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Indybay Feature
Deep Disappointment in Derrick Jensen's Transphobic DGR
It really disturbs me that my once favorite "eco-warrior" author Derrick Jensen has turned on the trans community and is now promoting hatred against them instead of forging new allies to protect the wilderness. All that political energy directed against the trans community by Jensen et. al. is wasted, he could have used that voice to save forests from clearcutting, protect desert aquifers and many other needed battles. Now instead Jensen's "Deep Green Resistance" (DGR) is walking hand in hand with the religious right (Opus Dei, Pat Robertson, etc...) in attacking trans people.
As an eco-activist, I missed this change in thought by Derrick Jensen who was once my role model and teacher in deep ecology studies. Guess I was too busy trying to protect desert aquifers from being overdrawn to notice what was happening elsewhere. Am sad to know that instead of trying to save ecosystems from destruction by corporations Derrick Jensen was preoccupied trying to tear down already limited civil rights for the trans community.
Though I am not a pro-trans activist, I am not against trans people and certainly would not spend the few free minutes of any day/night forming arguments against them. As a bisexual male I love my penis and testes dearly, and would not consider having them removed or otherwise altered. However, I believe in freedom of choice for all and for others who feel differently they should be able to be whomever they feel like being.
My sincere advice for Derrick Jensen and his TERF followers is to;
1) Renounce, revoke and apologize for your earlier trans-phobic statements as being a mistake in thinking. We all make mistakes in our thought processes from time to time, forgiveness is always possible if the apology is sincere.
2) Return to your original anti-corporate methods of deep green resistance, focus your legitimate anger on the corporate entities currently destroying the many remaining ecosystems of Earth (desert, forest, ocean, etc...). There is no shortage of needed protests to protect the environment.
3) Stay away from the trans community with your opinions. They can fight their own battles with the medical industry and don't need to be directed towards/away from surgery by paternalistic know-it-alls. Try to understand the two-spirit concept of bisexuality found in indigenous cultures.
4) If you want to include the human body in deep ecology, focus on the chemo/pharma-complex monopolies, the refined sugar industry correlating with diabetes, factory farmed GMO-corn fed beef promoting heart disease, etc... As with the attacks from corporations on ecosystems the list here is also endless. There are more protests needed than there are activists to organize them. Especially when the prominent ones are wasting their time attacking the trans community.
Thanks for listening, hope that logic and reality can conquer irrational stubbornness.
IF not, myself and many others who were once your supporters will distance ourselves from your ideology and reclaim deep ecology for ourselves, minus the introduced trans-hatred.
background on Derrick Jensen's trans-phobic shift;
Trigger Warning: Contains Transphobic Content Below
"In case you didn’t already know, some of the most hurtful and hateful speech against transgender people comes from radical feminists. Not radical in the sense of radically inclusive, rather they are radically exclusive. Led by lesbian separtists these groups say really awful things about trans people. Many believe the only reason a man would transition to a woman is to rape women, while any woman that would transition to a man only does so to escape sexism and assimilate into patriarchy. Entire websites are dedicated to the discrediting, dehumanization and shaming of trans people and the queer movement. This undoubtedly contributes to the culture of violence, suicide and harassment that trans people face on a daily basis. Fortunately, these extremist views are shunned within the feminist movement at large. However, as a vocal minority they certainly make their presence felt. What you may not have known is that the organization that acclaimed author Derrick Jensen co-founded and is the figurehead of, Deep Green Resistance (DGR), is one of the more vocal and prominent supporters of the radical feminist and anti-trans agenda. In addition to referring to trans women as men and denying the existence of transphobia they’ve also posted links on their Facebook page to the most hateful transphobic websites. Even more, the transphobia and bigotry known to many activists within the organization was publicly confirmed on Saturday when DGR released a video that they claim represents their “official policy and position towards gender.”
- See more at: http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/#sthash.6JXwGE7u.dpuf
It’s important to note here that while Aric McBay co-wrote the Deep Green Resistance book with Jensen and Keith he left the organization in 2012 due to their transphobic policies. He writes:
I left the organization at the beginning of 2012 after a trans inclusive policy was cancelled by Derrick Jensen and Lierre Keith. Many good people and good activists left the organization for that reason.
I find these transphobic attitudes to be disgusting and deeply troubling, and it bothers me a lot to have any past association with people promoting transphobia.
For me, trans rights and trans inclusion are fundamental to building effective movements and to building a world worth living in.
