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This is a guest post by Kate Bornstein. Kate is an author, playwright and performance artist whose work to date has been in service to sex positivity, gender anarchy, and the building a coalition of those who live on cultural margins. Her work recently earned her an award from the Stonewall Democrats of New York City, and two citations from New York City Council members. Her latest book, “Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives To Suicide For Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws” (Seven Stories Press) is, in Kate’s words, a “runaway underground best-seller.” Other published works include the books Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us; and My Gender Workbook. Her books are taught in over 150 colleges around the world.
Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us is the first book I read after beginning my transition back in 2003. I would say her thoughts on sex and gender, expressed in that book, are probably what’s most influenced my thoughts on the subject. Kate’s book is what got me to question my preconceived notions on sex and gender — the limitations of a sex and gender binary that even many transsexual people subscribe too — in the first place.
Kate’s Blog is Kate Bornstein’s Blog for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws.
Kate Bornstein is yet another member of the trans community who I’ve asked to share their thoughts on federal hate crime legislation — the hate crime legislation that was signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009.
~~Autumn~~
By Kate Bornstein
So now we’ve got a federal law that deems it a hate crime if you go after someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s a big deal. That includes a great many people. Last time I looked, the people who define themselves based on their sexual orientation or included all these folks who — if you fuck with them — you’re facing hate crime charges.
| L for Lesbian | D for Drag Queens | G for Genderqueer |
| G for Gay | D for Drag Kings | T for Two Spirit |
| B for Bisexual | D for DragFuck Royalty | K for Kinky |
| T for Transgender | I for Intersex | P for Pornographers |
| Q for Queer | F for Feminists | P for Pansexual |
| Q for Questioning | F for Furries | P for Polyamory |
| A for Asexual | F for Femme | Q for Queer Heterosexual |
| A for Adult Entertainers | B for Butch | ETC for et cetera |
| S for Sadomasochists | M for MSM | AI for ad infinitum |
| S for Sex Workers | W for WSW | AI for queer Artificial Intelligence |
| S for Swingers |
Now, if the Hate Crimes Act includes all those people, then hip-hip-hooray for our side. As a friend recently quipped on Twitter, “One giant step for transkind.”
Yes, yes. Just the way it is — even if most people disagree with my list here — the bill is a big step forward in LGBTQ etc freedom. One step at a time, right? I know what that’s about, one step at a time. I’m a good 12-stepper — sometimes, and with some things. So Yay! for this giant step.
AND I’m impatient. I’m impatient not for more laws that would protect more people. I’m impatient for change in our culture that would bring us closer to not needing the frakking laws in the first place. I’m impatient for change in our culture that would include a sex-and-gender political coalition that would include everyone I’ve listed above. And that would be only the first step in my plans for world domination:
1. We all of us — sex positivists and gender anarchists — would have to agree on an organizational structure that doesn’t other anyone. There are some good examples in religions like the Quakers and the Unitarians — and other religions that don’t base themselves in patriarchal rule — which is often a key factor to homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and sex negativity. (Sex and gender activists would do well to acknowledge our allies in religious circles of spiritual power. We’re gonna need a whole hell of a lot of religion if we’re gonna stay together as a band of committed sex and gender outlaws.)2. We’d have to agree on a political philosophy for ourselves that wouldn’t other anyone. Frak this left-wing, right-wing BS. That’s just another binary and if you’re reading this column, you know how to deconstruct a frakking binary: you expose it as the lie that masks the truth of a hierarchal system of oppression. So we’d need a political philosophy that transcends the binary of left and right wing politics. There are models for that sort of thing going way back in time to Goddess culture and matriarchal rule. Well, wouldn’t that be hotter and more fun than what we’ve got? It’s only going to work once the left-wing/right-wing false binary has been resolved. There’s truth in both sides. We just need to abide by the politics extant where those truths overlap. And please, we’d have to agree not to be mean to each other.
3. We’d need a name that everyone would have fun using for themselves, a name that included everyone who thinks highly of their own commitment to sexual positivity and the embracing of gender anarchy.
4. The day-to-day activism/politics of this coalition would be all about agreed-upon compassionate triage and timely action.
5. Finally, we’d need to establish strong alliances with activists fighting for equity along the political vectors of age, race, class, religion, looks, ability, citizenship, language, and family status… and any other hierarchal system of oppression I’ve failed to spot and mention.
6. Once we’ve established those alliances, we and our allies need to get together in a big room on a representative basis — all of us people who are fighting for equity of identity, desire, and power in gender, sexuality, age, race, class, religion, looks, ability, citizenship, language and family status. As a new and larger and more diverse groups, we’d have to do steps one through four above. Then we should be ready to take over the frakking world.
But that’s not going to happen for a long time, if ever at all. So the best each of us can do right now is give heartfelt thanks to the people who pushed through and approved the Hate Crime Bill. Here’s hoping we can make the most of it and build ourselves a world in which we no longer need laws.
~~~~~
Related:
* Pam’s House Blend tag: Transgender Hate Crimes Essay Project
13 Comments
No “othering?” That’s crazy talkCrazy talk I strongly endorse, btw. Making our movement truly inclusive would be a sea change, a blessing, & would seal the biggest chink in our armor: the ease w/which our enemies can turn us against each other. And then: (PARADOX ALERT!) we would be free, & no longer need armor, b/c we could actually rely on each other. Wowzer. Good points all, Kate!
