#ej levy

(Image: An X-Men panel of Cyclops, who is saying, “These are our lives. It’s not a game of dress-up for the terminally over-privileged.”)

Cis writers: when you insist that trans identities are nothing more than misplaced misogyny and overly rigid gender roles, you are also claiming that trans people cannot possibly be aware or considerate of either our own minds or those factors. Cis publishers: When you hire cis writers to tell--or, in many cases, co-opt--our stories, you are rewarding and reinforcing the same.

The idea that a person--especially a person as intelligent and socially aware as Dr. James Barry--couldn't distinguish between identifying as male and disguising himself to navigate a sexist system is so grossly patronizing and dehumanizing; and to do so in the face of his explicit lifelong and dying wishes is even more ghoulish.

Cis women: Your experiences are not the experiences of trans men. Transmasculinity is not a cheat code for hacking patriarchy. 

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says, to people whose entire existence is a protest against the idea.

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says, to the men whose ties to history she’s erasing.

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says, as she applies a feminine view to someone whose entire adult life was manhood, based on a declaration of his genitals after his death.

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says, writing one of the most definitive cases of a pre-20th century trans man into the role of Joan of Arc or Mulan.

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says as publishers snatch up her false tale and trans writers are rejected.

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says, ignoring a man’s dying wish to be remembered as the man he was.

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says, reawakening trans people’s long time fear of being remembered as people we weren’t.

“If you want to write a novel to fix sex like a butterfly pinned, then do so,” she says to the people explaining that that’s exactly what her book does.

You will get drunk and tell people you have a crush on them when you really don’t.

You will fall in love with a boy who lives exactly 666 miles away. You will find this endlessly funny and probably a sign. This distance will close by about one hundred miles when you both go back to school. You will stop talking.

You will think about someone for four years before you realize they are not worth your time. You will realize this makes you just as stupid as he is.  You will go see his band play and get punched in the nose. You will like it. 

You will go to class on your first day of your last semester and try to make friends. This is useless.  You will sit in a circle and discuss the most pointless things. Every hour you will wonder what you are still doing there.  Perhaps once a week you will finally learn something new and there is a chance it will even be exciting. 

You will tell everyone you’re a witch. They won’t get it.  This is how you will weed out the people you choose to be around.  You will scowl at everyone. You will want everyone to fall in love with you. You will hate yourself. 

You will be 22 years old and live at home. Your mother will nag you every day. You will start to wear more and more black eye liner just to piss her off. You will work retail. Maybe you will make coffee. You will be grateful that you are not an over privileged asshole like the people you serve every day but you will still kind of always be anyway.