See his full statement here.
Rachel Ivey, the 23-year old activist who gives the newly released Deep Green Resistance presentation on gender, acknowledges that their position is controversial. It’s their only perspective that has caused them to be banned from speaking at events she states. Deep Green Resistance factions have defected over it. She also explains that “there is no debate” acceptable within the organization about their policy on gender. Further evidence of DGR’s unwillingness to engage in dialogue or conversation about gender comes from an incident where they were banned from the Flying Brick Library. They state,
When we responded to DGR, we made it clear that we were willing to host them as a group – as long as they were willing to discuss these issues and how environmental and anti-civ work are intrinsic to resisting gender oppression – and vice versa.
Sadly, Deep Green Resistance made it clear that they are not willing to let anybody but themselves guide the conversation, and that as we insisted on such, that we are not ready to fight the (so-called) “real fight”.
Further evidence of the absolutist position DGR takes on gender comes from a former member who is trans. In addition to being denied access to female spaces she highlights how Jensen and Keith played central roles in spreading the anti-trans message.
I was told that in wanting access to women’s spaces I was implementing the male violation imperative. Saba Malik, Lierre Keith and Derrick all sent emails to my chapter and one other chapter that supported trans folks with the usual rad fem attacks. Gradually my group and the other chapters were presented with a choice: put up with trans phobia or hit the road. To be in DGR was to be rad fem in the exclusive sense.
Trans-TextIn the 40-minute video Rachael reads the words of DGR co-founder Lierre Keith. Keith is the author of the provocative book “The Vegetarian Myth” and editor of the “Derrick Jensen Reader” in addition to co-author of the book “Deep Green Resistance.” What exactly does Keith believe? Among other things, that the “phenomenon of trans” was created from porn culture and “that men insisting they are women is insulting and absurd.” Rachel not only celebrates Keith’s position but she labels it as DGR’s official stance and states that she can’t understand why people were bothered by it. After hearing Keith’s statement those in attendance break out in applause.
- See more at: http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/#sthash.6JXwGE7u.dpuf
Any flack that Keith has received for her transphobic statements is “unfair” according to DGR. This isn’t surprising given that Keith’s statement reflects the core of the organizations beliefs. I’m not going to respond to Keith’s entire statement, but we know that people have deep felt experiences of gender throughout life which of course differentiates it from things that aren’t biological like an experience of race or class. This is why Rachel’s question “Why is being a trans woman acceptable when deciding that I’m trans black is not?” is ridiculous. Gender is influenced by both biology and society. And of course trans or gender variant people existed long before the advent of “porn culture,” in a wide variety of societies. I’m also not going to write about the entire 40-minute video but there are a few other things I wanted to touch on. Deep Green Resistance claims that the term “Cis Gender” or “Cis Woman” is deeply oppressive and offensive on many levels. Furthermore, like other radical feminist groups, they deny the existence of cis gender privilege. However, here is a list of 30 cisgender privileges. And of course cis privilege means, at the most basic level, trans women being denied access to much needed housing, health or medical services that would be granted to cis women. Another astounding claim (see video below) of Jensen’s Deep Green Resistance group is that a trans woman retains all of her male privilege despite being female appearing. Why? Because for some length of that persons life they were socialized male. This socialization, no matter how small, means they retain male privilege and socialization for life. Thus, Kim Petras, the youngest person to undergo sex reassignment surgery still retains her full male privilege because for some part of her life she was socialized as male. It’s simply stunning how someone could look at Kim Petras and believe she hasn’t lost male privilege now that she is female appearing. - See more at:
http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/#sthash.6JXwGE7u.dpuf
http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/
Though I am not a pro-trans activist, I am not against trans people and certainly would not spend the few free minutes of any day/night forming arguments against them. As a bisexual male I love my penis and testes dearly, and would not consider having them removed or otherwise altered. However, I believe in freedom of choice for all and for others who feel differently they should be able to be whomever they feel like being.
My sincere advice for Derrick Jensen and his TERF followers is to;
1) Renounce, revoke and apologize for your earlier trans-phobic statements as being a mistake in thinking. We all make mistakes in our thought processes from time to time, forgiveness is always possible if the apology is sincere.
2) Return to your original anti-corporate methods of deep green resistance, focus your legitimate anger on the corporate entities currently destroying the many remaining ecosystems of Earth (desert, forest, ocean, etc...). There is no shortage of needed protests to protect the environment.
