TW: Transmisogyny of trans women as rapists
appropriately-inappropriate:
lucypaw:
appropriately-inappropriate:
Ah, well, obviously that’s pretty out of line. I’ve not been a part of the discussion, however, so I can’t really comment about that. (The joys of vacation, I guess! Everything interesting happens when you’re away.)
However, I personally have seen (and will be more than happy to provide posts if you like) support going on for Witherspoon. That’s something that I find… well, a little abhorrent. While Witherspoon’s actions aren’t enough to tar and feather all trans* women, the support that I’ve seen on sites like Jezebel and here on tumblr do tarnish the trans* community—especially when you have big name bloggers using their clout to advocate for them.
(Again, you can call me a bitch or whatever, but trans* or not, I do not feel comfortable with a convicted sex offender in my bathroom. Male, female, martian… regardless.)
That having been said, I can see how people would feel uncomfortable with the precedent this sets. I mean, yes, trans* women should have every right to pee in peace, but I also have to respect that cis women, seeing a case like this (and the subsequent support for Witherspoon), may be…. reluctant to allow late-transitioning or “less-passing” trans* women in spaces like washrooms and changerooms.
I guess my position falls somewhere between yours and roseverbenas. Everyone’s got to pee—-but at the same time, there is something to be said for the Schroedinger’s ___________ mentality. In the case of trans* women, even long-time estrogen users have more upper body strength than a cis woman, so…. I think that’s a concern to be considered.
So do you understand why trans women are reluctant to allow cis women in spaces like washrooms and changerooms because 25% of sexual predators of children and teens are (cis) women? Because I certainly do. I mean, damn, that’s a lot of cis women, a lot more than trans women. So, yeah, I can understand why trans women are so reluctant and campaign to stop cis women from using women’s washrooms and changerooms because of the actions of a few. Oh, wait, that doesn’t happen. Because trans women aren’t trained in cismisogyny like cis women are trained in transmisogyny. Which is to say, just because cis women may be reluctant might be a good time for them to reflect on why one trans woman makes them judge all trans women or even “late-transitioning” or “less-passing” ones. Confront that bigotry. Like you didn’t.
Really? Trans women have more upper body strength than cis women even with long-term oestrogen use? Citation please? Because sports organisations that were concerned about this (women’s golf, women’s tennis) didn’t come to that conclusion.
Don’t you know that 81% of statistics are made up?
But as it happens, I am well-aware of women as rapists. I grew up in the Karla Homolka era, so I’m well aware of the depravity women are capable of. I’m also a rape victim, and my rapist was a woman, so while I appreciate your passive-aggressive attempt to ‘educate me’, this isn’t a matter on which I need much of it.
Getting to a few more statistics:
The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (1999) estimated that 91% of U.S. rape victims are female and 9% are male, with 99% of the offenders being male
Source: UCSC Rape Prevention Education
So, there’s a bit of a contradiction of statistics there. However, regardless of the statistics, the evidence is clear. Men are overwhelmingly more likely to be rapists, and stranger rape, while less common than aquaintance rape, is never the less still a very real threat.
In addition, if we start getting into rates of ‘corrective’ rape, such as is used against the LGBT community, the rate shoots up to almost 100% male. Trans* women have long been aware of this trend; from what I’ve read, the majority of rapes of trans* women are committed by men.
With that sort of atmosphere, everyone’s a little bit tense.
Consequently, areas of vulnerability that can be policed are policed with more rigorousness, resulting in situations like this one.
Which is to say, just because cis women may be reluctant might be a good time for them to reflect on why one trans woman makes them judge all trans women
Have you ever heard of the concept of Schroedinger’s Rapist? Assume anything ‘out of the norm’ is potentially harmful in an attempt at self-preservation? If cis women are trained, as you allege, in transmisogyny, it’s quite likely a manifestation of this doctrine.
And once again, when anywhere between 75-90% of rapists are male, and 1 in 6 women REPORT rape (and we all know that only a miniscule number of rapes are reported), these survivors are already more highly attuned to ‘abnormalities’ in the environment in an attempt to avoid history repeating itself. Which may explain the bathroom policing.
