Recently attending the book launch for Noah Riseman’s “Transgender Australia: A History Since 1910” at the Victorian Pride Centre I have been reflecting on the importance of connecting with our history. The discussions from the panel included TGV CEO Son Vivienne, Kayleen White, and Dr Julie Peters alongside the author served as an opportunity to highlight our progress while also reinforcing the need for continued activism. Through connecting with this knowledge and the community in this way it gives us perspective as we continue our own journeys despite the ongoing battles against transphobia. We can not only draw hope from stories that highlight the efforts of past activities and progress within society but also the presence of a diverse community demonstrates that transgender people are everywhere. This is the greatest source of comfort.
Changes overtime
Based on the discussion there has been an unsurprisingly meaningful change in Australia both legally and socially over this period. However, it seems like this can be measured through the evolution of language. This includes a movement away from the harmful terms of Transvestite and transexual as well as the development of modern phrases like Non-Binary and Gender Identity. It might seem trivial to some, but the use of language demonstrates a growth in understanding and a desire to find terminology that more accurate captures our experence. Therefore, the change demonstrates a larger shift in society’s thinking and the movement towards acceptance.
In turn this represents the changing experence of transgender Australians in the 70s and 80s to today. The necessity to remain in the shadows, even formulating secret organisations and the spread of negative representation is not completly beyond my experience being a child of the 90s, however the extent is clearly different. Compared to a modern context it is thankfully almost unimaginable with positive representation in pop culture as well as active support organizations like TGV, Transend and Minus 18. This progress doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to be achieved but is a comforting reminder of how far our society has moved in the last 50 years.
International Context
Australia’s changing political and social climate draws heavily on the international context both in the past and today. This is something that Riseman highlights in his reasoning to start at 1910 which marks the publication of ‘Transvestites: The Exotic Drive to Cross Dress” by Magnus Hirschfeld. As the most comprehensive treatise on the topic and well ahead of it time Hirschfeld’s work framed the discussion in Australia and is directly referenced in a Melbourne newspaper in 1912. Therefore, from the early days of modern Australia international trends have had significant impact on our own progress.
A clear concern of everyone at the event is clearly how the spread of social media has only served to deepen these connections through the importation of harmful rhetoric. This was highlighted only this year in Melbourne with a group of Neo Nazi’s appearing in support of a Let Women Speak rally. However, as Australia is influenced by international context the panel was reassured by the reactions to those events and our own system of compulsory voting that the nation will resist following the USA in a decline into Nazism. This may remain to be seen but the overall message here is that these opponents are loud and organized. However, this demonstrates a need to use social media more effectively to advocate.
First Nations experence
In terms of Riseman’s book his decision to focus on the period from 1910 to the current day may seem to exclude the existence of transgender people in First Nations people. However, this is not the case as Riseman has made a concerted effort to highlight the Indigenous values and discuss the ‘colonial project of gender’ with reference to the work of Sandy O’Sullivan. This is not a primary focus perhaps but is as equally as important to the international trends in a modern context since as a Nation we have begun to learn from Indigenous Australia. The growing use of terms like ‘brotherboy’ and ‘sistergirl’ in LGBTQIA groups and documentaries demonstrates a newfound awareness which will only grow as we continue to heal and engage with Indigenous cultures. This is not unique as many others like North American cultures show a similar acceptance of those that are ‘Two – Spirited’ however by deepening our understanding and connection to First Nations culture it will only help to resist the negative influences of colonization and current trends.
Story Telling and Advocacy
The clearest message out of the launch and from the experence of panel members Dr Julie Peters and Kayleen White is the importance of sharing our stories. It is communicating our experiences whether through projects like Riseman’s book or through poetry, art and advocacy that we can continue to make a change. As someone that has actively pursued these connections, they are initially a powerful form of validation and support. We find similarities amongst these experiences and gain confidence that it is possible to endure the challenges ahead which gives hope for a future that many may have lost. However, beyond this these stories can inspire future activists to make their voices heard or provide an opportunity to educate and challenge the views being pushed on social media through the irrefutable truth of lived experence.
Overall engaging in our history may be painful at times as they force us to reflect on our own experences but this connection brings an overwhelming degree of hope. Individually but also collectively as we have come this far.
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