Added: 8 months ago
From: iradgray
Views: 1,913
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:

All Comments (50)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • @barefootwits Ira has actually pretty eloquently expanded on his thoughts in the comments so I don't see why you are still attacking his initial remarks. The argument's you've made have been justified so what is the problem? It's so childish to harass someone on their video when they've taken the time to expand on thoughts that you as an individual have found offensive.

  • Honestly, if a woman is dating a transman but is adamant that she would NEVER date a cis man, there is a problem in that. The idea that a woman would date you only because you were previously perceived as female and your body reflected that, but would NOT date you had you been born in the body correct to your gender identity is shocking and appalling to many transguys. It's quite trans-ignorant. You don't have to agree, but you have no right to say that those guys shouldn't feel as they do.

  • @barefootwits A woman who fetishizes trans men is not the same as a lesbian who is down to sometimes date men who happen to be trans. You're also assuming that all lesbians are cisgender. Please tell me how lesbian trans women are trans-ignorant. I never said trans men can't feel a certain way. I'm saying feel that way because of someone's behavior, not their label. I stated that very clearly.

  • @iradgray No, I think you missed that I was saying that IF a woman were to say that she would date TRANSguys, but not CIS guys, that is offensive and THAT is what is trans-ignorant. I didn't claim that all lesbian-identified women feel that way, and I never insinuated that all lesbians are cisgender. I'm a transman and very much a queer man. Queer, you see, because I am interested in both men and women, whether they are cis or trans.

  • @barefootwits Yeah, that's fetishizing and cissexist, but I'm not talking about that in this video. That being said, you do insinuate that lesbians can't be trans women when you talk about lesbians and don't talk about trans women, but I'd prefer to not get into that.

  • @iradgray A lesbian can be any woman, whether cis or not. Since I wasn't speaking specifically about either trans or cis women, I really wasn't insinuating anything. I was just saying "lesbians." In any case, someone claiming ("to claim" is a verb, thus an action, thus a behaviour) that they are a lesbian, which has a specific widely-recognized definition, and then pursuing a relationship with a man, cis or trans, is invalidating to her own identity and her partner's.

  • @barefootwits Of course, trans women can be lesbians, but when you say a lesbian who dates men who happen to be trans is trans-ignorant, you are either say trans women are ignorant of themselves or you're not talking about them and thus using cisnormative language. Which is why I said earlier please tell me how trans lesbians are trans-ignorant. An identity is not a box. What is invalidating to someone's identity is confining language like yours. Now leave me alone. I've said I'm done with this.

  • @iradgray You're refusing a discussion that can help other people learn, and I think that's pretty lame of you. I think generally a transwoman who identifies as a lesbian understands the meaning of "lesbian" and, yes, it is STILL trans-ignorant if even a transwoman were to identify as a lesbian and pursue a relationship with a cis or transgender man. "Lesbian" is a specific definition. You don't have to like it. You DO need to respect other people's dysphoria, whether or not you agree.

  • @barefootwits No, I'm setting up boundaries, because you're harassing me at this point. I'm moving back in a public domain where you're dominating the space and thus potentially making people feel uncomfortable to share. "Lesbian" is an an identity which has a definition which changes from person to person like all other identities. "Man" is another term with a dictionary definition, and by that definition, neither of us fit. Don't use tools meant to hurt you to police others. Please back off.

  • @iradgray I haven't harassed you in any way, I am stating that I have an argument opposing yours. By not allowing people to comment without your approval, you are policing peoples' opinions to keep your side of the argument prominent. When you post a video like this, you should be prepared for reactions that differ from yours and accept that people feel differently, rather than screaming "bully" or "harassment" when they argue over the topic with you that YOU presented in public.

  • @barefootwits After I've asked you to repeatedly leave me alone, you refuse. This is the perfect example of harassment. This isn't a public forum. This is an individual YouTube profile. It's ironic that you're throwing the censorship card on me while your comments still get published. I approve comments to keep from people posting triggering shit, another right I have. I'm not screaming bully, I asked you to leave me alone, and you refuse(d). If you refuse again, I'll report you.

  • I agree that people's own identities are theirs alone, but I also think that if you are in a relationship with someone and your identity could cause them dysphoria or invalidates their identity, then you should consider why and how you can change that. It's never ok to offend someone and just respond akin to, "I don't care if you were offended, I'm not going to do anything about it but continue to offend you by calling myself something that doesn't apply to me (by definition.)"

