TransGriot Note: I had a LOT to say about this topic. My April TransGriot newspaper column was also devoted to the subject as well.
photos-Paris Hilton, fetus at six weeks, Harisu, a Hooter's protest, Dana International, Caroline 'Tula' Cossey in her For Your Eyes Only scene, Lauren Foster and Chanel Dupree.
I'm getting annoyed with people who use the term 'tranny' as a pejorative to insult female celebrities.
There are a lot of things that you can creatively come up with for example to insult Paris Hilton. You can criticize her for being a spoiled rich kid, carrying herself in a tacky manner, not being an intellectual giant or her penchant for not wearing underwear. But her tormentors find it easier since she is 5'8" and wears size 11 shoes to call her a 'tranny'.
News flash to her haters: Don't insult the transgender community by disrespectfully calling Paris, Ann Coulter and any other woman you don't like trannies.
Time for me to school y'all on something. There's a very fine line in vitro between being born male and being born female. That's why transpeeps exist.
We all start life in the womb as a FEMALE fetus. About the eighth to twelfth week of pregnancy is when the fetal hormone wash takes place that starts your fetal development path either down the male road or the female one and imprints your gender identity upon your developing brain as well. So what am I getting at? My basic point is that NO ONE is 100% male or female. We are all a blend of characteristics from our parents. In addition to that, while male and female genitalia are different in form and function they also have a common origination point that starts divergent development once the hormone wash takes place.
Now that I've finished dropping the science, let's get back to talking about this trend of insulting biological women by calling them trannies.As my gender therapist Dr. Collier Cole once told me, 'Women come in all shapes and sizes'. They range in size from 4'10" to 6'10", body shapes from slim to full figured, clothing sizes from size 0 to size 20 with wide ranging shoe sizes as well.
That applies to transwomen as well. I have trans girlfriends that when I look at them do a double take when I ponder the fact they were once on the other side of the gender fence. Conversely there are biowomen who make me want to perform the Crocodile Dundee Sex Test on them when I see them out and about in the world.
But I don't think that's why Paris Hilton is being slammed with the comment along with Ann Coulter and others. It's because they have parts of their physical makeup that don't conform to societal gender expectations. The fact that they also are controversial in their own ways easily tempts their critics to lapse into slamming them using the term.
If you haters are insinuating by using the term as an epithet that these women are ugly, then I suggest you roll up to Chicago one Labor Day weekend and check out the Miss Continental pageant or if you're visiting Thailand the Miss Tiffany Pageant. Transwomen are far from ugly or 'men in dresses'. Caroline Cossey, Lauren Foster, Tracy Africa and others have worked as models and Caroline was a Bond Girl in the movie For Your Eyes Only.
Israeli transwoman Dana International won the Eurovision song contest a few years ago. Korean transwoman Harisu is a spokesmodel for makeup and sanitary pads companies in Asia. So if transwomen are so ugly, why are they banned from competing in the Miss Universe and other mainstream pageants?
I'm not posting on this topic because I'm hypersensitive about it. Far from it. One of the things I harp on with transpeople is to have the ability to find humor in our transitions and life situations where it exists.
But I draw the line at non-trans people brandishing the word 'tranny' as an epithet in a feeble attempt to be funny or just mean-spirited.
Chill with that, okay?