Why the LGB Rights Movement Erases the T
To my siblings in the LGBTQ+ community opposed to trans justice: the privileged class will not pick you.
CW: mentions of transphobic language, racism, genitalia
I center all of my work around the critical necessity of collectivism in our liberation movements. White supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, and capitalism are designed to encourage individualism and to convince us that as long as we have what we need, we don’t need to help anybody else. This is the fundamental reason why we are fighting a sweeping anti-trans movement globally today.
Since the late 60s, when the LGBTQ+ rights movement started gaining momentum in the United States, gender expansive people of color have been on the frontlines of the fight for freedom, and have borne the brunt of much of the state violence. Conversely, cisgender LGBQ+ people, in particular those who are not racialized, have reaped the benefits of “equality.” This is tactical and intentional. If those in our community who have one axis of privilege focus on visibility and representation, we’ll all get to get married in the Hamptons and we don’t have to dismantle systems of oppression.
“Big Gay” is the result of this segmented approach to the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and it is not interested in…