3) Stay away from the trans community with your opinions. They can fight their own battles with the medical industry and don't need to be directed towards/away from surgery by paternalistic know-it-alls. Try to understand the two-spirit concept of bisexuality found in indigenous cultures.
4) If you want to include the human body in deep ecology, focus on the chemo/pharma-complex monopolies, the refined sugar industry correlating with diabetes, factory farmed GMO-corn fed beef promoting heart disease, etc... As with the attacks from corporations on ecosystems the list here is also endless. There are more protests needed than there are activists to organize them. Especially when the prominent ones are wasting their time attacking the trans community.
Thanks for listening, hope that logic and reality can conquer irrational stubbornness.
IF not, myself and many others who were once your supporters will distance ourselves from your ideology and reclaim deep ecology for ourselves, minus the introduced trans-hatred.
background on Derrick Jensen's trans-phobic shift;
Trigger Warning: Contains Transphobic Content Below
"In case you didn’t already know, some of the most hurtful and hateful speech against transgender people comes from radical feminists. Not radical in the sense of radically inclusive, rather they are radically exclusive. Led by lesbian separtists these groups say really awful things about trans people. Many believe the only reason a man would transition to a woman is to rape women, while any woman that would transition to a man only does so to escape sexism and assimilate into patriarchy. Entire websites are dedicated to the discrediting, dehumanization and shaming of trans people and the queer movement. This undoubtedly contributes to the culture of violence, suicide and harassment that trans people face on a daily basis. Fortunately, these extremist views are shunned within the feminist movement at large. However, as a vocal minority they certainly make their presence felt. What you may not have known is that the organization that acclaimed author Derrick Jensen co-founded and is the figurehead of, Deep Green Resistance (DGR), is one of the more vocal and prominent supporters of the radical feminist and anti-trans agenda. In addition to referring to trans women as men and denying the existence of transphobia they’ve also posted links on their Facebook page to the most hateful transphobic websites. Even more, the transphobia and bigotry known to many activists within the organization was publicly confirmed on Saturday when DGR released a video that they claim represents their “official policy and position towards gender.”
- See more at: http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/#sthash.6JXwGE7u.dpuf
It’s important to note here that while Aric McBay co-wrote the Deep Green Resistance book with Jensen and Keith he left the organization in 2012 due to their transphobic policies. He writes:
I left the organization at the beginning of 2012 after a trans inclusive policy was cancelled by Derrick Jensen and Lierre Keith. Many good people and good activists left the organization for that reason.
I find these transphobic attitudes to be disgusting and deeply troubling, and it bothers me a lot to have any past association with people promoting transphobia.
For me, trans rights and trans inclusion are fundamental to building effective movements and to building a world worth living in.
See his full statement here.
Rachel Ivey, the 23-year old activist who gives the newly released Deep Green Resistance presentation on gender, acknowledges that their position is controversial. It’s their only perspective that has caused them to be banned from speaking at events she states. Deep Green Resistance factions have defected over it. She also explains that “there is no debate” acceptable within the organization about their policy on gender. Further evidence of DGR’s unwillingness to engage in dialogue or conversation about gender comes from an incident where they were banned from the Flying Brick Library. They state,
When we responded to DGR, we made it clear that we were willing to host them as a group – as long as they were willing to discuss these issues and how environmental and anti-civ work are intrinsic to resisting gender oppression – and vice versa.
Sadly, Deep Green Resistance made it clear that they are not willing to let anybody but themselves guide the conversation, and that as we insisted on such, that we are not ready to fight the (so-called) “real fight”.
Further evidence of the absolutist position DGR takes on gender comes from a former member who is trans. In addition to being denied access to female spaces she highlights how Jensen and Keith played central roles in spreading the anti-trans message.
I was told that in wanting access to women’s spaces I was implementing the male violation imperative. Saba Malik, Lierre Keith and Derrick all sent emails to my chapter and one other chapter that supported trans folks with the usual rad fem attacks. Gradually my group and the other chapters were presented with a choice: put up with trans phobia or hit the road. To be in DGR was to be rad fem in the exclusive sense.
Trans-TextIn the 40-minute video Rachael reads the words of DGR co-founder Lierre Keith. Keith is the author of the provocative book “The Vegetarian Myth” and editor of the “Derrick Jensen Reader” in addition to co-author of the book “Deep Green Resistance.” What exactly does Keith believe? Among other things, that the “phenomenon of trans” was created from porn culture and “that men insisting they are women is insulting and absurd.” Rachel not only celebrates Keith’s position but she labels it as DGR’s official stance and states that she can’t understand why people were bothered by it. After hearing Keith’s statement those in attendance break out in applause.
