Welcome back to Trad Trans Rants by TaraElla. Right now, I'm very frustrated. You see, the whole 'JK Rowling is transphobic' thing has heated up all over again. It all started when Rowling tweeted her disagreement with the language used in an article titled 'Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate'. Obviously, Rowling disagrees with the usage of 'people who menstruate' and would prefer the use of just 'women' instead. That opinion, as you may expect, attracted severe backlash in the echo chamber that is Twitter. Rowling then went on to post a few more tweets like these ones:
"If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth."
AND
"I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so."
Doesn't really sound transphobic at all to me. In fact, as a trans person, all I have ever asked for is to be able to live in a way that feels comfortable for me, and not face discrimination or hate as a result. If Rowling supports my right to do all this, then I feel she really has my back. As for whether Rowling thinks of me as a man, I don't think that matters. People have their right to their own opinions, and I can respect different views. I can surely get along with people who don't agree with me.
Of course, all this wouldn't really have been an issue at all, say, ten years ago. Not many trans people from ten years ago would have taken offense at Rowling's words. I think the issue is that, there has been a new gender-related movement that probably sprang up from places like Tumblr, which gradually got mainstream in the last 5-10 years. Rather than focusing on the ability to live free from discrimination like we always did, this new gender movement is all about changing language. For the record, I have no problems personally with phrases like 'people who menstruate'. As a free speech activist, I think everyone is entitled to use whatever language they want. The problem is, this whole episode started when Rowling expressed her disagreement with the phrase 'people who menstruate'. While you certainly can come up with unconventional phrases to express your viewpoints, others have an equal right to voice their disagreements. I think Rowling is fed up with the idea that to simply dissent to the new language is equivalent to transphobia, and on this point, I am fully with her.
I think it's time the trans rights movement stopped caring about language, and started caring about more bread and butter issues, like employment, housing and health care. After all, only the privileged can afford to care about language, for the rest of us, it's always the bread and butter issues that must take priority. The truth is, I can't afford to care about what language people use because I actually have a life to live and work to do, and I suspect the silent majority of trans people are with me on this.
As for people like Rowling, they are actually trying to participate in the trans rights conversation, and I think it's a mistake for the radical activists to push them away. Surely, she is bringing her concerns to the table, but she is also bringing her commitment to allyship, and the latter is much more important. As for Rowling's concerns, which she does appear to share with many people out there, it is up to those of us who care about trans rights to deal with them. I think we should let everyone voice their concerns about any trans rights proposal, as long as they are doing so in good faith, so that we can work through them, and come up with solutions that address the concerns of everyone. As with all social change, there are a diverse number of stakeholders we need to communicate with, and compromise with, in order to make it work. If anything, I think we should be happy that people like Rowling are willing to openly share their concerns, while still committing to being allies.