Now, is it right? No, but is it understandable from their perspective? Yes, I think it is. And in this case, where the “man in the ladies’” ended up being a convicted two-time child-rapist….. well, it seems like in this case, the woman’s conclusion may have been correct.
In regards to the upper body strength:
Estrogen has numerous effects on the human body, but it only superficially alters the bone structure and skeletal morphology. Consequently, trans* women who take estrogen still retain the advantage of height and a longer reach, which anyone with basic martial arts training can tell you present a distinct threat to a smaller, shorter opponent.
In addition, all I can find on upper body strength says that “there is a decrease”. That doesn’t mean that the strength becomes less than a natal female’s, only that it decreases with the reduction of testosterone.
The fact that trans* women excel in sports like golf (where it’s all upper body strength) should be a pretty clear indicator that the upper body strength remains at least comparable to that of a natal woman’s.
But we’re tangenting—let’s get back to the salient point here. There was a child-rapist in a hospital washroom where children are often sent unattended. Are we okay with this? Is this someone whose rights we really, really want to advocate for?
I am fighting hard against the belief that you are being disingenuous and derailing on purpose when we have been talking about a woman who raped children, so I bring up the statistics of child rape by women in general, and then you somehow claim those statistics are basically insignificant because of the rates of men raping adult women. My statistics were completely on point when the claim is that a child rapist woman means that other adult women have reason to be afraid of trans women in the toilet. I showed that trans women (and other cis women) should therefore also be concerned about all the adult women child rapists in their toilets and maybe keep them out. You, meanwhile, are apparently trying to obfuscate that point by saying “OMG, there are so many more men who are rapists!” when men being rapists of adult women has nothing to do with women being safe from child-raping women in women’s toilets. Unless you are claiming trans women = men. Which, as I see further down, you are.
Also, I wasn’t trying to educate you. I was educating the people who read my blog. I was pretty sure you already knew the statistics. Given that I also know the statistics, I could just as easily ask why you’re putting out the rape statistics of adults when we’re talking about children.
Look, I know you think you’re a reasonable person and all but when you keep appealing to the idea that it is easy to visually tell men from women when, in fact, a number of ‘men in women’s toilets’ issues are that of cis women who don’t pass as women according to at least one other woman, you’re showing some serious cissexism. Schroedinger’s rapist is something I know, but it only applies if you insist that trans women look like men. Also, the idea that women get raped in the toilets a lot is just… weird. As we both know, most rapes are by someone the victim/survivor knows. They also take place in places like the perpetrator’s or victim’s homes. Stranger rapes are rare. Rapes in the toilet are rare. That you suggest that we should put more stock in a rare event when you also say you were raped by a woman but that we should be more concerned about men is headdesk-inducing. That’s just totally irrational and is not helping actually stop rapes. It is, however, feeding quite nicely into the trope that trans women are rapists and can’t be trusted in public toilets (so we should send them to men’s toilets? What? If we’re being concerned about rapes in toilets and men rape more aren’t we therefore basically saying we don’t give a shit about the trans women that will be raped in the men’s toilets? Is that what this is about? Cis women feeling safer from rape in the toilet because trans women are being raped in the other toilet?).
Also, as far as upper body strength and trans women, you have no citation, I see. You’re using more of that cissexist ‘common sense’ bullshit that also lets us know that trans women don’t look like women. How about you retract your claim because you don’t actually have anything but speculation and ‘common sense’? And, don’t blame me for pursuing the irrelevance you brought up. Except it’s not irrelevant, is it? It’s about still portraying trans women as threatening because they’re supposedly absolutely stronger than cis women.
As for the salient point, obviously the answer is to not let this woman near children. That it has been turned into justifying cis women’s transmisogyny and booting trans women from the toilet is ridiculous and obvious bigotry. That you have attempted to justify this bigotry while claiming to not be a bigot is annoying. I’ve attempted to show how ridiculous that is in the hope that you might actually catch a clue and stop acting bigoted. I now severely doubt that is going to happen, so I’m instead writing to help others be able to identify and counter the sneaky ‘rational justifications’ of transmisogyny that bigots like you use.
(Source: roseverbena)