- See more at: http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/#sthash.6JXwGE7u.dpuf
Any flack that Keith has received for her transphobic statements is “unfair” according to DGR. This isn’t surprising given that Keith’s statement reflects the core of the organizations beliefs. I’m not going to respond to Keith’s entire statement, but we know that people have deep felt experiences of gender throughout life which of course differentiates it from things that aren’t biological like an experience of race or class. This is why Rachel’s question “Why is being a trans woman acceptable when deciding that I’m trans black is not?” is ridiculous. Gender is influenced by both biology and society. And of course trans or gender variant people existed long before the advent of “porn culture,” in a wide variety of societies. I’m also not going to write about the entire 40-minute video but there are a few other things I wanted to touch on. Deep Green Resistance claims that the term “Cis Gender” or “Cis Woman” is deeply oppressive and offensive on many levels. Furthermore, like other radical feminist groups, they deny the existence of cis gender privilege. However, here is a list of 30 cisgender privileges. And of course cis privilege means, at the most basic level, trans women being denied access to much needed housing, health or medical services that would be granted to cis women. Another astounding claim (see video below) of Jensen’s Deep Green Resistance group is that a trans woman retains all of her male privilege despite being female appearing. Why? Because for some length of that persons life they were socialized male. This socialization, no matter how small, means they retain male privilege and socialization for life. Thus, Kim Petras, the youngest person to undergo sex reassignment surgery still retains her full male privilege because for some part of her life she was socialized as male. It’s simply stunning how someone could look at Kim Petras and believe she hasn’t lost male privilege now that she is female appearing. - See more at:
http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/#sthash.6JXwGE7u.dpuf
http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/how-derrick-jensens-deep-green-resistance-supports-transphobia/
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Since I watched the entire video I feel entitled (oh no!) to make some comments on the DGR group's thinking;
Feminism and being female will not be taken away from anyone in the group by being inclusive of trans people in their group. Why are they so protective of their female identity? Beware the presence of narcissistic personality disorders (NPDs) in activism, they are just as prevalent there as in the corporate boardrooms. Since I've learned about NPDs I am now more able to spot these traits in individuals (even in me, though I lean towards borderline). Ignorance of this increasingly occurring personality disorder was bliss, yet left me vulnerable also. Lack of empathy towards others remains their defining main trait. "Don't take my pain away from me!" is another one.
Someone born as a male may have certain advantages, though by turning towards their female side they will now face disadvantages and also be less accustomed to these new disadvantages. Just like someone who was once wealthy can become poor and be overwhelmed by the experience more than someone who was born poor and remains poor. Being poor for a long time and then becoming wealthy is another culture shock. Being born female and then becoming male can probably put their ego through the roof. Either way over time you are not who you were before.
Being born female in the modern U.S. (besides the Bible Belt) isn't going to result in the same abuses as 50 years ago or being born female in modern day Saudi Arabia. The speaker seems to be caught in a time warp. Regular hetero females born in the last few decades can be just as mean to effeminate males as can their macho male bully counterparts. Where do radical feminists stand on female-female bullying or females bullying emotionally and/or physically weaker males?
Trans-black/indigenous and trans-rich analogies; If you were white and born in a mostly black urban ghetto, you would adopt "black" lingo, clothes and music as this is what is in your environment. Where do you think the term "whigger" came from? No, not just Eminem or white boys from the suburbs blasting gansta rap from their parent's cars. Before hip-hop culture became mainstream the term whigger was an insult directed towards lower-income whites who lived in urban neighborhoods and adopted black culture/dress/lingo.
During settler times some white children were kidnapped and raised by the indigenous tribe who captured them and assimilated into the tribe despite their "bio-whiteness". Their language, culture, dress and lifestyle were all from that tribe, if recaptured by the white settlers they would run away at first chance and rejoin the indigenous tribe that kidnapped them when they were children. It was 100% assimilation for these "trans-indigenous" former bio-white settlers. Research your history before making fallacious analogies.
Clearly some lack of reality in understanding sex and gender. We are either male or female on a spectrum (liberal view) or gender should not exist at all (rad-fem)? Make the words man and women disappear from language? Some folks get on such tangents away from anything basically real that they end up trying to distort physics. Can we just try to treat everyone with respect no matter where they find themselves with their gender?
