A note about the T

THIS is not okay.

Last Saturday night, two trans men were harassed in, and assaulted in front of, a popular club here in DC that I and many of my friends patronize. These men were subjected to ignorant, hurtful and violent behavior by members of our own community, in an establishment that should, more or less, serve as a safe and welcoming place for everyone. The spot is a well known hang out for all members of the lgbtq community here in the district, and their friends (there's certainly no queer card check at the door). Unfortunately it seems that a couple of members of our community fail to recognize that lgbtq includes a T.

While there are certainly differences of opinion in terms of whether or not transgender men and women should be grouped in with gays and lesbians as a societal demographic, we all fall well under the definition of queer and we all deal with many of the same issues. At the forefront of the LGBTQ community's fight for equal rights is a deeper fight for acceptance. Society has long been telling us that because we are not heterosexual, we are deviant, and therefore we are less - less deserving of rights, less deserving of recognition, less deserving of protection and less deserving of acceptance. As we are at a crucial point in our community's fight to be accepted, it is important to remember that ALL members of our community deserve acceptance, not just those we understand.

If, as a gay men or lesbians, we look at our transgender brothers and sisters from the perspective of shunning that which we do not understand, we are doing exactly the same to them that members of the straight community have done to us. Gay men and lesbians struggle with gender identity. In the way we dress, in our expression of our personalities, in our social circles, in our labels and stereotypes, in the subcultural norms we create within our own community. It is something we deal with everyday, and it most certainly isn't unique to men and women who identify as transgender.

I cannot imagine what struggle of conscience, what dissonance, what social experiences transgener men and women go through. I haven't experienced it myself. Knowing that, and knowing that many people might say the same thing about me and my experiences, there is no way that I can discount or disregard another person as being a legitimate member of my community. People exist in all shapes, sizes, colors, and genders. One of the greatest things about the LGBTQ community in my mind is the concept that a bunch of people who would, in standard society, be considered misfits can come together to create a beautiful and diverse community that counters the harsh binding structures that put us there in the first place.

By discriminating against transgender men and women within our own community we are demonstrating not only our ignorance in regard to the issues that we ourselves deal with, but also our lack of appreciation and understanding for the gravity of the rights we are fighting for.
Beyond that, at it its core, is the fact that no matter what your gender identity or gender expression or sexual orientation, we are all human beings. No one deserves to be treated so poorly. It is inexcusable.