"It's not Transphobia, it's the TRUTH!

If I had a dollar for every time I see/hear this from within the greater GLBT community - and from an increasingly high number of Butch lesbians, well, I'd probably be able to help a financially strapped transman pay for his chest reconstruction! How do we define 'truth'? Well, Merriam-Webster defines it as:

The state of being the case: the body of real things, events & facts.

Now let's look at the definition of homo/trans phobia: (Merriam-Webster didn't have transphobia listed, as it's a fairly new term - but obviously if you swap out homo for trans, it would be the same)

An irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against trans people.

So, I ask you, whose "truth" are we using? Throwing the word truth around is a slippery slope. They claim that transmen/women can't possibly be truly happy. This an unfounded, unproven, wild assumption. I am very happy. No, I'm not fooling myself, or on a "trans high" - I transitioned over 13 years ago, I think the high would have worn off by now. I know I am not a biological man. I like to think of myself as a biologically challenged man. :) I don't need biology to be on my side to live the life I choose. And I know so many other trans men and women who are happy with their decision, whose lives were, in fact, saved by the ability to transition to the gender they feel more congruent with. This is OUR truth. You don't have to like it. You don't have to live it, but you can't decide what's true for us.

The claims that the trans community is somehow trying to recruit from the lesbian (Butch) community, and that we are pressuring young people to transition, is ludicrous. I'm not suggesting that peer pressure NEVER happens. I'm sure it does. I'm not suggesting that there aren't young people transitioning to be "trendy" - I'm sure some do. But to blanket an entire community with those accusations is unfair - and whether you like the word or not, it IS transphobic.

In closing, I want to reiterate that I admire and applaud Butch women. I love that they're fighting the social construct of gender and throwing out the rules and roles put on them by society. I especially appreciate those who can do that, and at the same time, feel confident enough in themselves not to be threatened by the trans community. The plain and simple TRUTH is that none of us have the right to assign an identity to anyone else, regardless of our personal beliefs/attitudes/opinions/phobias. The sooner we ALL get that sorted out, and stop calling everyone out on their identity and their truths, the sooner we can all work together to rid the laws of this country of ALL discrimination.