What do you make of what seems to be a more mainstream attention towards trans issues, and even more specifically toward issues concerning Black trans women?
Mooney: In general, I think that our identities — the trans identity, the gay identity, the lesbian identity, the queer identity — they are always going to be more accepted when they're white. As much as transness is visible right now, I think that white transness is more accepted and more visible.
One of the most visible Seattle moments regarding that was with Beyonce Black St. James. In Seattle, it's fairly common to invite trans performers to your events, to raise the profile of your events, to be the MCs of your events, to perform at your events. And her career was essentially ruined over something that happens in Seattle literally every month. So I think that we are very conveniently used and then discarded when we no longer fit into the expectations or fit into the needs of whomever is exploiting our labor.
Scott: The story of trans people in general, but especially Black trans people in America, is one of erasure. When we are needed as entertainment, when we are needed as pleasure, when we are needed for a tool in a movement or some name recognition and for your street cred for being a liberal, then we are lifted. But the moment that the cisgender community is bored, we are erased again. We aren't allowed to stand up, be who we are and have it recognized, and we're really tired of it.
Mase: Representation, to me, when it comes to what's happening in media is not the end goal at any point, because representation does not lead to safety for many of us. But I know that seeing that representation means there's also some other things happening below the surface. Even to get to a Laverne Cox, hundreds of other Black trans people had to organize to make that possible. That means that there's a lot more coming.
Ford: You can only imagine how many times people ask me if I've seen Pose, or how many times people say that I remind them of Indya Moore, or how many times they ask if I can vogue. And so, yes, it's great that we are able to see [trans] people working and making a living. I think the [queer] babies seeing this growing up, they have a huge leg up on people who are my age or even older than me, who never had anything outside of Jerry Springer playing on TV.
I do think, though, that with people in general there's often a lack of wanting to expand beyond that. And so, I'm hoping that people are expanding beyond just [trans] people who have access to hormonal therapy. I hope people think beyond [trans] people who are "passing." [Being trans is] not just being born in the wrong body — some people actually love the body that they're in, but the world around them doesn't understand them and can't, therefore, digest anything that they are because they can't get beyond the body. There are many, many, many, many other ways to be trans, to be a gender variant person, to experience your transness, to express your transness, to hold, and honor, and center your transness.
"share" - Google News
June 30, 2020 at 07:02PM
https://ift.tt/31xckzm
Seattle activists share their vision for Black trans pride - Crosscut
"share" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2VXQsKd
https://ift.tt/3d2Wjnc
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Seattle activists share their vision for Black trans pride - Crosscut"
Post a Comment