22:02

    That's good news! I'd like to see more recognition of Intersex and GenderQueer in LGBT circles... sometimes it seems (to me) like us Bis have more in common with GQs and Intersex people than with gays or straights - being sort of vaguely in the middle, not really fitting the rigid categories that society seems to like so much. A lot of Trans people uphold the traditional sex/gender binary (M and F only) and feel really uncomfortable with ambiguity (understandable, I'm not knocking them).

    Great blog! :D

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  2. Jen9 July 2010 at 22:39

    Hello liminalD, good to meet you! :)


    A few years back I'd have said that there was definitely more overlap between BT than LGB. Both the GQ / genderblind overlap, and being pushed out of LG(bt) spaces.

    However, it's been interesting in the UK to watch how T stuff has got organised and motivated and really overtaken B, to have a higher level of activism, support, profile, fundraising and so forth. And interestingly a greater level - though not complete - of what we might all the conservative and radical ends of T working together on things of common concern.

    Along the way there has been a tendency for particularly some bits of the T community to adopt this "Bi=Binary=Oppressive to T" meme. Which irritates the wossnames out of me, as I have probably blogged enough before.

    As I have a foot in each camp, I will dare to say that BT interworking really needs both sides to not attack one another's labels and language.

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  3. liminalD10 July 2010 at 02:58

    Tat's really interesting and encouraging! I live in New Zealand, over on the other side of the world, and the can't be said unfortunately. The LGBT communities here are not only really separate, they're also really age-segregated and split along ethnic lines too. It's retty disheartening. But yay for solidarity and progress elsewhere!

    :)

    (I'm also starting a blog about sexuality/identity - http://ahistoryofsexuality.blogspot.com/ - if you wanna stop by!)

    xD

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  4. Jen10 July 2010 at 09:09

    I'd already seen the blog last night and added it to the blogroll over there (points right) :)

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  5. liminalD10 July 2010 at 23:19

    I just realised my last comment was almost illegible... I can only assume that's something to do with gmail/blogger not keeping up as I type - sorry!

    On a completely unrelated note - "wossnames" - is that a Terry Pratchettism? He uses it quite a lot in his books (which I love) :)

    Also, thanks for the blogroll add! Much appreciated :D

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  6. Jen29 July 2010 at 09:56

    It may be a Pratchettism, as I've been reading PTerry since (googles release date of Light Fantastic) gosh, 1986, so many of his turns of phrase are probably quite ingrained in me by now.

    But I think it's more likely a my-granny-ism. Pratchett has to get these things from somewhere too :)

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