Off to Key West
Monday, March 27th, 2006for a much needed vacation. More soon.
Archive for March, 2006
“With no future we have nothing to fight about”: on Radical Self-Acceptance and Surrender
Friday, March 24th, 2006Sexiness, righteous anger, sound bites (blog bites?) sell in the blogosphere. I seem to spend too much of my life energy trying to find Something Really Important to Blog About. Those posts get hits. Those types of posts are also the ones I tend to read. But posts about the ordinariness of life, emotions like rage and anger and hatred and disappointment, they don't sell. Yet these posts that bring me back to myself: the beating of my heat; the fullness in my bladder; my right thumb; the ancient rememberance that my social justice work is about healing, healing myself first and foremost. And from this strong place of myself, I remember again the Work: extending my hands, keeping them open, ready for another person or even an animal to grasp them. All the work I do is simply to help me keep my hands open.
SOS!
Thursday, March 23rd, 2006I recently received a blog carnival link directly in my inbox (as opposed to going through the blog carnival site) , which I have now deleted. Lovely.To the wonderful person who sent me the link please resend it! Thanks.
What It Means to be White and FtM
Thursday, March 23rd, 2006Below is a draft of what's been on my mind of late about white FtMs. Feedback greatly appreciated. One of the common phrases I hear from white feminist women is that my now privileged status as a man stems from my gender. I hate this argument . Not because it isn't true, but because it is narrow. So narrow, in fact, that it overlooks/denies/obsfucates race. If my privilege were only about my gender, then FtMs of all colors would exist as equals with me in the gender hierarchy. I believe they don't.
The L Stands For
Tuesday, March 21st, 2006[1] Context matters in art. Really. Ilene Chaiken, executive producer of the L-Word, apparently missed that memo. Writes [2] nubian at blac(k) academic [3]: fuck you ilene chaiken. fuck you for having the audacity to have a black woman used for sexual pleasure for whites. fuck you for perpetuating the idea that the black female body is always ready and available for white sexual domination and consumption. And if that weren't enough, az, at goingsomewhere [4] adds [5]: I don’t like the politics of representation at work here. A primetime television show — even one about queers — is not a viable political space for the ‘authentic’ representation of transpeople. Guess L stands for loser. Luckless. Liable. [1] http://jaysennett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/artist.JPG [2] http://blackademic.blogspot.com/2006/03/fuck-l-word.html [3] http://blackademic.blogspot.com/ [4] http://goingsomewhere.blogsome.com/ [5] http://goingsomewhere.blogsome.com/2006/03/20/the-burdens-of-representation/#more-72
Decentering Whiteness in the “Trans” Communities
Monday, March 20th, 2006[1] I've been reacquainting myself with the work of anti-racist allies of late (here [2], here [3] and here [4]). I've also been reading this blog [5] and this blog [6] and this blog [7]. Given my rather short attention span and my overreaching boredom with feminist blogs who can't seem to get beyond gender as a source of oppression combined with white FtMs almost uniform inability to describe how their white race contributes to their newly found privilege, I'll be posting much about racism and anti-racist ally work in queer communities. Which leads me to the title of this post. Henceforth, I will probably use quotation marks around "trans." Why? Because trans really means white. Because to use "trans" and mean folks other than white folks, we then use "trans/men/women" of color. And when we use that term we are thinking of a very narrow set of behaviors and affects that probably conform to mostly white notions of "trans." However white "trans" folks think of "trans" folks of color, I think it probably is not how those folks of color think of themselves. White folks are inclined to inscribe sameness, where we need to render open to ourselves, difference. The need for sameness is part of the Racist Imagination Project. The need to view "trans" entirely through the lens of gender is part of the Racist Imagination Project. I suspect I will probably lose a few of my dear readers. I'd like to think I won't. But talking about racism and race privilege tends to make some folks uncomfortable. But it is work I believe must be done. And when all is said and done, I'm not just transsexual. I'm also white. [1] http://jaysennett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/white-dude.JPG [2] http://barbhowe.typepad.com/lucky/ [3] http://allywork.solidaritydesign.net/ [4] http://vegankid.solidaritydesign.net/ [5] http://animeg.blogspot.com/ [6] http://blackademic.blogspot.com/ [7] http://womenofcolor.blogspot.com/
The Top Seven Reasons I Hate St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S.
