re: Dignity or Versatility

Eric — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:04:40 GMT

People need to pick their battles. I know a person who is transgendered. She was born a man but lives primarily as a woman, despite not taking hormones or undergoing any surgical procedures. Still, when he first talked about becoming she, the idea wasn't to get locked into a new gender identity as a woman, but that people - all people - should be free to express their inner selves, wherever they happened to fit on the gender scale. So what does this have to do with the blog post? Well, this person is very well educated, very interested in history, and fascinated by the world - yet her identity as a "transsexual" has limited her ability to visit countries that are less tolerant of alternative lifestyles. In many countries, she would be in danger and, in some, would even be arrested. She would love to travel but doesn't. My solution to this is simple: visit these countries as a man. But she won't do that, as a point of principle.

I think that's a mistake. You need to pick your battles. Yes, challenge your coworkers to understand who you are. Focus your efforts where you have some small hope of succeeding. But limit your own life because vast parts of the planet are off-limits to transgender people? That seems wrong to me. Taking a principled stand is good, but being a hermit isn't. If a theater makes you feel like your business isn't welcome when you request assistance, then of course boycott the place. But don't boycott them when they simply haven't (yet) financially prioritized making renovations to their facility. And what about this: If every person in a wheelchair started always going to that theater - hell, put together a campaign - the owner would get a very positive, but very clear wakeup call: "I need to make this place accessible!"