The Transgender Guide
in Association with Another Waye TG Support

I was reluctant, at first, to write an article combining the issues of prejudice and gender. Prejudice and bigotry are often considered political issues, and those with an interest in gender issues typically prefer to avoid political issues. Prejudice, however, also has much to do with how we view each other as a society and how we view the various groups within a given society.

This is not only an inaccurate account but a misrepresentation of the community. It is acceptable only because the majority tolerates it. The majority, therefore, accepts a representation that excludes one third of its population. That's hardly democratic or ethical.

Does this mean that the author of every website void of minority representation is a racist? No. It does not mean that the author is a racist. However, it suggests that the author has bought into the mindset of cultural racism that says exclusion is okay, exclusion is acceptable.

Exclusion generates hate. No one wants to feel excluded. Transgendered women do not want to be excluded from the community of women, and the practice of exclusion only serves to create barriers where none should exist or need to exist.

Saying nothing about prejudice and bigotry is the same as a cop out. It is not the same as doing something to bring it to an end. Simply stated, if you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.

Over the years, I have written numerous articles against the Michigan Womyn's Festival policy of excluding transgendered and transsexual women. I have particularly challenged the idea that only "woman-born women" should be respected and acknowledged as women.

Given the exclusion of transsexual women from the festival, it was quite a surprise to read that a few transsexual women were defending the festival's exclusionary practice. They asserted that "you can't be a woman if you have a penis." I simply could not believe what I had read. Had these transsexuals forgotten that a similar argument had been used to exclude them as much as it was used to exclude transgendered women and cross dressers? Could they be so hung up in their own prejudices that they could not understand the meaning of the phrase woman-born women?

I've heard that ignorance is bliss, but shouldn't a festival for women celebrate women and all who celebrate womanhood? Can a handful of transsexuals believe they can gain acceptance into the lesbian community simply by turning their backs on others within the gender community?

I'm sorry but as difficult as it might be for some transsexuals to understand, one does not end bigotry by adopting another form of it. Once again, if one is not part of the solution, then one is a part of the problem.

When Matthew Shepherd was murdered, the gay community spoke out against hate crimes? Yet, when an African American named James Byrd, Jr. was dragged to his death by three white supremacists, where was the outrage within the gender and queer communities? Was this not a hate crime like any other hate crime?