Lesbians
This week, a couple of ānot so keen on trans peopleā weenies named Kathleen Stock and Julie Bindel started a new organisation called āThe Lesbian Projectā. I checked out their site, and to my surprise it isnāt an incentive to bring the price of Doc Martens down (something that must be done!), but instead - itās main focus seems to be āa new initiative that highlights and champions the experiences, insights and sensibilities of lesbians in all their diversityā. That is, unless the ādiversityā in question includes trans people. That is too much diversity.Ā
Stock & Bindel (not to be confused with Mel & Sue) are known for being keen advocates of trans exclusion. Theyāre all about LGB alignment, if you catch my meaning. You might be familiar with Stockās book āMaterial Girlsā which outlines her sordid position pretty well. You might also be familiar with Bindelās channel 4 sitcom āSugar Rushā. At least I think that was her. I get my āterf lesbian hack writers named Julieā mixed up sometimes.Ā
As is to be expected, various mainstream āliberalā media outlets - including my personal enemies The Guardian & Womanās Hour did feigned ignorant puff pieces on the duo, legitimising their ālegitimateā concerns, legitimately. After all, trans women are telling lesbians they absolutely MUST date them. And weāve been burning down all their butch bars and buying up all the Phoebe Bridgers albums. Aināt we just little stinkers!
Itās really strange, because all of the cis-lesbians I know in real life are all really nice. And they like me! A few are some of my oldest and best friends. I didnāt even have to threaten them with a gun!Ā
Itās weird hearing lesbians cry about feeling āsocial pressureā to date trans women. A lot of the lesbians I happen to know would never, ever allow themselves to bend to social pressure. In fact, theyāre some of the strongest willed people Iāve ever known. The lesbians I know are hard as nails, and live their lives on their own terms. Maybe thatās why, as a bisexual trans woman, we relate to one another so well. Also, the Phoebe Bridgers and Doc Martens help.Ā
Kathleen Stock and Julie Burchill - I mean Bindel, sorry - donāt strike me as the same sort of lesbian I know. They arenāt the sort to protect a trans woman when sheās being berated in public, or having a drink thrown over her in G-A-Y. They come off as whiney little cry babies who just want to divide well established communities for their own personal gain.Ā
The lesbians that I know are good people. Although, I have met a few recently that leave me guessing. I did a comedy gig a few months back, in an expressly queer LGBT bar, to a room of mostly lesbians. Most were incredibly welcoming and enjoyed themselves. After my set though, an older, white lesbian couple approached me. One of these women said to me āWe really enjoyed your set, it was like watching a man and a woman perform at the same timeā. I didnāt over-react, I just said āOk!ā. The woman then continued. She said āOh, sorry. Have I offended you?ā. As a trans woman, I have a very keen sense of when Iām being deliberately fucked with. āNoā¦ā I replied. ā...itās just a really weird thing to say to somebodyā. They left shortly after, probably to go home and hot shower all the queer vibes off of their sacred, gold-star lesbian bodies.Ā
Last night at a completely different queer gig, a table of older lesbians lamented to the MC that their group was only formally āLesbian Onlyā. That must be really hard, to not have the will power, personality or sense of self enough to have to come to queer comedy nights and moan about the policies and procedures of your own gang. Then I came on and did a routine about pet shops.Ā
Well, I could wax poetic about this topic all darn day - but Iāve got a lot of vital lesbian erasure work to be getting on with. Iāve got a bonfire going in the garden, and Iām just about to dump a whole heap of Jaqueline Wilson books onto it that I rented from my local library. All in a dayās work for a little trans stinker like me.