thomascwaters.com

This is from last week, but I wanted to post it for a few reasons. First of all, most of the dialogue around transgender individuals, deals with MTF but the reality is that there are many FTM transexuals as well, and that is important. The far-right crazies don’t want to recognize that, but the rest of us need to. So, since this is a story that deals with a FTM transexual, I thought that added to the importance of posting about it.

My purpose in posting is not to participate in bashing Facebook. There are plenty of others who are happy to do that. But rather, this is a great example of the way our culture is changing and needs to change, as we grapple with the connection between our bodies, and our voice/ right to express who we really are. I see this case as similar to the sexting issue. New technologies and the degrees of communication they allow are way ahead of some of our existing conceptions of what is acceptable self-disclosure.

That the photo was censored twice, (for me at least) merely speaks about how in any huge organization, there can be a failure for changed policies and decision to be passed down thoroughly and systematically, and then applied uniformly. This is unfortunate, and hurtful to this guy specifically. However, the situation itself exists because of a deeper issue, than a simple line of communication mishap. The issue is about men’s bodies, women’s bodies, and the social understanding of gender and the body.

I am extremely grateful for those transmen and transwomen with the strength and courage to keep putting themselves out there so that the rest of us can learn more. Unfortunately, both inside the gay and lesbian communities as well as in the larger culture, Transmen and transwomen are ignored, made invisible, or discriminated against. The more any of us see and know transfolk can help change that.

Facebook censors trans man’s photo – again.

I have posted things and written about transgender  issues and perspectives quite a bit on my blog, and I’m grateful for the amount, and quality of dialogue that has grown from these posts. so, I was happy to see today, on Twitter, a link to the blog post linked here.  The author, Noah, adds a new voice (new as it is a voice that hasn’t been heard on my blog before) and has a refreshing and meaningful way to express his ideas. I hope you take some time to read his whole blog entry lined below, but here is an excerpt:

I’m happy to say that I am completely male… I just happen to be female bodied. I never plan on having bottom surgery as a penis does not make me a man. My feeling male makes me a man.

I do everything a man is ’supposed’ to do. I play video games, I love movies, i’m not that interested in fashion, I enjoy looking at beautiful women (and alot of beautiful men too), I pee standing up, I even shave although I’m not yet on Testosterone. So surely I’m a man? My friends know me as a man, the actually don’t know any different. My parents are beginning to accept me as their son and my girlfriend, although a lesbian, accepts me as male. But would my status within my friends change if they were to find out that I don’t have a penis and testicles like they do?

The T Word: The ‘Male’ view of Transsexualism and Transgender?.