What about a butch beefy guy dressing as a woman and a curvy woman dressing as a man and that is ok? If society were more accepting of same sex attraction or a hetero man dressing female or vice versa than maybe all the expensive and risky sex changes would be unneeded.
My theory is that some ingrained cultural homophobia or discomfort with being same sex attracted leads many people to desire sex changes. This could be happening in the subconscious mind and the person wanting to change their sex is unaware of the reason, though when offered a sex change they obtain mental relief. IF there was ZERO homophobia in society from religion or other sources, would trans people have the same anxiety about being themselves without the sex change?
My preference is for more cross dressing and less surgery due to the biological risks and the pharma products required to shift hormones. Though that wasn't covered in the video lecture by DGR, it needs to be openly talked about. It would seem if they cared about the people who were suffering from botched surgeries and pharma complications this would be a topic.
My concern is that the medical-industrial complex is encouraging sex change surgery without offering other options. It seems like segments of society cannot handle a man dressing or acting as a female so they are forced to actually become a female by the medical establishment that profits immensely from the long term procedure.
What is the fear of cross dressing? A man with a penis and a skirt will use the women's restroom to spy on or rape the women there? Do women normally undress in full view of other women while in the restroom? Do they go potty with the stall door swung wide open so other actual women can watch? What if a man dressed as a man rapes a woman in a gender neutral place (elevator, bus, hallway, etc...)? The police are notified or the woman tells someone else who obtains justice for the wrongful act. The same goes for a cross dressing male who uses his female identity to attack an actual woman. Game over.
Though I will never have my penis surgically altered in any way, I am going to practice my cross-dressing skills for practical and pleasurable purposes. This would be a great strategy for activists who want to confuse the police when processing arrests or hunting down "terrorist fugitives" who may be male or female. Life is short and we should be happy trying to find ourselves in the variations of gender without imposed guilt or critics that have personality issues.
Thanks for the open talking forum. Best wishes to all!
Feminism and being female will not be taken away from anyone in the group by being inclusive of trans people in their group. Why are they so protective of their female identity? Beware the presence of narcissistic personality disorders (NPDs) in activism, they are just as prevalent there as in the corporate boardrooms. Since I've learned about NPDs I am now more able to spot these traits in individuals (even in me, though I lean towards borderline). Ignorance of this increasingly occurring personality disorder was bliss, yet left me vulnerable also. Lack of empathy towards others remains their defining main trait. "Don't take my pain away from me!" is another one.
Someone born as a male may have certain advantages, though by turning towards their female side they will now face disadvantages and also be less accustomed to these new disadvantages. Just like someone who was once wealthy can become poor and be overwhelmed by the experience more than someone who was born poor and remains poor. Being poor for a long time and then becoming wealthy is another culture shock. Being born female and then becoming male can probably put their ego through the roof. Either way over time you are not who you were before.
Being born female in the modern U.S. (besides the Bible Belt) isn't going to result in the same abuses as 50 years ago or being born female in modern day Saudi Arabia. The speaker seems to be caught in a time warp. Regular hetero females born in the last few decades can be just as mean to effeminate males as can their macho male bully counterparts. Where do radical feminists stand on female-female bullying or females bullying emotionally and/or physically weaker males?
Trans-black/indigenous and trans-rich analogies; If you were white and born in a mostly black urban ghetto, you would adopt "black" lingo, clothes and music as this is what is in your environment. Where do you think the term "whigger" came from? No, not just Eminem or white boys from the suburbs blasting gansta rap from their parent's cars. Before hip-hop culture became mainstream the term whigger was an insult directed towards lower-income whites who lived in urban neighborhoods and adopted black culture/dress/lingo.
During settler times some white children were kidnapped and raised by the indigenous tribe who captured them and assimilated into the tribe despite their "bio-whiteness". Their language, culture, dress and lifestyle were all from that tribe, if recaptured by the white settlers they would run away at first chance and rejoin the indigenous tribe that kidnapped them when they were children. It was 100% assimilation for these "trans-indigenous" former bio-white settlers. Research your history before making fallacious analogies.
Clearly some lack of reality in understanding sex and gender. We are either male or female on a spectrum (liberal view) or gender should not exist at all (rad-fem)? Make the words man and women disappear from language? Some folks get on such tangents away from anything basically real that they end up trying to distort physics. Can we just try to treat everyone with respect no matter where they find themselves with their gender?
