You must consult Head Office first
You may not leave, you may not choose which people you consider allies, you may not distinguish among reasons or categories, you may not form new organizations, you may not do anything except what you’re told.
@GrahamSmith_ lays out the rules:
The alliance is a deliberate attempt to marginalise and exclude trans people. Trans people have always been part of the lgbt community and to try to exclude them is clearly motivated by transphobia.
Notice the tautology. “Trans people have always been part of the lesbian gay bisexual trans community” – well no shit, Sherlock, it’s right there in the name. But that doesn’t mean people can’t notice that that “community” is actually somewhat randomly assembled, because sexual orientation is not the same as gender identity. It doesn’t mean people can’t decide they would like to form a group (and maybe a community) solely around sexual orientation (the non-conforming kind). It doesn’t mean people need Graham Smith’s permission to do that. Same-sex attracted people are not required to caucus with trans people any more than they are required to caucus with straight people.
Forming a group / community / alliance of LGB people is not marginalizing or excluding trans people unless you think any kind of group / community / alliance marginalizes and excludes anyone who isn’t part of the group / community / alliance.
But another advice-giver took it even further:
There is clearly no good faith present in an organisation that forms a group and specifically signals in its name it does not include Trans people. Just a sickening example of ‘othering’ that we can live without.
Nobody can form a group that doesn’t include trans people. Nobody. Not knitters, not Game of Thrones fans, not socialists, not libertarians, not birdwatchers, not quilters, not foodies, not voting rights activists, nobody.
Make a note of it.
I do wish more people would just come out and be blunt about the problem with trans people and gay & lesbian activism: too many trans people are obnoxious entitled straight guys who really don’t belong in the gay & lesbian community — and are actually hostile to it — and most certainly don’t belong as the central focus of lesbian and gay activism.
I came across a paraphrase of a Jonathan Swift quote today, “Reasoning will never make a Man correct an ill Opinion, which by Reasoning he never acquired.”
It wasn’t appeals to reason but rather appeals to emotion that instilled “trans women are women” into the minds of the left, and it will be appeals to emotion that will dislodge it. Let’s make it so the default image that comes to mind when anyone thinks of a trans woman actually looks like a typical trans woman: not a glamourous, feminine young celebrity but a very visibly and behaviourally straight and male ex-Marine with an ex-wife and two kids in middle school.
“specifically signals in its name that it does not include Trans people”? By neglecting to mention them? Like the names of almost every organization in existence?
ACLU specifically signals it excludes trans people!
NAACP specifically signals it excludes trans people!
BYU specifically signals it excludes trans people!
What about Girl Scouts of America? (GSA – no T!) Boy Scouts of America? (BSA – no T!) The Ancient Free and Accepted Masons? (AF & AM – no T!)
Oh, boy, looks like trans activists have a lot of work to do, a lot of organizations to correct. The EPA. The BBC. The RCMP. FFRF. NCRS. Wow. It’s building up. All the organizations that specifically signal they exclude trans people.
Wait. None of those are about women or gays? Oh, forget I mentioned it. Well, there is the Girl Scouts…
No demographic can self-identify itself as a demographic that does not include trans people. This would imply friction with just about every special interest group engaging in activism, but we don’t see that. Instead, we see TRA opprobrium heaped upon two categories: homosexual activism, and female activism. The group most vulnerable to this being lesbians, and the safest being straight men.
Sparing the powerful to attack activism for the least powerful. Real fucking nice.
It’s not even as though the group has any intention of excluding trans people – as far as I know – despite the lack of a T or some punctuation.
Surely there are trans people who are legit gay, lesbian or bisexual and I doubt they’ll be turned away from meetings or blocked on Twitter.
But trans people won’t be the centre of a) attention and b) an entire movement so some men are sad. How snowflakey can anyone possibly be?
Miranda Yardley spoke at the inaugural meeting of the LGB Alliance.
Yes, I know. But I’m not sure how that’s relevant to the bit of what I said that you quoted.
Miranda is a trans person who is “legit gay” and was obviously not turned away or blocked. I think this supports your point.