"identifying as transsexual means you are transmed" is the "identifying as bisexual means you are transphobic" of trans discourse

@mira@kumis.industries ur being far too kind to those who use it that way. far too kind.

@astronema i am those people u don't like, should i be unkind to myself?

@mira@kumis.industries i don't think u mean it in the same way. but if u do u should reconsider because creating divisions like that serves truscum & no one else

@astronema i think there is a significat difference in our experiences between someone who doesn't medically transition and me, neither more trans or real, but different. i think denying me access to language to talk about that serves patriarchy quite a lot, that is how i mean it idk what you read into my words but i did not say any truscum shit here?

@astronema and i think the immediate reaction to police the language of anyone using a word transmeds also use yet hold no exclusive ownership over is exactly what my original post was about

@mira@kumis.industries @astronema@translunar.academy Mira, I don't disagree with you. But this is the process of reclamation. Transsexual has been used as a differentiator within the transmed discourse for sometime, and the process of re-framing it within a narrative of broader trans experiences requires we shed those previous gatekeeping connotations. This will take some time and effort. Without a doubt, the shared experiences of trans people who have navigated their way through affirming surgeries have some unique experience. As you said, this does not make them more or less trans, but does, maybe(?), suggest some differentiation. At the same time, we generally don't (though some try to) make distinctions between trans people who DIY or go through the medical establishment, or those trans girls who utilize HRT through gels or pills instead of injections.

Overall, the history of trans (particularly transfeminine) medicine is one centered around gatekeeping. Who was deemed feminine enough to receive care; who could pass enough to obtain surgeries; who was in enough psychological pain to be diagnosed: this is the history of our community. We, as group, are socialized and indoctrinated to initially deny our transness. Every trans person I know went through a period where they believed they weren't or couldn't be trans. It is almost endemic to our experience. So, any additional perceived gatekeeping will always be met with skepticism. Thus, while I generally agree with you, and others, who seek to reclaim transsexual, I am also keenly aware of the treacherous path this requires.

@Steve @astronema i am not really denying any of that though?

even in the context of its history (which to be honest i don't think is as clear cut as a word belonging exclusively to transmeds, but i get that its a complicated one), however, i do have a problem with the people who call me evil and disgusting for saying that the trans experience is not a homogeneous mass and that in this word, that means something specific, i recognize a way to describe my own experience.

@mira@kumis.industries @astronema@translunar.academy calling the discussion - or the idea - evil or inherently bad is in itself the kind of language gatekeeping that has occurred around the word Queer and should be seen as, at best, reactive and reductive. These are both interesting and useful discussions because they illuminate both our disparate and shared experiences of being trans. I, for one, am grateful for the post, as it makes me reconsider my own thoughts around surgical intervention and what that means to me.

@Steve if you care to share more i am very interested in what thoughts my post helped inspire

@mira@kumis.industries As someone who's been around the community for decades, but only recently came to the conclusion she had to transition, I've wrestled with the notion of what 'being trans' means to me, and to the broader world in general. Within my own mind I have considered what kind of surgical interventions I might desire to help me feel more at ease with my body and self as an older trans woman. I have a number of friends who have had procedures (some with mixed successes) over the years. There was a time, in my lifetime, where surgery was not only a default selection, but an expectation of trans women. And this notion of a true transsexual lives deep in my historical experience. In considering my own 'journey' I have become far more of a radical inclusionist as I have made friends with younger trans people. I view this as a positive, and one which helped me, personally, accept my own status. So the discussions around surgeries is both very personal, and also communal to me. How we care for ourselves and those in community with us feels particularly prominent to me -- as we find ourselves viciously attacked on all sides. So while we fight for both our rights and our care, we're seeing fewer doctors and surgeons willing to treat us. Thus, I, both personally and communally, wonder what these limitations may mean for my own transition as well as other's in the community who feel the desire for surgical procedures. And with this, I remain fully aware that 1) not all trans people desire or want surgery and that 2) surgery is a luxury afforded to those of us with insurance or means. All of this is a long ramble, to try to answer some of your question... As you can see, the topic of transsexualism (as a surgical differentiator) raises a lot of feelings and thoughts in my mind.