What about a butch beefy guy dressing as a woman and a curvy woman dressing as a man and that is ok? If society were more accepting of same sex attraction or a hetero man dressing female or vice versa than maybe all the expensive and risky sex changes would be unneeded.
My theory is that some ingrained cultural homophobia or discomfort with being same sex attracted leads many people to desire sex changes. This could be happening in the subconscious mind and the person wanting to change their sex is unaware of the reason, though when offered a sex change they obtain mental relief. IF there was ZERO homophobia in society from religion or other sources, would trans people have the same anxiety about being themselves without the sex change?
My preference is for more cross dressing and less surgery due to the biological risks and the pharma products required to shift hormones. Though that wasn't covered in the video lecture by DGR, it needs to be openly talked about. It would seem if they cared about the people who were suffering from botched surgeries and pharma complications this would be a topic.
My concern is that the medical-industrial complex is encouraging sex change surgery without offering other options. It seems like segments of society cannot handle a man dressing or acting as a female so they are forced to actually become a female by the medical establishment that profits immensely from the long term procedure.
What is the fear of cross dressing? A man with a penis and a skirt will use the women's restroom to spy on or rape the women there? Do women normally undress in full view of other women while in the restroom? Do they go potty with the stall door swung wide open so other actual women can watch? What if a man dressed as a man rapes a woman in a gender neutral place (elevator, bus, hallway, etc...)? The police are notified or the woman tells someone else who obtains justice for the wrongful act. The same goes for a cross dressing male who uses his female identity to attack an actual woman. Game over.
Though I will never have my penis surgically altered in any way, I am going to practice my cross-dressing skills for practical and pleasurable purposes. This would be a great strategy for activists who want to confuse the police when processing arrests or hunting down "terrorist fugitives" who may be male or female. Life is short and we should be happy trying to find ourselves in the variations of gender without imposed guilt or critics that have personality issues.
Thanks for the open talking forum. Best wishes to all!
This is the psychological profile of Trans Excluding Radical Feminists (TERF) in DGR and elsewhere;
Most were physically/sexually/emotionally wounded (often severely) by a pathological male human entity (father, older sibling, uncle, older friend, etc...) early (or later) in life, often unable to overcome legitimate fear of males. This is a result of psychological wounding, resulting in "time warp" thought patterns repeating abuse.
They often require a need to hate the stereotype of the abusive male and for modern males to conform to their preset mind. This reinforces the time warp thinking by requiring modern oppressive males to match the stereotype of the early abusive male, since trans men to women or women to men blur these boundaries they make the time warp thinker extremely uncomfortable, thus trans people are outlawed from their circle of comfort. Males allowed to be present in their company are low in energy and easily controlled by the time warp thinking, essentially "yes men" in soldier bodies with empty minds waiting to be filled.
That's only theory, though there is substantial psychological evidence to support these claims. This isn't pushing psych meds either because only talking therapy (psychotherapy) can help people heal from abuse trauma. I am sorry that this happened to them, but just like in the mental hospital we cannot allow wounded people to victimize other wounded people. People born as men, trans changers and other non-birth females should not have to suffer as a result of their childhood trauma with men. Fight patriarchy, corporatism and fascism as much as you want, just stop excluding trans people from the deep ecology by using feminism as a weapon.
If separation is the only option for the psychologically wounded TERFs at DGR, so be it. However, TERFs do not own deep ecology (or feminism) as a concept and more trans-inclusive groups will reclaim it for themselves. Best wishes in recovery.
That "liberal rag" the New Yorker has some background on the radfem vs. trans debate;
"One of the trans women who showed up at the Radfems Respond conference, a thirty-five-year-old software engineer from California, with a tiny nose stud and long brown hair, agrees. She understands why trans women are hurt by their exclusion from Michfest and other female-only events and facilities, saying, “It’s not really wanting to invade space. It’s a deep-seated wanting to belong.” But, she adds, “if you’re identifying with women, shouldn’t you be empathizing with women?”
