“Trans*phobia,” derived from “homophobia,” refers to the aversion to trans* people. This is rather common among cis (non-trans*) people, but it also exists within the trans* community. It occurs when trans*normative people, those who appear cis and believe that other trans* people ought to as well, discriminate against people who do not wish to appear cis.
This is a manifestation of internalized cisnormativity, or the belief that cis people are more normal than trans* people, which ultimately harms all trans* people by suggesting that one’s gender is debatable.
I do not think that trans*nor-mative people are, in most cases, actively trying to oppress non-normative people. Often, appearing cis (or “passing”) is a matter of personal safety, as being visibly trans* makes one vulnerable to abuse. If several trans* people go out together and some are visibly trans*, it may jeopardize the safety of everyone in the group.
A violent trans*phobic person might not care if someone is visibly trans* because it reflects their gender, only that they are not cis. However, this does not excuse trans*normative people from discriminatory behavior.
I have most often seen this discrimination in the form of refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns, like the singular “they.” Choosing “he” or “she” to refer to someone who does not identify as such assumes that everyone must fit into the gender binary, even against their will. This is especially harmful because refusing to use someone’s preferred pronouns may trigger dysphoria, the disorder that living as one’s actual, rather than designated, gender (or “transitioning”) treats. It is akin to what trans*normative people suffer at the hands of cis people when they refuse to use their preferred pronouns.
History has taught us liberation of some at the expense of others is still oppression.
I have heard people protest that the singular “they” is grammatically-incorrect. I imagine these same people would be incensed if they saw other neutral pronouns, like “ze/hir,” that non-normative trans* people have had to create simply to communicate comfortably.
As mentioned in my previous article, English itself works against trans* people generally, and therefore it is unfair to claim that grammar is a good reason to cause dysphoria. Those who use neutral pronouns are attempting to work around a language that is designed to exclude them.
People often justify refusing to respect a non-normative person’s pronouns on the grounds that the person has not had a medical transition, like hormone replacement therapy or surgery. This is simply not defensible. There are many personal reasons why one may not transition in this way, like, for instance, not being able to come out as trans*, which is inevitable when undergoing drastic physical changes.
Oppression within the trans* community creates obstacles on the path to liberation. I hesitated to write this article because I have been told it will open up the community to attacks from cis opponents. This has been a tactic used by the ruling class against the organized oppressed throughout history and across a range of struggles, and has sometimes been effective, as seen in the homophobic lesbian/feminist divide in the 1970s.
However, history has also taught us that liberation of some at the expense of others is still oppression. This oppression is a reflection of cisnormativity, an insistence that presenting as trans* is bad even if it reflects one’s gender, even if passing as male or female would cause dysphoria. This attitude is harmful even for those who want to appear cis, as it perpetuates trans*phobic attitudes within and without the community.
When we speak of liberation, we must speak of liberation for all. We must imagine a world in which no gender is privileged over another.
