Pointless Cat Lady Rants

I think most people can agree that in the LGBT community trans people have the hardest time. Being trans is not about who you are attracted to (although many trans people do have issues with this as well) but is about who you are and the gender you identify as, which I think effects your life in far greater ways.

   I use the term trans as I am talking about everyone under the trans umbrella which includes: transgender people, gender queer/ fluid people, intersex people and many more.  To be honest I think there is perhaps too many labels under the trans umbrella hell I can think of a few of toughs labels that would probably apply to me even though I don’t really consider myself to be trans in anyway. 

   There is many areas that the trans community have issues with but I think some of the biggest would have to be the way they are treated in the LGBT community, the way they are treated by their own gender and issues such as what rules should be in place when it comes to trans people taking in sports.

   I hate the way that so many people from within the LGBT community can be towards trans people. Yes I understand that perhaps there issues are far different from lesbian, gay and bisexual peoples problems as they are to do with gender identity and not to do with what gender they are attracted to. However many of the issues they face are similar and I think can only really be solved with the group power that the LGBT community has become. I think it is the up most hypocrisy when a lesbian, gay or bisexual person is transphobic. 

   The way that transgender people are treated within their own gender also particularly bothers me. I don’t know how often you hear stories of trans people being kicked out of bathrooms and changing rooms. Recently for example a trans woman had issues with the changing rooms in new look (read more about it here:http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/03/19/london-trans-woman-told-to-use-new-look-changing-facilities-out-of-hours/). I think that all facilities should have laws that state that trans people should be allowed to use the facilities that best soot the gender they feel that they are and people that give them abuse for it should be punished severely. 

  Recently there was also the “T in FeminisT “ campaign which I loved as it was trying to show that the issues of trans women are feminist as well, which I totally agree with. I hate it when feminists try and exclude certain people from the community such as men and trans women. Anyone who thinks there should be gender equality is a feminist in my books.To find out more about the “T in FeminisT” campaign go here: http://tinfeminist.wordpress.com/ .

  Now the last issue I am going to talk about is one I have mixed feelings about. It is the issue of what rules and regulations should be put into place, if any, when it comes to trans people participating in sports? Now there was the incident a few years ago involving Caster Semenya, a South African female runner who was made to take a gender test. It was found that she had one of the 46 types of intersex, which means biologically she has some biological qualities which are normally only found in men. Now I think the fact that she was made to take a gender test was simply outrageous and unethical as it probably caused a huge amount of stress for her. So when people started to suggest that gender testing should become a normal part of the Olympics I was outraged. Yes I know that sporting events are there to test your body and men and women don’t normally compete because they are quite simply different. However there is many people who have slight inter sexual qualities such as women who perhaps have higher testosterone levels and not allowing these women to compete is in my opinion wrong.The people who compete in the Olympics all have extraordinary bodies so if people think that intersex people should not compete in the Olympics because they are different then well there should be no Olympics as the athletes who take part have far from average bodies.

   However the area about this that I feel conflicted about it when it comes to transgender people participating in sports. At the moment there has been a debate around Fallon Fox who is a transgender MMA fighter who used to fight in the men’s fights but has now undergone a gender realignment surgery and wants to fight women. Now I kinda of understand the objection people have with this as she does have a male bone structure however she is also now taking female hormones which will effect her strenght. To be honest I think it comes down to wither she can find people to fight. If women are willing to fighter her knowing she was born male then let them. However I do wish that people would find a less offensive way to discuss this as some of the ways that peoples opinions have been voiced on this is rather offensive towards the trans community (more information on this here: http://sourcefednews.com/joe-rogan-says-transgender-mma-fighter-cant-fight-women/).

   So in my view the trans community has many hurdles to overcome and I think the rest of the LGBT community should be there to support them.

There is one homophobic comment which I must admit always makes me laugh. It is the claim that all LGBT people are going to hell for there sins. This makes me laugh simply because every time I hear it I think of hell as one big gay bar and my response to this comment is normally ”great that sounds awesome. It will be so much easier to meet other lesbians when we are all in hell together.” 

   However comments like this normally just annoy me for two reasons:

1. The people that say stuff like this are normally using their faith as an excuse for their narrow minded outdated views and are just feeling the stereotype that religion is homophobic.
2. Guilt tripping people for something they can not hep is just cruel and I personally think that people that use claims like this to abuse and bully others should maybe consider where they will end up after death (assuming that if they make this claim they believe in a heaven and a hell).

Oh and if what there saying is true I hope I die dressed like this. :p