I want to preface this by saying that we have a zero tolerance policy for transphobia. Your comment will be removed and you will be banned if you spout transphobia here. Our existence is not up for debate.
That said, how do you differentiate being transgender and being trans racial?
I’m curious how to answer this question in a good faith debate with someone. Emotionally I know that they’re not the same and that one is wrong and the other is not wrong, but I’m unsure as to why that is and am curious if anyone else has given any thought about it.
Absolutely. I guess I can see how someone might make a bad faith argument about “born X transition to Z is fine for gender, but a white person can’t identify and transition to Afro-American? ThEy’Re BoTh GeNeTiCs!”
I was trying to think of a good car analogy, but it wasn’t coming to me.
I guess the idea is that if you can change your gender identity, why not your racial identity, but to me that’s absolutely absurd.
Edit: besides gender is a pretty broad spectrum even ignoring the topic of transitioning.
Race is an overloaded term like sex/gender used to be. Are they talking about phenotypes? Genetic ancestry? Family ancestry (including adoption and found family)? Culture? Nationality?
If people are arguing they’re culturally one thing, but people respond “but genetics”, that sounds incredibly similar to " you’re not that gender because genetics!". I can’t claim to be genotypically female, but I am a woman, so perhaps there’s room for something similar regarding race. I’d have to ask people who identify as transracial though.
That’s a really good point. I guess where I’m coming from is based in the thought that gender is, to my mind at least, less loaded than race. I’m part First Nations Canadian, but not Status. There’s a real issue in Canada and the US of white people claiming Status, and pulling funding or land from reparations programs/treaties(historically and today) that should rightfully go to the descendants of the people that were and are still the victims of genocide and systemic racism.
I don’t see anything wrong with someone of a different genetic heritage taking on the culture, and being part of the communities, but there’s verifiable damage that can be done by saying:
Yes, you’re First Nations now, here’s your Status card.
This is happening.
And with gender, there’s no real loss from opening the definition, and everything to gain in terms of equality and fair treatment for everyone.
I hope I was coherent, the coffee hasn’t quite kicked in yet.