I’m going to preface this early with the unequivocal statement that most people in the LGBTQIA and specifically the Trans community I have engaged with either in person or online are amazing. Supportive, accepting and importantly a lot of fun.
However, …
The sad truth is that there is a degree of gatekeeping and rejection within our community as well. While it is thankfully been overwhelmed by my positive interactions with others each time has been the ultimate kick in the guts (or somewhere a bit lower) because it comes from an avenue where I expected to find understanding. I, like many others, have let my guard down and shared part of who I am, but been greeted with scorn and rejection. It hits harder than any comment from your average transphobe, the idea of being rejected by your own people.
LGB without the T – the extreme gatekeeping
The sad truth about our community is that it is heavily fractured because it covers a broad spectrum of people. The unifying factor is that we identify outside cis heteronormative society and therefore have been targeted as deviants often in similar ways. Many of us also share common beliefs and a desire to express ourselves. However, this also means that there are different views within the community. We see to an extreme degree now with the LGB without the T movement. As it represents a desire to divide and expel parts of the community. This is an extreme and more politically motivated example that has permeated the community for a long time. I remember almost 10 years ago well before coming out as trans a friend of mine expressed anger about adding letters to the acronym as she did not see the TQIA as being part of the community. Even then, when I was still trying to work things out, it felt like rejection. In some way these interactions prepared me for coming out in the hardest way possible. Teaching me that I should expect support from everyone in the community, even a friend. Sadly the presence of these views within the community have become amplified of late and a target for political campaigns to really capitalise on with misinformation and divisive language.
This post is a perfect example as it positions the LGB part of the community in a positive light and attempts to representing the TQ+ negatively. It’s all smoke and mirrors to get one group onside with this division and playing on their pre-existing distrust of things like privilege, choice and medical disorders. In so doing they also alienate members of the LGB community that are inclusive of the rest of the rainbow with the statement that they “are not attracted by gender identity only by biological sex”. To perpetrate this division this post uses the same attacks that were used against the LGB community in the past and relies on oversimplifications. For instance, homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder in the first edition of the DSM back in 1952 and was later removed similarly in 2013 the DSM 5 concluded that “gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder”. This post also emphasis the notion of being ‘born gay’ although for a long time the public perception was that people could be ‘turned gay’ which was the basis for conversation practices. This is a similar perception that Trans people find themselves in today as there is this moral panic that by telling people about especially children that we exist we will somehow turn them Trans. Finally, it seems that LGB also only refers to sexuality so I guess someone should tell all the those that identify as Butch, Twinks, Bears or Femme as there is a degree of identity and presentation under that LGB umbrella. My point is that gatekeeping in this instance is born out of a limited knowledge and a degree of ridge thinking that means people perceive certain things they don’t understand in a negative way and can therefore be manipulated by the same old strategies. I wish people would wake up to this and reject such division.
Medicalisation and rejection within the Trans community
In part, this has been created by the medical fraternity and the historical restrictions that existed on gender affirming care. Medical gatekeeping has been a major problem for the trans community and there are still people languishing on waiting lists and required to jump through hoops to get access to any form of care. Thankfully, this has not been my experience in Australia, but this is a rarity thanks to a stable income, the opportunity to pursue private medical care and the PBS making HRT affordable. It is a privilege I don’t take for granted as I have seen enough to recognise the challenges facing other members of the community. This medical gatekeeping has helped create certain expectations and stereotypes within the community as people have tried to meet the standards and preconceived ideas of what it means to be trans. Even though I haven’t had trouble getting treatment myself these widespread views meant that for the longest time I questioned my identity and felt like an imposter. The tragedy of this is that it is not unique, almost all trans people I have spoken with go through this stage where they question whether they are ‘trans enough‘ because realistically so few of us meet these arbitrary standards.
