It is summer and as the weather heats up so does the debate about the Michigan Womyn's Music Fest (MWMF).. or The Fest by those who attend. This is a week long camping trip in Michigan on a plot of land owned by the organizers of the fest - lovingly called "The Land" (ok ok ok "The Fest" and "The Land" not really clever naming going on, but the amazing ways vowels are used in the words "woman" brings a tear to the eye). The time is spent in an all womon environment amongst womyn supporting womon-owned businesses and listening to Womyn's Music. All 100% supported and maintained by the fest-goers (Festies). I FULLY support women supporting eachother, community buiulding, and even the idea of "wimin-only spaces".
The snag comes into play with a policy of MWMF ... the Fest is open to "Womon-born-wimin". That is.. no trannies pre/post op legally or otherwise. If you weren't born XX - or Intersex and RAISED AS A GIRL, Michigan would prefer you not attend. The bit about being raised as a girl is important. Being raised a boy imparts some level of priviledge (wanted or not, observed or not) that being raised a girl does not. Giving up that preferred status does not give away a history of being better treated.
So, Michigan doesn't want TGs. A group of Transwomen have set up a protest cam called Camp Trans (ok, so our naming conventions suck too) right across the road for the Festival's main gate. They protest exclusion and try to educate the Festies about the policy and Trans issues. Hurrah!! Honestly two really important things that unfortunately have come into conflict.
MWMF - officially will not do any "gender checks" and has asked Festies not to question someone's gender. Rather like "Don't ask don't tell". Organizers know full well that Transwomen attend every year and have since the first tent got pitched (or didn't).
I remember as a young 'un when ALL my Lesbain friends would pack up and leave me to watch the house and cats for a week. It stunk - mainly because I avoided cleaning the litter box. I mean here were 80% of my friends all gone and I couldn't go! I was living FT as a man, so I got why I couldn't go - still made me sad. But it's not about me or my needs really - my friends had a good time and brought back varying degrees of good/bad music and LOTS of sex stories. They also legimately seemed better able and willing to deal with the real world as feminists and lesbians and activists. Their batteries were "recharged" by disconnecting from a world under male influence.
Now that I'm living as a woman, I still can't play with my friends..openly at MWMF. I thought about joining Camp Trans and spreading the message that I was born a woman.. people just took a long time to figure it out. That as a Transwoman I KNOW that sexism is real, not as a theory, but as a daily pervasive practice. As long as I "pass" I get crapped on just like every other woman - if I don't, I get crapped on like "failed men" are (you know sissy gay guys). I though about it.. but I won't.. and I don't even support Camp Trans' objective anymore....
(Dun Dun Duuuun)
Lets look at this from MWMF's perspective. Do they want to make a policy that includes post-op gals? That's a classest statement right there, and by extention a racist one. That doesn't even get into the discussion of "gender vs. sex" which is the basis of most feminism. Do they open it up to women who don't look really "Trannified"??? Would you like to be at the ticket booth on a humid August morning with a line of people as far as the eye can see determining if sone transwoman "passes" well enough to get in? I sure wouldn't. OR just allow the ful spectrum of trans* identified people? I can't see that being a good solution at all - I know a gal who is trans identified M2F who for her own reasons has to "pass" as a man all day long. She is as much a woman as I am, but ..... should she be allowed at Michigan where womin are looking to relax without pressure from men?
So... Michigan's policy is actually not a bad one... it's not a great one.. but I honestly think it's the best option they have. It also helps that I have passing aquaintences with a couple womin who take off in a couple weeks to get The Land ready (and have for 20 years). These individual womin are organizers of The Fest, and I know they have strong personal relationships with the Trans* community.
All this said.. and before I get tired of typing... the reasons the Festies give for maintaining the WBW policy continue to perpetuate the idea that these women do indeed need to be educated about Trans issues. Some of the worst reasoning and faulty logic EVER is contained on the MWMF forums when this issue comes up. So.. Fest policy, not bad.. Festie Trans=Panic.. pretty retched... and the topic of another post soon.
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4 comments:
Sounds like the policy needs modernizing. It sounds more like vengeful policy against the wrong group, rather than realistic development of gender attitudes. Hey, if it's just for the sex, why don't they call it what it is?
If it's meant for any type of 'growth' beyond the exclusivity of gender barriers, they ought to allow anyone friendly to their cause, or they are exercising very real gender bigotry - and that's okay if they want vengeance, but that's not exactly healthy for them. It's just they ought to own it if they act like the bigots they hate.
Personally, I don't have issue with "X-Only" places. On a practical level it creates safety. Back in the day, I'd feel different in a gay bar if there were Heteros groping and making out on the dance floor. They were exercizing their Het-priveledge to be Hetero any place they wanted.
Same can be said for men on womon-only space. Men do try to take over and make stuff about themselves (not always, but it is a trend that lots of non-men have noticed). So, I dig the WBW policy, since I can't think of an alternate that would be even close to fair.
I promise though, the motivation by some vocal anti-trans feminists isn't practicality or tweasing out the finer points of gender. It's the same exclusivity that cis people use daily to keep us in our place, the language has more in common with anti-gay fundies than progressive politicos. I'll take to task some bloggin' feminists soon... and give mad props to my bloggin' sisters who are challenging Radical Feminism's trend of placing theory over reality where trans* are involved.
First, Camp David, and then, Camp Trans. ;-)
I'm still on the fence about these types of events. I mean, I totally "get" it. The problem I have though is that F2M trans folks are usually welcomed. And that puzzles me on SO many different levels.
I think the best option is to continue to try and educate and just attend fests with open policies. Campaigning for inclusion strikes me a bit like trying to convince old school religious folks that one belongs and has a place - even though the particular religion's doctrine is pretty definitive on that opinion. (I'm sleepy. I hope that last sentence made sense.)
I never liked the idea of forcing a group to let you in. Be it telling mom to make siblings to take you along. Or making mens only groups include women. Believe it or not some men want to be alone too, and women can sometimes dominat discussions and surrondings also:b.If they don't want you why would you want to be with them. I mean they are the ones missing out on your company. I would like to think that if you would make a good inclusion in their group they would eventually see how great it could be.
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