  • @barefootwits I don't think we should use our dysphoria to dictate other people's identities. We could ask that they not talk about it around us perhaps? Identities are not definitive. It doesn't make sense to use a stagnant, dictionary definition to confine a fluid concept. Keep in mind that dictionaries are not generally made by trans*/queer folks.

  • @iradgray words that have been coined by various people throughout history, and all in different social standings. The LGBT community has spread the knowledge and use of the words that are now used, such as "trans*" or "queer."

  • @barefootwits I don't see the LGBT community as the arbiter of inclusive language, but that's a WHOLE other conversation. In the spirit of inclusive experience based definitions, you're only contradicting yourself by excluding certain experiences that don't coincide with your thoughts on the subject.

  • @iradgray Words aren't just put down in the dictionary because one person says them. They are spread by people, and the sort of people who spread them are those who use them. I don't see how an experience could change the definition of a word, still, just because you want it to. It just seems that your thoughts on the subject are based on specifics rather than generalities. In general, a woman dating a transman and calling herself a "lesbian" is offensive.

  • @barefootwits Words are put in dictionaries, because people with ridiculous amounts of privilege deem them words we, as people, should use, regardless of accurate definitions. An example of this is the inaccurate definitions of sexism and racism in the dictionary, but especially racism as the term was coined by white people. That's another topic though. Yes, I speak in specifics because an identity is a specific experience. There are no general identities. We all have different experiences.

  • i really like this video

  • thank god for this one you SLOWED DOWN & SPOKE UP. keep up the good work & contributions to the community.

  • @BonesDGAF021 it's surprisingly not my fault in the last couple of videos i've made. i just don't have access to cameras/cameras that don't suck. i'm trying to get one, but i just don't have the money right now. anyway, thanks for watching (:

  • I often ID as a lesbian (because it's easier than explaining my gender and orientation), though a better term would be "feminine oriented" (as in I dig femmes of all genders) and I sleep with lots of dudes trans and cis... admittedly I only go for people who have long hair and wear makeup, but I don't think that's a gender thing so much as an aesthetic thing

  • @IraDGray in all fairness, RadioWaco probably assumes "trans men" are male id'd because that phrase was specifically popularized by men of trans history specifically to have some way of talking about the unique experiences of non-bigender-nor-genderqueer men after "FTM" and related phrases became umbrella terms. Now "trans man" is also in the process of becoming an umbrella as well, and this causes much confusion.

  • @zerkatwork yeah, i definitely understand the confusion that can stem from this. thank you for your input, my friend.

  • @RadioWaco I don't think iragray is saying ALL trans men may feel free to call themselves lesbian. I think he is saying that SOME transmen have good reason to call themselves lesbian, so it's best not to unilaterally assume someone can't be both. So far i suspect he might agree with your point that if you happen to be "binary male id'd" that you cannot also be a lesbian.

  • @zerkatwork I don't know how I missed this whole thread! I love your commentary. I'm definitely not in favor of binary men exploiting women's spaces at all ever.

  • I disagree. And I don't really feel like trans men have a right to claim to be lesbians...If they can do it, why can't cis guys claim to be lesbians? What makes trans men special snowflakes in that regard?

    It is the same way I feel about trans men being in spaces that are explicitly "women only" (I'm not talking about bathrooms, I'm talking about places like MichFest), especially when those same spaces often deny trans women their right to be there.

  • @RadioWaco it's not your place to say how someone can or cannot identify. attempting to do so is the definition of identity policing. someone's identity is a not a place for you to put your opinion. please take the time to look up and read about bigender, genderfluid, and other non-binary gender identities. they exist.

  • @iradgray I know they exist, and you have no right to talk down to me. Trans men does not necessarily equal being non-binary. You can be a non-binary trans guy, but being a trans man in itself does not automatically equal being non-binary. Besides, identities like "queer" exist for a reason. To many lesbians, someone who identifies as male but calls themself a lesbian would seen as appropriation.

  • @RadioWaco i'm not talking down. i'm being direct. you're policing the identities of bigender folks. there are a lot of people who identify as men and as womyn simultaneously. i never once said that all trans-men are non-binary identified. i simply said that we exist. i am one of them. i do not identify as womyn, but i do not consider myself binary-identified. saying "that's why there's queer" is wrong for the same reason as "that's why there's butch" to trans-men who want to transition.

