A change.org petition, started by gay and bisexual men and women, is calling for all GLBTI media outlets and community organisations such as GLAAD to “drop the T” in GLBTI. “We are a group of gay/bisexual men and women who have come to the conclusion that the transgender community needs to be disassociated from the larger LGB community”, the petition, with nearly 1000 signatures, reads. The petition group say they feel the transgender community’s “ideology” is completely different from that of the LGB communities as one is about sexuality and one about gender. “[It] is ultimately regressive and actually hostile to the goals of women and gay men.” The say some of the most “hostile” areas in which this ideology is at odds is “The vilification and harassment of women and gay/lesbian individuals who openly express disagreement with the trans ideology.” They say: “a simple disagreement over an issue can result in responses that range from insults (“transphobic bigot”) to threats of physical harm (often, in the case of women, rape) and even death; the harassment by the transgender community of prominent individuals ranging from iconic gay rights activist/drag queen RuPaul and legendary feminist Germaine Greer has been particularly loathsome.” Other “hostile” areas include the “infringement of the rights of individuals”, “the appropriation and re-writing of gay and lesbian history and culture” and “most troubling, by persuading parents and health professionals to diagnose children as young as four as transgender.” Co-Publisher of GayNZ.com, Jay Bennie, says while he understands there is a difference between gender and sexuality, GayNZ.com will always reflect and foster an inclusive GLBTI community. “GayNZ.com has always been primarily about, by and for people whose sexuality or gender marks them out as being different by society at large,” he says. “We include in our ethos and coverage the lives and issues of those who cannot take it for granted that our sexuality or gender will be uncontroversial or will fit within society's norms. We acknowledge that sexuality and gender are two different things but it would seem churlish, especially in a small community such as NZ's, to cast those whose life journeys can involve similar struggles, out into the cold. “There was a time, before the fight for homosexual law reform and the emergence of HIV/AIDS, that many gay men wanted nothing to do with lesbians, and vice versa. But gay men benefited from the sisterly support of many lesbians, even if on occasion the familial relationship was a little tense. And we have all benefited from the support and understanding of many straight people. “The petition seems to me to be too much based on the idea that transgender people are misfits, too fractious and unacceptably stroppy. It is a knee-jerk, separatist reaction. Those GLBTI people who do not take our present level of acceptance in society for granted can remember a time when we, too, were misfits and fractious and stroppy. Most of us have come a long way since those days, so to pull up the drawbridge against those whose journey to wider understanding and acceptance lags behind our own is churlish to say the least. “While there is always room for discussion of such issues we believe there is increased strength and human dignity in togetherness. New Zealand is by and large an inclusive society and GayNZ.com will continue to foster and reflect an inclusive GLBTI community, acknowledging our similarities and our differences.” The creators assure those reading the petition that they do not advocate intolerance or prejudice against the transgender community. They say at the very least they hope to open up a discussion about these issues.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 8th November 2015 - 2:39pm