after being invited to the trans march in san francisco, weeks long discussion ensued due to our past involvement at michigan. tribe has bowed out. we are more than willing to step aside to make room for transwomen and transpeople of color. that is what we stand for. we will make a stand by cancelling our reunion to make room for the awesome acts that are sure to take the stage june 22, 2007, at dolores park.
here is what i told my friends on the sf trans march committee:
many of us disagree on how to deal with transphobia and michigan, but our major goals are the same, housing jobs and safety for all women, transwomen included, and beyond michigan, transmen and queers in general.
camp trans organizers and attendees over the years will vouch for the work tribe 8 has done at michigan. the last time tribe 8 was there in 2005, camp trans organizers said they appreciated that we go there and play ambassador. together we devised a plan and message to bring to MWMF from the stage about trans women and what their inclusion means. camp trans people recorded it and played it back at camp, satisfied and happy with our efforts.
The Lesbians at michigan were pissed off that i dared to sing breasticles, a song about being a no-op tranny. regardless of how i identify, since i do not pass as a man, i get no male privilege. whether i like it or not, i am treated in the world as a woman, so i belong on womens land, as do transwomen, because we are all subjected to mysogyny.
what's interesting is that now The Trannies are pissed cuz we played michigan. you can't win when youre an activist in the LGBTLMNOPQRST community.
in 96 we created a workshop at camp trans that included michigan women, and facilitated conversations that spawned a decade of communication across the road, where people brought in flyers, and t-shirts. posters were hung on tents proclaiming people's support for trans woman inclusion. discussions were held on every path and at every table for the last decade, and above all, every year many performers used the limelight to announce from the stage to thousands of women their support of transwomen's inclusion. many michigan performers, led by nomi lamm and others, signed petitions addressed to lisa vogel.
personal discussions, workshops, all this work changed festival goers' minds over time, influencing thousands of feminist activists and professionals to go out into the world and change the lives of all women by creating trans-inclusive battered women's and homeless shelters, health clinics, as well as housing and employment rights for transwomen and transmen. that is the change trans-inclusion at michigan is meant to bring. yet short of transinclusion at michigan, with the support of women who go there, we can still cause a hell of a lot of revolution in the world.
you can look at a list of who plays michigan and demonize those that do. we are all more complex thinkers than that. camp trans organizers say perfomers at michigan are the perfect messengers for transwomen inclusion, because many feminists listen to us. boycott from the outside and communication within are both necesary to revolution: one to bring attention, the other to educate in person. to boycott all people who go to michigan is one-dimensional and insufficient, like a hunger strike without ongoing negotiations. working together creates more change.
tribe 8 wants to play the transmarch. silas has been using male pronouns for years. i actually got my trans identity at camp trans. slade has been a no-op tranny attending trans meetings since 85 before it was remotely cool, and has been an ally for years. (she even told me she was thinking of transitioning in the 90's and i said no! we're a dyke band! no boys allowed! poor gramps.) and leslie has supported trans rights for years on many levels, professional and personal.
not all trannies feel the same about how to achieve our goals. many activists think differently. so if we are to be inclusive we need to consider what we are trying to achieve not how we try to achieve it.
transwomen are triggered by people going to michigan, as many others are triggered by attacks from both sides for trying to facilitate understanding. i don't do what i do to hurt transwomen, but try to choose actions that will do the least damage and the most good for all of us. not everyone is going to agree with my choices, but many do. we have to choose according to our hearts. waiting for everyone's approval means no revolution. we are all triggered. but we can overcome fear, build community, and make a better world for trans- and nontranswomen, queers, transmen, pre- post- and no-op, people of color, poor people, the differently abled, all of us. the challenge is to coexist, honor diversity, and when we disagree, do so respectfully. i have faith that we can do it.