Sandy Stone shares this view—up to a point. Of the radical feminists’ position, she says, “It’s my personal belief, from speaking to some of these people at length, that it comes from having been subject to serious trauma at the hands of some man, or multiple men.” She adds, “You have to respect that. That’s their experience of the world.” But the pain of radical feminists, she insists, can’t trump trans rights. “If it were a perfect world, we would find ways to reach out and find ways of mutual healing,” she says. But, as it is, “I am going to have to say, It’s your place to stay out of spaces where transgender male-to-female people go. It’s not our job to avoid you.” ♦
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/04/woman-2
My personal concern is for the trans people as their suicide rate is far higher than any other group of oppressed people at this time, including women. Generally wounded people like TERFs with developed narcissistic personality disorder do not commit suicide, their NPD is their shield from all attacks. It may be best for everyone that they separate themselves from others, trans people are simply not safe around their venom pit. From the National Transgender Discrimination Survey;
Transgender and gender non-conforming people face rampant discrimination in every area of life: education, employment, family life, public accommodations, housing, health, police and jails, and ID documents. This data is so shocking that it will change the way you think about transgender people and it should change the way you advocate. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey was conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/ntds
Most were physically/sexually/emotionally wounded (often severely) by a pathological male human entity (father, older sibling, uncle, older friend, etc...) early (or later) in life, often unable to overcome legitimate fear of males. This is a result of psychological wounding, resulting in "time warp" thought patterns repeating abuse.
They often require a need to hate the stereotype of the abusive male and for modern males to conform to their preset mind. This reinforces the time warp thinking by requiring modern oppressive males to match the stereotype of the early abusive male, since trans men to women or women to men blur these boundaries they make the time warp thinker extremely uncomfortable, thus trans people are outlawed from their circle of comfort. Males allowed to be present in their company are low in energy and easily controlled by the time warp thinking, essentially "yes men" in soldier bodies with empty minds waiting to be filled.
That's only theory, though there is substantial psychological evidence to support these claims. This isn't pushing psych meds either because only talking therapy (psychotherapy) can help people heal from abuse trauma. I am sorry that this happened to them, but just like in the mental hospital we cannot allow wounded people to victimize other wounded people. People born as men, trans changers and other non-birth females should not have to suffer as a result of their childhood trauma with men. Fight patriarchy, corporatism and fascism as much as you want, just stop excluding trans people from the deep ecology by using feminism as a weapon.
If separation is the only option for the psychologically wounded TERFs at DGR, so be it. However, TERFs do not own deep ecology (or feminism) as a concept and more trans-inclusive groups will reclaim it for themselves. Best wishes in recovery.
That "liberal rag" the New Yorker has some background on the radfem vs. trans debate;
"One of the trans women who showed up at the Radfems Respond conference, a thirty-five-year-old software engineer from California, with a tiny nose stud and long brown hair, agrees. She understands why trans women are hurt by their exclusion from Michfest and other female-only events and facilities, saying, “It’s not really wanting to invade space. It’s a deep-seated wanting to belong.” But, she adds, “if you’re identifying with women, shouldn’t you be empathizing with women?”
Sandy Stone shares this view—up to a point. Of the radical feminists’ position, she says, “It’s my personal belief, from speaking to some of these people at length, that it comes from having been subject to serious trauma at the hands of some man, or multiple men.” She adds, “You have to respect that. That’s their experience of the world.” But the pain of radical feminists, she insists, can’t trump trans rights. “If it were a perfect world, we would find ways to reach out and find ways of mutual healing,” she says. But, as it is, “I am going to have to say, It’s your place to stay out of spaces where transgender male-to-female people go. It’s not our job to avoid you.” ♦
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/04/woman-2
My personal concern is for the trans people as their suicide rate is far higher than any other group of oppressed people at this time, including women. Generally wounded people like TERFs with developed narcissistic personality disorder do not commit suicide, their NPD is their shield from all attacks. It may be best for everyone that they separate themselves from others, trans people are simply not safe around their venom pit. From the National Transgender Discrimination Survey;
Transgender and gender non-conforming people face rampant discrimination in every area of life: education, employment, family life, public accommodations, housing, health, police and jails, and ID documents. This data is so shocking that it will change the way you think about transgender people and it should change the way you advocate. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey was conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/ntds
this break came about i believe when a trans activist from SF's DGR chapter wanted to join the all-female space and was not allowed to, because she was considered a he. Because of that, SF's DGR chapter broke up, never to do anything ever again, and DGR has been in damage control ever since, moving from any sort of deep green resistance/ecological warfare to explaining why liberals/anarchists/leftists are illegitimate positions.
Meanwhile, the earth keeps dying and the FBI are all laughing their asses off.
Meanwhile, the earth keeps dying and the FBI are all laughing their asses off.
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