Monday, November 20, 2023

Transgender Day of Remembrance

This post is what RantWoman can summon this year for Transgender Day of Remembering. Pieces of it may piss some readers off. RantWoman will try to warn people but considers it important to work on a number of threads.


Did RantWoman mention, she is bad at simplicity? For instance, when in spaces where pronouns are being shared, RantWoman has been known to say something like "pronouns are an essay question (more like several dissertations in linguistics, but who's counting?)"


This post is dedicated to:

--several transpeople RantWoman knows personally

--a young deaf transwoman whose family fled MT for the somewhat more welcoming environment of Seattle. This person spoke ambivalently of eating a lot of salad. RantWoman at the time did not think to tell here that plenty of women like hamburgers.

--J and M, two deaf-blind women RantWoman thinks she has written of before who for a long time came over to RantWoman's apartment to drink tea, finessed seating so everyone could live with the light conditions while J interpreted the conversation into close visual ASL for M who could speak just fine.

--Oops. Update. RantWoman forgot one, a 6'5" former construction worker who still has some mannerisms that some women probably still find triggering but is WAY more into pantyhose and heels than RantWoman ever thought of being.

--RantMOM because her Presbyterian church pastor, a lovely happily married cisgender straight woman, has invited the congregation to get acquainted with all kinds of "alphabet soup" realities. The one that most stuck out to RantMom: a choir RantWoman is not familiar with where it is notable that one member sings alto.

--RantWoman's favorite very Catholic transphobic newspaper columnist and denizen of Twitter / X. PLEASE do not argue with RantWoman about whether it is permissible to have a favorite... newspaper columnist. This person is someone of great faith; we do hear the voice of God very differently.


Blessings upon everyone mentioned above and all transgender people.


Some people might want to STOP READING HERE.


Homework and confessions left over from NPYM 2023 Annual Session

These comments are homework half done from last summer's NPYM annual session and training for worship group leaders offered by whatever the listeners' committee was called.


1. RantWoman THINKS she has gotten over her complex about use of "they" pronouns. Someone close in age to RantWoman said in a meeting awhile ago something like "I stopped worrying about it. I just call everyone younger than me 'they' " along of course with anyone else who asks. RantWoman is not sure that will do the trick for some of the many reasons she keeps saying "pronouns are an essay question," but she is called to leave the problem lie for now.


2. Speaking of transphobia.


Blast from the past: firestorm over a transphobic comment


Speaker 1 "I don't understand what's the big deal about pronoun. I don't want to hear it."


Speaker 2 "I hear a lack of clarity about transphobia."


Oh dear. As worship group leader, what ARE You to do? 


--Tell the story of one Friend who know the community is (comparatively) safe space because of pronouns on nametags?


--Mention the NPYM minute on welcoming people of all genders?


During introductions: let us finish introductions and come back to your concern. (Perhaps someone will offer something relevant in their own introduction.)


During the flow of sharing, to the person who raised the concern:


--This is worship sharing. You have already spoken once. Let's finish hearing from others and come back to this topic. Again, see what emerges frrom others' voices.


When coming back to the topic, 


--Mention NPYM minute on welcoming people of all genders?


--Ask the person who raised the concern to elaborate?


--Ask others in the room to comment or share concerns?


--Talk to the two people involved after the session?


--Send people off to the listeners instead of trying to work out what has come to oneself?


--For a very "in the weeds" response, mention a famous comment by country singer Jason Aldeans wife.  RantWoman means to find the link. One time Mrs. Aldean commented after some kind of a makeup session, something about how much she liked girlie stuff and how glad she was that no one had forced her to hack off genitals. That idea of course is NOT a thing except in VERY rare cases where people born with characteristics of both genders and some kind of surgical intervention happens long before a child can decide on their own. 


Besides pointing out the "NOT A THING" point, RantWoman in such a conversation might say "well I am glad you enjoy all that girlie makeup stuff. You can have all of it anyone might try to subject RantWoman to too." RantWoman is not sure whether in the context of worship sharing, this kind of conceptual excursion would be helpful, BUT RantWoman might still be bold enough to try it.



Previously on this blog: interrupting


Wading into even rougher territory

Posting should not be interpreted as endorsement of these views, but to wade right into controversy:




Truth in advertising: Stephanie Winn interviews Zander Keig


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