General Outcry Expected
TNG reader Rebecca submits this post.
Something deeply upsetting happened outside of Fab Lounge last week and we all need to know about it. Read the full story from the Washington Blade here, trigger warning applies.
Basically, a couple of transmen were physically assaulted, yes physically assaulted, by a group of lesbians (and a male friend) outside Fab Lounge. Read that again because you need to know it.
There are a couple reasons that everyone in the queer community in this city must know about this incident.
The first (and it sickens me to write this) is that apparently transmen – and by extension all people with alternative gender identity and expression - are not physically safe at some of DC’s queer events. So that means they, and those who love them, have to know to watch their backs.
The second is that we as a community have to address this issue immediately. It must be made crystal clear that this kind of hatred and behavior is not tolerated and not welcome.
If you hear or see transphobic comments or behavior, it is your responsibility to stop it. If you have transphobic thoughts or concerns, it is your responsibility to educate yourself. Here are a few places to start:
• http://www.nctequality.org
• http://thetaskforce.org/issues/transgender
• http://www.transgenderdor.org/?page_id=4
What happened last week outside Fab Lounge was a hate crime. It is beyond unacceptable. All the peripheral L Word storylines in the world don’t change the sad fact that there are many lesbians who are transphobic. That things have gone far enough that lesbians feel empowered to assault transpeople is shocking and it points to a failure of our community. It means that other kinds of non-physical violence have been going unaddressed for too long.
Something queer people know well is that being silent in the face of violence does not help anyone. If there are queer events and spaces that are not safe for transpeople, they need to be called out. Same for transphobic people. I hope you all will join me in this.
8 comments:
Oh my God. Check out some of the comments left at the Blade article. I really had no idea...
Hey, TNG, thanks for finally publishing a story on this terrible event. I don't know how many people in the DC area actually know that this happened. I keep waiting to catch wind of an outcry, and it just hasn't happened, which is shocking and saddening. I only learned about this event through a friend in Boston whose friend from Durham, NC tweeted about the article in the Washington Blade. Hopefully publicity from posts like the one at this blog can generate some interest in figuring out the most appropriate way to respond to transphobic events.
I'm glad this site is covering this story. This incident enrages me. We have a serious problem in this community, and a lot of ignorance, if things like this are taking place. The Blade article mentioned that an employee stood by and did nothing. I think establishments that cater to our community need to do a better job at providing a safe space. And I think some of our national non-profit representatives need to do a better job of being inclusive rather than taking the convenient or expedient approaches to policies.
We don't have to like each other but we do have to respect each other. Come on people!
Get your shit together.
The whole situation is fucked up, but I'm surprised that people are actually shocked that the GLBT community in DC can be made up of people with their own inherent ignorance and prejudices. I've been in DC for awhile and have been witness to and am aware of a lot of petty ignorance and straight up prejudice regarding others whether it be based on race, gender, being transgendered, etc.
The same goes for constructive criticism when it comes to negative issues that people see within the GLBT community. it's easier to simply point the finger at everyone outside of the LGBT community and place blame at their feet, but much more difficult for people to really honestly take a look at the attitudes and behavior within that aren't necessarily positive. Especially our own as individuals.
So, while the discussions about gender, race, and class bias and how they play out in the community might be uncomfortable discussions, they're pretty important dialogues to have. So, next time someone has something to say in relation to our own actions and words and how they might be construed as offensive from their own personal standpoint it's necessary to keep an open-mind and honestly consider their perspective as a means to creating some sense of understanding about our own roles in creating these issues.
I'm not surprised that there was discrimination toward these people, but rather that there was violence toward them as well. Very sad.
Not to be an asshole, but issues of violence aren't something that just exist in the world at large that the LGBT community is immune to. Issues like sexual harassment, domestic violence, assault, and sexual assault can and do exist in the microcosm of gay culture as it does in the world at large.
I seem to recall an incident that I was witness to at SoHo over on P St. over a decade ago in which a group of people standing in line started a shoving match that resulted in fisticuffs in which resulted in some people getting beaten up pretty badly, including people who attempted to break up the fight. The perpetrators weren't straight people who came in looking to harass and beat up gays, but people who were within the LGBT community getting into a fight with other people in the LGBT community.
Being gay doesn't make us immune from some pretty shitty behavior.
The Blade article mentioned that an employee stood by and did nothing. I think establishments that cater to our community need to do a better job at providing a safe space.
Khalila, I definitely agree. Even more troubling is the number of patrons who simply stood by and let this happen. Did anyone else besides the victims call the police in this incident?
As far as the patrons, one can assume two things:
1) The vast majority either had no sympathy with the victims in this case, which is troubling in and of itself.
2) People had problems with what was happening, but were too afraid to speak up and get involved.
In relation to #2, I think that confrontation is anathema to many people. However, there needs to be an attitude that we, as a community, can and should police ourselves when we see things like this happening instead of waiting for someone else to step in to deal with it. Obviously, if only one or two people step up to voice their disapproval, this doesn't serve as much of a deterrant and they too can become victims. However, if a larger group of people at a venue step up and take proactive steps to voice their disapproval or quickly break up an altercation, most violence can quickly be averted.
Post a Comment