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Feminism, BIID and Perspective
Written by Chloe on Saturday, November 28, 2009
I have a confession to make. I am a feminist. Umm, no, I don’t hate men. You don’t have to hate men in order to be a feminist. Oh, yeah, I also have a sense of humor. What does this have to do with BIID? Well, nothing; or so I thought until my life as a feminist and my life with BIID collided at a random intersection: In Response to Fab Matters’ Questions.
Sean was responding to the post "The Transabled", which appeared on the fab matters (feminist) website. There are a number of comments to that post which are interesting, albeit in a rather disturbing way. I believe it is of value to know what other people think of us, from their perspective.
I will comment on the comments from my perspective, as someone with BIID (sometimes with sarcasm). In addition I may make a comment from an anti-feminist perspective. This is my attempt to hold up a mirror for those who criticise us. Yes, I am a feminist, but I am very well aware of the anti-feminist perspective, even though I think it is utterly wrong. I have been in the unusual position of being a lesbian feminist presenting as male in the company of men. Yes, I was a feminist undercover spy! Ah, what a claim to fame! Here we go:
Miska said: "And naturally when the disability activists refuse to put up with their nonsense…" Apparently our affliction is being trivialised as nonsense. Thanks for the compassion, Miska.
->Oh, yes, feminism is nonsense by the way.
Thebeardedlady said: "But looking at this stuff makes me wonder if it isn’t just a fetish. Don’t know. But it’s certainly eye-opening. And sick-making." Ah, of course! I should have thought of that. I need to have insensate genitalia and anorgasmia because it’s sexy.
->Feminists make me sick.
Factcheckme said: "– this person is essentially describing a BDSM-type "consensual encounter" with a surgeon in order for this transabled person to "achieve" her desired deafness. (oh crap, I just emotionally vomited again)." Quite right; having a nose job must be a BDSM encounter too.
->So are feminist meetings. I’d better clean up the mess now; feminists make me vomit.
Miska said: "Yes – I’ve noticed the BDSM undertones to this whole thing too!"
->I’ve noticed BDSM undertones to this whole feminism thing too. It’s just women who desire to feel oppressed and wallow in it (probably a sexual thing; you know how masochistic women are).
Akibare said: "By being in the stereotypically "weak" position, it’s possible to break the stereotype, to enjoy playing out the "overcoming"." Sorry, Akibare, but I find your implication that people with disabilities are "weak" to be offensive.
->Er, wait, you probably meant that feminists enjoy playing out the "overcoming" the "weak" position of women.
Akibare said: "If you read around, you can find quite a few posts of transabled taking quite the enjoyment in —— showing sexuality while wearing assistive devices that many assume to be ugly..." Oops! I think that one was aimed at me. Pardon me for being sexual at all.
->In any case, everybody knows that lesbian feminists are just women who are too ugly to get a man, and are pissed off about it. (I’m not making up this anti-feminist stuff by the way. It is almost verbatim from what I heard as a feminist spy).
Miska said: "But I do not accept that able-bodied people deliberately becoming disabled would be beneficial for disabled people as a political class." Well, neither do I. So what? We do not have BIID in order to benefit anyone. We just have it.
->But I do not accept that women deliberately becoming feminists would be beneficial for feminists as a political class.
Akibare said: "But I do find the boundary issues involved with people wanting to join "lesser status" groups interesting from the start." For my own part, BIID has nothing whatsoever to do with desiring lesser status. Hermaphrodites are pretty far down there anyway, i.e. less than "women". I’ve felt pretty damn inferior for most of my life, and I don’t like it.
Factcheckme said: "– you are exercising CHOICE. You could always NOT be in the wheelchair." Yes, you are correct. I could choose a life of emotional agony, instead of treating my BIID by using a wheelchair. But why would I deny myself the treatment that is available? Why would anybody choose to be suicidally depressed if Prozac ameliorates the condition?
->Why would a woman CHOOSE to be a feminist if it makes life more difficult? You could always NOT be a feminist.</p>
Factcheckme said: "The fact that you are literally FANTASIZING about being helpless, and permanently trapped in a helpless role is telling." Firstly, I don’t fantasize about being helpless. I wonder what criteria you are using for establishing something as a fact? Secondly, your insinuation that people with disabilities are helpless is offensive and insulting. Thirdly, I don’t enjoy having a disability (unrelated to BIID) which sometimes necessitates me being dressed and fed because I can’t do it for myself. It sucks.
->It is telling that you wish to be permanently trapped in the helpless role of being a woman. After all, you have the CHOICE of being a female to male transsexual.
Miska said: "Except they say they’re not exercising "choice" because they "need" to be a woman or disabled (i.e. they "need" to be oppressed.)" Ah yes, that insatiable need to be oppressed! Gotta love that one.
Miska said: "But it is interesting how the accepted treatment for one body-perception disorder [anorexia] is to change the perception,and the treatment for another [transsexuality] is to change the body. Could it be anything to do with the fact that one disorder affects more females, and the other affects more males?" I happen to know that anorexia affects more females. I also happen to know that it is not commonly suggested that there are more FtMs than MtFs. Consequently I deduce that you are assigning MtFs as male. I’m not going to touch that one. However, the assertion that there is a sex difference in the incidence of transsexualism is without merit. You are probably referring to older literature which compares the incidence of transsexual SURGERY. There is a big difference. The cost of MtF surgery is around $20,000 – 30,000. The cost of FtM surgery is around $100,000 – 150,000. The outcome of MtF surgery is usually a lot better than the outcome of FtM surgery. The difference in the incidence of surgery is not in any way surprising; but it does not reflect the incidence of the "disorder". Sorry Miska, but the standard of feminist scholarship here is suboptimal.
