some guy

The discussion that's been happening around "transandrophobia" began a little over a year ago with one very simple idea: that transmascs do face some unique struggles, and that we'd like the ability to talk about them.

Things have evolved since then, and the time and space we've fought for to discuss what this simple idea actually means in the greater context of trans activism has made it clear that this isn't a conversation about transmascs: it's a conversation about solidarity.

When we bring transandrophobia up, even without the word attached, the conversation boils down to this:

As much as it's the unique struggles transmascs face that we're trying to address, the root of the issue here, and the thing we need, is solidarity. We have not been offered solidarity in the past, and we need solidarity going forward.

And when people turn to resentment and pointing fingers at other trans folks- transfems in particular- we remind each other that this isn't about exclusively centering transmascs community-wide, and the blame for this lack of solidarity is not on the shoulders of other trans people. Trans people do not benefit from this, and while it is on us as individuals and a community to do better, this is the result of cispatriarchy first and foremost.

Transandrophobia stems from ideas that hurt all trans people. That's obvious in about half the conversations we have around this topic: we bring forth our unique struggles and name them "transandrophobia", and a dozen people climb into the notes to say "Wait, but this hurts trans women too! Pay attention to them instead!"

The answer is not to shift focus away from one group to a "more important" one, but rather to say, "Yes, this does hurt us all! Why is that?"

This isn't limited to the issues that impact transmascs, either: the arms of transphobia certainly target different groups, and the impact they have on those groups is unique even from the impact they have on the groups they don't target. Still, they all stem from common ideas and beliefs that are all essential to upholding a greater system of transphobic oppression.

We need to stop arguing over who has it worse, who's suffering is most important, and which trans people "deserve" support while we abandon the rest to the wolves. We need to find reasons for solidarity in the overlap just as much as we find them in the differences.

If we fight this problem, we need to fight it on all fronts. Together.

That is Trans Unity.

Transunitism:

There are many forms of transphobia that target specific groups in unique ways, and for unique reasons. (ex: transmisogyny, nbphobia, transandrophobia)

These "arms" of transphobia are ultimately constructed with the same goal in mind: to control gender and gender expression under the cispatriarchy.

As such, they impact the entire trans community negatively. They often directly support and uphold other forms of transphobia.

They also intersect with, interact with, uphold, and are upheld by other forms of oppression.

Interactions with racism, ableism, classism, queerphobia, fatphobia, misogyny, religion, etc. are vital pieces of the puzzle when understanding and fighting transphobia.

Experiences vary wildly by location, community, and even more individual factors; different problems may be more critical, different conversations and activism more relevant, and different solutions more applicable, for some trans people than others.

We as a wider trans community cannot fight transphobia as a whole without acknowledging and addressing all of its forms.

Therefore, solidarity among all trans people is not only important, but entirely necessary.

This is not to say that trans people can't, or shouldn't, center certain issues as individuals or groups; but to demand that the entire community dismiss, erase, or ignore an issue because it's "not as bad", it doesn't impact the "right" people, or it doesn't hold the same value to you personally, is counterproductive, ineffective, and even cruel.

We should not be assigning values to human suffering. Physical violence and suicide attempts (for example) are not experiences to be reduced to numbers for cold comparison. All of these issues matter; and furthermore, all of them are directly connected and interdependent on one another.

I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.

The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.

Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or don’t pass too well.

A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:

Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.

Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.

Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns

Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.

I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.

It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:

and it abandons ALL native people who experience this gender-coercive violence. a cisgender lakota man whose gender is wičháša is cisgender and yet also white colonial violence will be done against him on the basis of his gender expression. he will be policed on his hair and sacred braids, he experiences increased risk of violence and sexual assault, he lives with the effects of trauma and their relatives alcoholism and addiction and suicidality, and ultimately has a far higher likelihood to attempt suicide. or be murdered.

this is not a hypothetical lakota man. justice for Cole Brings Plenty (18 Aug, 1990 - 5 Apr, 2024) now, and remember that your campaign to guarantee freedom from medicalized coercive assignment of sex and gender needs to also defend the gender expression of native peoples.

Any form of hormone replacement therapy or sex-change surgery is illegal unless the participant is intersex. Intersex genital mutilation is legal and even encouraged.

A (thankfully-unenforced law) is that any homosexual relations, even if consensual, are punished by death.

Crossdressing is illegal and extremely frowned down upon.

Then I see people on social medias calling transgender men “theyfabs” and “transandrobros” for daring to speak up.

Then I see entirely new binaries being made to justify oppression olympics (looking at you, TMA/TME)

Then I see some of the most rancid and pointless discourse, coming from people who live in nations where being out as transgender, as gay, as intersex or as any marginalised identity is encouraged.

From people who don’t have to suppress themselves to stay alive.

From people who don’t have to face some of the worst queerphobia each day and keep a smile throughout.

From people who have allies for family, for people who have so much support.

please, please, please remember that this "hating transmascs" and "kill all TMEs" bullshit is just a few edgy weirdos on the internet who enjoy saying inflammatory things for shock value.

transfems are not your enemy, and YES, you do actually need to unlearn transmisogyny. Not because you're transmasc, but because we live in a transmisogynistic society.

transfems are not a hivemind, there's no broader transfem consensus that transmascs are Evil Privileged Abusers, but the small group of people who think that way WANT you to believe that they are representative of trans women everywhere. they're super not. they really are just a handful of angsty people online looking for someone to pick on.

all trans people have more commonalities than differences. there aren't two distinct species of trans people from two different planets, there are just trans people with a wide diversity of experiences and walks of life. we are all affected by the same systems of oppression.