  • @iradgray You talk about trans men in this video, not bigender people. There is a difference between the two. It isn't fair that people who would receive heterosexual privilege by being with a woman (trans men and cis men) can appropriate the identity of a specific oppressed group of people and be in their spaces (in this case lesbians). Same thing with white people who call themselves "Two Spirit" are appropriating a Native American term

    No, the "that's why there's butch" is a false analogy.

  • @RadioWaco the two are not mutually exclusive. i talk to and about people who identify in this way. i am one of those people. this is my experience, so don't tell me that, especially if i make a note underneath specifically for that reason. analogies in general are logically fallacious. you're analogy to two spirit is as equally as fallacious due te the intersections that occur within native and trans* communities. the difference is i articulate mine. the butch analogy is more similar (though

  • @RadioWaco not entirely admittedly). now that we've moved past logically fallacious analogies. so bisexual people get straight privilege? passing privilege only occurs when one assumes your identity. trans* folks are perceived as cis on a regular basis. that doesn't make them privileged. likewise, i do not receive straight privilege for identifying as pansexual. you're also making the assumption that all trans-men (binary and non-binary) are read as cis, straight, and as men.

  • @iradgray many trans-men are seen as lesbians and have every right to identify as a part of their history, experience, and perception. again, it is not your place to say how someone can identify.

  • @RadioWaco your argument makes so many assumptions about the identities, expressions, and perceptions of trans-men. this space is not meant for arguments, for exclusion, or for identity policing. therefore, i'm not going to engage with you on this anymore.

  • Great video, Ira. My girlfriend has only dated women, until she and I started dating, and she is by far the most supportive/affirming person in my life and I have no doubt that she sees me and a guy.

  • @YeaItsMiles thank you very much and congratulations on finding a supportive and affirming partner!

  • i'm 100% with you on this one, i think it is entirely possible to respect both parties identities as long as you both understand that they really are just labels...

    i'm so glad someone else feels this way, i've definitely been noticing a lot of videos on trans* related collab channels about this that i've taken issue with.

  • @calibou727 i have a lot of issues with ftm groups online (i can't say much for in person ones really but i've had good and bad experiences with ftm circles). there is so much stress on stipulations you must meet in order to be man enough or to "pass" enough. people are allowed to identify however they want. like i said, it's not about trans-men when lesbians identify the way they do. i'm just not a fan of people saying "well you're not a real ___ if you ___" when it comes to identity & gender.

  • @iradgray I completely agree. If someone loves me for me and understands that i am male, i have absolutely no right to tell them that their identity doesn't allow them to love me, identities are just words, who you love is much deeper than that.

  • @calibou727 yes, exactly. it's someone else's body. i don't get to tell them how to define it. i'm glad that there are other people out there who feel the same way i do.

  • @iradgray i am as well :)

  • Ira, I agree with you. Our sexual orientations and identities do not need to depend on our partners gender/sexual ID. thank you!

  • @zackriotpdx YES THANK YOU

  • Saying you are lesbian but saying you are attracted to transsexual men is insulting.

  • @jdk946 if you are seriously arguing that. you missed the whole point of the video. furthermore, what about the trans men that identify as lesbians? because they certainly exist. are they insulting themselves? an identity is literally nothing more than a label. it's a label people chose, because they like, they identify with. they are free to change the meaning or to behave outside of the label's definition.

    you trying to police a lesbian's behavior is insulting.

  • @jdk946 sexual identity and sexual orientation is so much more broad and complicated than most people care to realize. in the end whether you are gay, bi, straight, lesbian, queer, trans, or anything else there are no laws saying that certain people that identify as certain orientations can only be attracted to A and B and not C it's a very closed minded approach on the subject and fails to look at the large picture. the boundaries that you set for yourself may not be the same for others

  • Oh I think people should get out of there lil boxes of gay & straight ect sex these days is so grey & fuck who you want to without thinking what box you should be in (so to speak...lol...)

  • @502belinda i'm all down for fucking outside of categories so long as everyone involved consents (:

  • @502belinda Yes I agree as long as you and me have permission..lol... *wink*

  • @502belinda hubba hubba!

Loading...
Alert icon
0 / 00Unsaved Playlist Return to active list
    1. Your queue is empty. Add videos to your queue using this button:
      or sign in to load a different list.
    Loading...Loading...Saving...
    • Clear all videos from this list
    • Learn more