Thebeardedlady said: "Clearly, trans activisits agree that their case is undermined by comparison with transablism. Seems that they pretty much hate transableism, huh?" I’m glad everything is so clear to you. Actually they don’t agree.
->However, it is clear that women pretty much hate feminists, huh? Or is it the other way around?
Thebeardedlady said: "Ugh. Able bodied people who think it’s romantic to be disabled." Romantic?? We’re in this for the romance? That’s news to me. Oh, and everybody loves being referred to with an "Ugh"; it sounds so compassionate. The dichotomous patriarchal language and thought process also does not escape me. Are you implying that people with BIID are necessarily able bodied? Not so. Having a disability and having BIID are not at all mutually exclusive categories.
->Ugh! Women who think it’s romantic to be a feminist. Makes me want to vomit all over again.
Thebeardedlady said: "It is really clear about the sexual nature of the desire to "transition", both in transgender and transability." Oh yes, REALLY clear. That’s exactly why I need to have no genital sensation and be anorgasmic. It’s for the sex!!! Thanks for giving me a good laugh though.
Femonade said: "– although they are perfectly healthy able-bodied themselves, the trans-abled "see themselves" as disabled and they want to be disabled too." Wow! Dichotomous patriarchal thinking gone wild! What on earth gives you the impression that "the transabled" (yes, we love that dehumanising language just like PWDs love being referred to as "the disabled") are perfectly healthy able-bodied? A great many of us already have physical disabilities.
Undercover punk said: "IT IS MUNCHAUSEN DISEASE. And no appeal to my emotions could possibly change my mind!" Perhaps rationality could possibly change your mind?
->Wait, silly me, I was forgetting that feminists are completely irrational.
Undercover punk said: "– you’re not thinking about anyone else except yourself! Self-indulgence at it’s worst!" This one was aimed at Sean. What can I say? Sean is my friend. I happen to know what a deeply caring person he is; someone who makes sacrifices for other people’s benefit. Sean, I truly appreciate the friendship of such a wonderful human being as yourself. Yes, this one made me cry…
Undercover punk said: "The stories of pain and destruction caused by later-in-life disability-foreclosure, eviction, dissolution of marriage, depression, even suicide!-are beyond heart-breaking. The way our society treats disabled people is deplorable. NO ONE should be seeking to hop on that bandwagon. It’s hard enough as it is." No disagreement here. I certainly don’t seek to hop on any bandwagon. Pain and destruction can also be caused by BIID; everything you describe. You have an amazing ability to be selective in your sense of compassion. How about showing compassion towards ANYBODY whose life hurts so much that they contemplate suicide?
->The way our society treats feminists is deplorable. NO ONE should be seeking to hop on that bandwagon.
Miska said: "And I think even the slightest chance that transablism being validated might make things worse for disabled people is enough reason to oppose it."
->And I think even the slightest chance that feminism being validated might make things even worse for women is enough reason to oppose it.
Miska said: "Whenever a person with privilege deliberately transitions into a marginalized political class, it is not a neutral act by nature, no matter how well-intentioned the person’s motivation may be for doing so."
->You mean, like, nobody should ever become a feminist, no matter how well-intentioned they might be?
Just in case I have not been crystal clear: I am a feminist. I VEHEMENTLY oppose every anti-feminist sentiment in this post. I am all too well aware of oppression from the patriarchy; but for me, feminism is a matter of scholarship not a matter of religion. This post is meant as an exercise in perspectives and consciousness raising; for myself as much as anybody else.
I have an afterthought. A very good (female) friend of mine contends that (in the USA) men are but slaves to women. I happen not to agree with this point of view. However, she expounds on the assertion with great intelligence, insight, and virtually flawless arguments. She is quite serious about this. I completely get where she is coming from. The point is… The point is that there are different points of view. It is not difficult to come up with a point of view and interpret EVERY observation as being in support of that point of view. The point is… minds are like parachutes: they work best when they are open. Wisdom comes from understanding that there are indeed different perspectives. Compassion comes from seeing another person’s point of view. The way to find out about someone else’s feelings and experiences is to ask them. Assumptions lead only to ignorance.
Tags: BIID, Compassion, Disability, Feminism, Patriarchy, Perspectives, Transabled, Transsexual, Wheelchair
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3 Comments
2 On 29 November, 2009, Phil said:
Dear Chloe,
you really must be masochist for having read all these comments!
They are not worth commenting on them. I have got the impression that in the internet there are a lot of people who are lonely and flee into the virtual “reality” here, into theories and “games” and who judge others.
Not so on transabled.org, most of the time. Lucky we!
There is too much opinion and not enough information on the internet, that’s the problem.
Let’s seed some information and truth. Talking about how we really feel, about experiences and all that. And let’s try to ignore the blahblahers who only need a valve for their hatred or self-hatred. That’s my suggestion – but that’s an opinion, too, so…. ;-)
@Phil: Oops! Hoist by my own petard! The fact that I read all those comments does indeed prove that I’m a masochist, and therefore guilty of all charges.
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1 On 29 November, 2009, Bryan said:
“Minds are like parachutes: they work best when they are open.” Parachutes however only work when opened at the right time. Having a parachute open in the plane will do more harm than good if you plan on jumping. Does this mean there are times when my mind should be closed too? Sorry Chloe, I’m feeling a bit snippy today. I know you can handle a bit of sass though.