You’re no ally if you see us as the other
Mar 31st, 2008 by Rebecca
I was reading threads at Bilerico yesterday, and read to my surprise of the support of The Butchies - a band I’ve always really liked - for Michfest’s trans exclusion policy. It’s almost ancient history now, as it was seven years ago, and they’ve broken up in the intervening years, but their public statement at the time is still pretty outrageous.
They try to perform the interesting semantic dance of professing to be greatly in favour of the rights of transwomen, and expressing their support for us as an integral part of the queer community, all the while actively defending our exclusion from women’s spaces. It’s a pretty bizarre effort.
Let me get this straight - if you’re against our right to access gender-appropriate shelters when we’re victims of domestic violence or are homeless, if you’re against our right to access rape crisis services when we’re assaulted, if you’re against our right to access campus safe spaces when we’re threatened at night, you’re no fucking ally of mine. Moreover, I take serious offence at the notion that people possessing cissexual privilege could have the sheer gall to turn around and claim ally status after doing so.
It makes me very glad in hindsight that I never paid a cent for any of their material, because I’ll be damned if any of my money will ever go to any groups who support discrimination against me on the basis of a fundamental part of my being.
Re: bands that played at michfest:
“When me and Animal were on the scene, the three bands that people were going after were Bitch & Animal, The Butchies and Le Tigre. Ironically enough, the three bands that all have trans people in them, calling us transphobic.” - Bitch
No, they didn’t all have trans people in them, and none of them have trans women which is obviously the real issue at michfest. JD from Le Tigre identifies as a butch dyke, Animal is either a butch dyke or a female-born genderqueer (I’m not sure which) and The Butchies are all cis. So not only did Bitch have a rep for hating on trans women, she didn’t even know what trans was and pointed to all of her butch dyke friends as “proof” that she isn’t transphobic while completely failing to address the real issue of trans-misogyny.
I love the music that all of these bands made, it’s a shame their politics wasn’t up to scratch.
…wow. I knew Bitch was an ignorant idiot, but I didn’t realise she was quite *that* ignorant. The rebellion against her playing at the San Francisco Dyke March last year was such an important step forward.