Gone gone

Im going to Jafnadhr so I’ll be gone for six days :) I also dont have internet at home, so I probably wont be available during Pride (july 25th - august 3rd) either. Just thought I’d tell you. :)

kthxbai!

/Drik

Im so excited!

As many of you already know, I will be attending the Gender Odyssey Conference in Seattle. :) They just posted a list of this years workshops and the list below are the things I want to attend.

* Legal Issues 101
* No Longer Lost in the Shuffle: Trans and Differently Abled
* No Apology Necessary: Coming to Terms with Our Masculinity
* Trans on Trans Couples
* Gumby: Do Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Have Flexibility?
* Trans and Aging
* Buddy Up: Making Connections at the Conference
* Masculinity and Responsibility
* Creating Allies for Trans Youth
* Gender Identity Discrimination
* It’s Not All Black and White: Interracial and Intergendered Relationships
* Disclosure: Empowering Ways to Discuss Your Gender
* Fasten Your Seatbelts: Our Relationships Transition, Too
* Genderqueer: Embodying the Space In Between
* You’re Doing What?! When Your Loved One Transitions
* Trans Families and Pregnancy

The whole list of Gender Odyssey’s workshops

I am SO excited. *bounces*

:)

It seems that every time I write a long post about something, I write stuff that makes me seem mad or angry or maybe even antisocial. I blame my autistic side. ;p Just so you know, I’m never mad or angry unless I say so. I just get very excited and stuff when I write things that I’m passionate about.

Not a long post today, cause today, I’m gonna force you to watch

Sigur Ros- vidrar vel til loftarasa

Its not trans related, but its beautiful and very, very cute.

:)

Angie

Because I love her.

Muhaha!

Thoughts on polyamor

I havent been “out” as polyamorous (actually, I prefer non-monogamous) for a very long time. Didnt know there was a word for it until recently, and now Im not sure if its the right label for me. You see, I have a huge problem with the whole “partner(s)” thing and also the way relationships are ranked. We rank our (and others!) relations to other people where married is on the top and acquaintances is on the bottom. I tend** to think of all my relations as equal. I dont think that my relation with John is worth more than my relation with Emma just because Ive lived with John for five years and met Emma half a year ago (Emma and John are not real btw). As mentioned earlier, I also have a problem with the “partner(s)” thing. I dont see why people have to give their relation to someone else a name. Different names = different rights and rules = silly. IMO.

Another thing (oh my, I sure complain alot, dont I? -_-): I dont understand why people say “MY girlfriend” or “MY friend” or “MY husband”. Do they own them? Seriously, do they? I thought owning people was prohibited (I’m not talking about D/s relations now, cause thats something else IMO). Im maybe picky and stuff, but.. YOUR partner? Did you buy them? Or maybe they sold their soul to you and now they are yours for an eternity? Kinda egoistic if you ask me.

I have to admit that its hard to stop saying “my partner (or whatever)”, its hard not to rank relationships and give them names. It is. I’m trying, doing the best I can. You might wanna call me a hypocrite when I talk about partners. its ok, I would too.

Welcome to the blogosphere!

Wow, I created this blog to update people on my transition and complain about ASD. Two days ago, Jaded Hippy sent me an email and told me about The Feminist Carnival of  Sexual Freedom and Autonomy. I started reading Jaded Hippys blog (or, I read some of it, and then subscribed) and it led me to  Renegade Evolution which led me to Eleanors Trousers and Uncool. I also found Polyamorously Perverse and Being Amber Rhea via the Feminist Carnival. I was fascinated when I realized how big the FtM-blog community was, and I have just discovered the sex positive/sex radical feminist blog community. I think I’ll be spending the next weeks reading and commenting these blogs.  Thank you all for writing!

/Drik

Thoughts on privilege and intersectionality

One of the things that I fear about my (physical) transition from female to male are the male privileges are the male privileges. I dont want to believe that people are gonna treat me differently (and in many ways better) when they see me as male (and nothing but male). I know Im wrong though. The chances that people will think I did a better job than a woman even if I did the same task as her are big. I will probably get jobs because of my skills and not because of my looks. If I choose to have children, no one will see me as egocentric if I choose to work instead of being  a stay-at-home  dad.

What I usually dont think of is that Im privileged because of other things. Im white, able-bodied, middle class and I live in one of the richest countries in the world (if money = riches). I think that many people talk about intersectionality and privileges, but forget to analyze their own situation. Like the radical feminists in the 70s who forgot to see that they, as white and middle class, had privileges that black worker class women didnt. Most people wont talk about their privileges, especially not people who, for some reason,  are oppressed because of something (like an able-bodied white gay man who’s oppressed because he’s gay but also privileged because he’s able-bodied, male and white).

I want to learn more about intersectionality and privileges, but now Im off to bed!

Read more about male privilege here and while writing this entry I found a blog titled White Privilege - treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity (might be interesting!)

Gender Subversion

For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy who is tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable. For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence. For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep. For every boy whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes. For ever girl who throws out her E-Z-Bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one. For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry’s attacks on her self esteem. For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.

From CWCs (CrimethInc. Ex-Worker’s Collective) Gender Subversion poster.  25 posters for $2! They also have a beauty subversion poster and lots of books. Some of their books, like the anarchist cookbook, are banned in the US (or so Ive heard O_o)

Stop transphobia at Pride

I feel like I should comment the London Pride incident were transgendered and transsexual women (including Roz Kavaney) were told to use the disabled toilets instead of the regular womens toilets. Roz gathered a bunch of transmen and women, and together they made a collective fuss. The offical PRIDE volunteers responded by screaming “We’re being attacked by a mob of trannies! Send backup!”. A policeman arrived and said that they had to be able to show their gender recognition certificates to  prove that they had the right to use the toilet.

I wish I had something smart to say about this, but right now, Im too angry to think. Ive sent an email to London Pride, so should you. Their email is info@pridelondon.org

There were also incidents where bisexuals had received mean comments from gays and lesbians during the parade. Its obvious that Pride is for homosexuals only.

I really liked Nix Williams and Rebeccas responses.