*sigh*I don’t even know what half of those orientations are. Which shows what a sheltered life I’ve led. I’m just a generic gay guy, which is kind of depressing.
The bad part is the hand cramp I’m going to get when writing about this issue. Instead of writing about LGBT people, it’s now going to be LGBTQQAASSSDDDIFFFBMWGTKPPPQETCAIAI. To save time I’ll make a separate text file with the new abbreviation.
Just as a side note….I just love Kate. She’s an amazing person and a fabulous representative of the gender queer communities.
Her one woman shows/lectures/talks are great at getting audiences to think about what it means to be not just trans but gender queer in general.
You need to speak suburban New Orleansgay and lesbian and bi, and transgender people….and dem(them).
Alphabet soupThe first time I heard the word ‘queer’ used as a panoply term, to describe all the various ways one can be considered a sexual outlaw, I bristled. I wasn’t queer, I was gay. Then we moved from gay to gay & lesbian. Then we changed to LGB. Then we changed to LGBT. Then we changed to LGBTQ. When I saw LGBTQQ (Queer and Questioning) I stopped keeping track and embraced queer.
Everywhere I’ve lived, the local gay bar included gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transexual, and various “outlaw” heterosexual components. We may or may not screw the same, but we’re all lumped together in the minds of those who are against us. We’re a threat to the Donna Reed/Daddy Knows Best 1950s myth these pseudo-nostalgics would like to create and force everyone to live in. I don’t see a way for us to win unless we embrace each other.
Hi Kate! — Love Ya To Teeny Little Bits!Actually I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately, what with the 11th hour inclusion of trans in the Hate Crimes Law.
Indeed every little bit helps. But what needs to be done is quite outside the law. it has to do with our actual LGBT lives and how we live them. Do not think for a moment that the “Conservatives” (ie. Neo-Fascists) are at bay. They may have lost elections but they’ve got the microphone. A very good (and very gay) friend of mine is a college professor and has recently noted the chill in his classroom whenever sex rears its lovely head(s). We’ve all got our work cut out for us breakign through this impass. it looks like the 50′s are back — annotated by the 70′s (which was the REAL era of wild sex, not the 60′s as is so often advertised.)
Forewarned in forearmed.
Is it something in the water?This post, your notes from Philly, the tweets yesterday re the need for a united queer front, it all points out the need to actually do something. But it has to be all inclusive not only the alphabet soup, but it also need to be global – not US or Euro centric. How we’re going to accomplish this Goddess knows. But we need to consolidate our forces in some way. A militant but non violent way.
For every small victory our enemies will be more aggressive. Let’s not make the same mistake the Spanish left did in 1936. They won the elections and celebrated not listening to the words of the syndicalists and anarchists. “By all means, vote if you want to. But whatever the outcome of the elections be prepared to fight the fascists”
what a crock of grap
Yep.
HoldonaminuteThe hate crimes bill added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes.
That’s a great list above, don’t get me wrong. No one on it should be targets of crime, especially because of their membership in one or more of the above groups.
I fall under a couple of the categories in that alphabet soup, and I am all for sex positivity. If there’s one thing our country needs less of, it’s guilt and shame about sex.
But…
1) Adult Entertainers, Sex Workers, & Pornographers? Those are not–I repeat: not–sexual orientations or gender identities. To say otherwise is completely inaccurate, and worse it lends credence to some of the more repugnant arguments against our fight for equality. I have some issues with other entrants on the list above. (The accepted definition of sexual orientation includes emotional as well as physical attractions, and the list above seems to add some purely erotic classifications under the guise of “orientation.”)
2) ”people who define themselves based on their sexual orientation or [gender identity?] included all these folks…” I can only speak from my own experience, but that experience sends up big red flags when people speak of defining themselves by their sexual orientation. I do not. The vast majority of my gay and lesbian friends do not. That sort of mindset, I believe, is detrimental not only to self (do well-adjusted heteros define themselves based on their sexual orientation?) but also to our efforts to demonstrate our shared humanity to society at large.
Painting a big red G or L or B or T or whathaveyou on my chest only serves the “us vs. them” mindset. We are them, and they are us. Anything that furthers the antagonism only hurts everyone. Anti-gay activists haven’t realized that yet, obviously, but it is a lesson that most LGBT++ individuals have learned, and often at some cost. Let’s put our painfully acquired wisdom to some good use, eh?
If you disagree……please at least extend the author and readers the courtesy of explaining your position.
Forget Someone, Kate?When my partner and I coined the meme WBT we started with a basic premise and request. The premise was that transsexuals were being erased by being labeled as a subset of transgender. Our request was instead of TG that people start using TS/TG. The same sort of way people used both L and G.
Now I admire Kate and have been caused to think by many of the things she has written. I know she did a piece defining herself by things she wasn’t.
Now I see a long list that would seem inclusive except the word transsexual is missing.
A Name? Try this:
I think it’s from Anything That Moves, the bisexual magazine from several years ago. I’ve also seen FABGLITTERATI used to refer to the people involved.