My coping mechanisms in a violent world: fuck cis people, lol. everyone on the down with cis bus.
My politics to change that violent world: all the oppressed of the world unite, we have nothing to lose but our chains
These are not incompatible. I think cis people could understand that if they tried. My mechanisms to shield my mental health from being effected too much by transphobia are compatible with my compassion and solidarity for all who experience oppression.
I also see a lot of people who are turning their coping mechanisms into politics, (as liberal identity politics pretty much urges us to do), shaping their queer activism around a hatred of ‘the cishets’, which makes them more likely to support a trans celebrity for president than a ‘cishet’ neighbour struggling with starvation wages and racism.
And it makes me sad. Our anger could be about so much more than individual survival, our anger could unite us. Our anger could break all these systems down.
Many people who are in an oppressed group, can also be in an so-called “oppressor” group. For example, a cis white woman. Or a black man. Or even a poor white boy from a poor white family. But if we start hating each other, we will never go anywhere. Together we are stronger.
I frankly don’t care if you are in a minority or not – to me it’s important where your heart is. You can be the son of a CEO – i don’t care: if you fight on my side, with all of your might, willingly to put down that system of oppression that your are benefiting from, but are aware that it’s flawed so you want to bring it down with me – then you are no enemy or mine.
Really, it’s what you fight for that matters.
I get it that you are mad at cis people. I will never dare to say that you should’t do so, it’s not my place to say.
But really, all this hate and division that I have seen rising up between the oppressed… it saddens me. There might be a person who belongs to a group you hate, but who is fighting a similar fight as yours. Maybe they are good person. Maybe the would accept you, and love you, and care for you.
I know that filtering out all the people who could cause you harm is the safest way, but sometimes is worth the risk to accept other people to come in: they might be precious allies.
Remember: Caesar always said you should adopt the “Divide et Impera” technique. Divide your enemy, and conquer them.
Let’s spread love, and unity, and fraternity instead.
ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
I need to vent anger, process pain and emotionally protect myself from the many times when cis comrades have ended up hurting me and not being true comrades to trans people. And some of that protecting myself involves spending time with my trans friends only or cracking jokes on the down with cis bus meme.
But that is just that. I expect my cis comrades to respect that I need that space, as much as I allow them space to do the same based on the oppression they experience. And I hope I can convince my trans comrades to join me when my experiences with transphobia motivate me to march against racism, ableism, capitalism and more.
QueerAnarchism 