This is where things can get truly ugly. As these standards were created largely by the medical gatekeeping and still instil a degree of self-doubt for many of us yet, within the community there are those that enforce the same ridge views. In fact, despite changes in the DSM 5 and the development of more inclusive terminology like transgender there are those that apply the old stipulations. In some cases, it may seem like justice in their mind since they may have faced such scrutiny or were forced to meet those outdated classifications, but it causes so much harm. To be in the process of finding your true self, feeling lost, and being told by others that you’re not trans. Why? Because you’re not sure about HRT or surgery, perhaps you don’t have crippling dysphoria, maybe you don’t present hyper famine or even wish to be visible. Any of these seem to be enough to reject someone. A rejection that is truly soul destroying since it comes from people that we expected to understand and those that may have suffered something similar. It can push those doubts even further due to the simple fact that we place more weight in the judgement of others within a group then our own. Their acceptance more than any medical professional can make us feel valid. Only forums like reddit are full of people reaching out to community to find that validation, asking the questions “am I Trans?” or something similar. In many cases it is that final key moment that gives them the confidence to accept themselves. Yet, there are some that deny this that activity attack those that don’t meet some ideal even despite the obvious and well know impact of mental health. Leaving vulnerable people feeling invalid, alone, and lost, which can lead to some dark places.
Sadly, there is even another layer of gatekeeping that presents itself even after we meet some of these ‘requirements’. It seems for some being trans is not enough, that not everyone in our community has the right to transition and live as their true self. I remember one such person commenting on one of my TikTok videos that I would never pass and therefore shouldn’t transition. Their belief simply is that by remaining visible, I would make it harder for the trans community to assimilate into cis society. This once again highlights another stipulation that we must pass to be accepted by some people in our own community . Firstly, this enforces a belief that ‘passing’ must be our goal, and secondly, if we can’t pass, then we should sacrifice ourselves and continue to live as our AGAB. The fact that a member of the trans community was telling me that I was pretty much a lost cause and I should live with my dysphoria hit hard and made me pretty pissed off. The thought that they assumed some authority to judge our community angered me, considering it was based on a video when I was still learning to do make up and pre-HRT it seemed unfair. This once again built on my own existing anxieties and even though I thought I was past those doubts they crept back in. After all I had been conditioned to believe that ‘passing’ was the holy grail and was terrified that it was impossible, those fears were given a new life due to this one comment. Thankfully, my followers jumped on them quickly and gave me some good support. However, if it wasn’t for all the voices drowning them out, maybe I would have believed that nonsense and turned away from my transition, ending up in some pit of depression. It’s a little bit of dark thought, especially once I consider the people who probably have turned back due to such comments.
New Fuel to the fire
The recent supreme court decision in the USA on gender affirming care bans has also created a political edge to gatekeeping within the Trans community. This was in part due to the comments that the definition for transgender was too broad and changing. It therefore didn’t take long for members of the community to start arguing for a need to start using the classification of Transexual, a definition that requires people to be seeking medical intervention and is therefore more restrictive. In one way, it was a green light for the views of this part of our community but also once again a perception that somehow by sacrifices a portion of the community that we would save the rights for others. It is an especially laughable position considering there is nothing to suggest that the verdict would be different if the term ‘transexual’ was used. In fact, Roberts was quite clear that the verdict was since the law targeted specific medical conditions rather than a group of people, of course all the people with those conditions happen to be transgender / transexual but this didn’t matter. No doubt this form of gatekeeping will become more prevalent as more care bans are introduced, but the truth is it helps no one. Only it does it suggest to vulnerable people that they aren’t wanted and are seen as a liability. That is a terrible thing.
Gatekeeping needs to stop
Of course, the people who need to read this message will ignore it and label me moralistic or perhaps think they do have the right to judge the transness of others. After all, if they have been gatekeeping and invalidating others, they are either incapable of seeing the harm they may be doing or, even worse, they don’t care. However, I hope to encourage others amongst the community to stand up against these voices and be the person who provides support to someone in need. Call out those gatekeeping comments like my followers on TikTok as I’m proof those acts can make a huge difference. Drowning out and rejecting such invalidation will be the only way we can demonstrate that such ideas aren’t reflective of our community and make others feel valid.