Friday, March 17th, 20066. Most of the folks getting drunk are white, straight and male.5. Most of these white, straight and male folks look horrid in green.4. Most of these white, straight and male folks make loud, obnoxious sounds, cavort in cabals of Irish-flag wrapped inepititude and think they are being really cool.3. Most of these white, straight and male folks are _not_ Irish and cannot articulate why the Irish have such a high rate of alcoholism (British imperialism, anyone?).1. Were most of these white (straight and male) folks Black or Latino folks lined up at bars, lollygagging around public establishments in various states of drunkenness:the S.W.A.T. team would have tear gassed them, chased them down with dogs, then beat the shit out of them with clubs; were they Asian folks:most of the white folks would have tried to jump in since asians and asian-americans "aren't really minorities anyway" or hurled racial slurs assuming Asian dudes don't fight back, then whined that they had no idea why they got jumped; were the arab-american or "middle-eastern looking," they would have all been arrested for planning a massive terrorist attack, deported to Quantanimo, horribly assaulted by U.S. soldiers and then disappeared.1. Were most of these (white, straight and) male folks white women (of any sexual orientation) lined up at bars:white dudes (and some dudes of color) would be driving by shouting, "show me your tits!" or "hey fuck you, you fucking lesbian" or some other type of Shakesperian ode to womanhood; and then attempting to sexually assault all the woman who had passed out drunk while the police were too busy eating donuts to do anything substantial.1. were most of these straight (white and male) folks queer:none of us would be caught dead wearing green; we certainly wouldn't have a party at any of the bars having St. Paddy's parties, what with their shitty music and no go-go boys; but we'd still get arrested, probably for soliciting the police....
Link Dump
Thursday, March 16th, 2006From Az [1] (Yes Species is an excellent read. Great theory without baffling the reader):Yes Species [2] is a collaborative book by the SubRosa Collective and James Pei-Mun Tsang, who wrote a chapter on mediation and visibility in trans/genderqueer communities. Crunchy, hardcore trans theory. A critique of the “12 year old white trannyboy stereotype”. The stuff by SubRosa is just as good; they link Silvia Federici to Assisted Reproductive Technologies stuff like designer babies and the pressure to find the ‘perfect genetic match’.From Denise [3] on Life in Hell [4]:Transgender women are more likely to end up in prison than virtually anyone else. The oft-quoted statistic about African American men — that one in four has a history of incarceration — is dwarfed by the available stats on people who are male-to-female, or MTF. A San Francisco Department of Public Health survey conducted in 1997 found that almost two thirds of MTF respondents had been incarcerated. More than 30 percent had spent some time behind bars during the preceding 12 months. - cited in SF Bay Guardian News [5], w/o sourceFrom my own web meanderings, the legal [6] case against Steve Kurtz of the Critical Art Ensemble:On May 11, 2004, Steve Kurtz's wife of 20 years, Hope, died of heart failure in their home in Buffalo. Kurtz called 911. Buffalo Police who responded along with emergency workers, apparently sensitized to 'War on Terror' rhetoric, became alarmed by the presence of art materials in their home which had been displayed in museums and galleries throughout Europe and North America. Convinced that these materials - which consisted of several petri dishes containing benign forms of bacteria, and scientific equipment for monitoring genetically altered food - were the work of a terrorist, the police called the FBI. (More here [7].)The same FBI locked Kurtz's cat in a room for two days without food or water. Biokittyterror threat. 'Cause, you know, we are fighting Tera. Tara. Turror. W.T.F?! [1] http://goingsomewhere.blogsome.com/ [2] http://www.refugia.net/yes/yeschapters.html [3] http://musingsonlifelawandgender.typepad.com/life_law_gender/ [4] http://musingsonlifelawandgender.typepad.com/life_law_gender/2006/03/life_in_hell.html [5] http://www.sfbg.com/40/24/cover_life.html [6] http://www.caedefensefund.org/ [7] http://www.caedefensefund.org/faq.html#intro
The Next Carnival of Bent Attractions
Thursday, March 16th, 2006I am hosting the next edition of the Carnival of Bent Attractions [1] on April 10th. Submissions are due by 12:01AM on April 2nd. Submit something, old or new. Read the current edition of the Carnival of Bent Attractions here [2]. [1] http://www.dailydoseofqueer.com/glbtq-carnival/ [2] http://www.jenburke.com/2006/03/10/the-carnival-of-bent-attractions-march-2006/
Top Ten Theme Songs for the Trans/Gender/Queer/Cuir Communities
Thursday, March 16th, 2006What _are_ our top ten anthems/theme songs?I nominate two.Queen's We Are the ChampionsBob Seger's Turn the Page
If You’re Not Scared Now, You Oughta Be
Tuesday, March 14th, 2006Kathryn Hinsch is the founder of the Women’s Bioethics Project. [1] In this report [2]she documents the strategic investments the Christian Right has been making in a network of conservative bioethics thinktanks.And in this speech [3] she gives a summary of her findings:Every day this conglomerate of conservative forces drives public opinion, advances legislation, emboldens conservative judges, and frames electoral politics to advance its agenda and to secure its power. It controls the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government and it is this that we need to hold in our minds as we look closer at the struggle to define the bioethics agenda.<snip> what the Women’s Bioethics Project finds even more compelling and, frankly, frightening, is that well-established conservative think tanks that have traditionally focused on broad economic, social, and foreign policy issues have recently added “bioethics” to their political agendas.Three guesses where trannies will fit in the conservative bioethics debate. The so-called liberals scare me, too, what with their need to have everything be somehow tied to biology. Be scared. Very. Very. Scared. (Original link [4] via Cyborg Democracy [5]) [1] http://www.womensbioethics.org/i [2] http://www.womensbioethics.org/downloads/bioethicsandpublicpolicy.pdf [3] http://www.womensbioethics.org/index.php?p=Speech%2Bto%2Bthe%2BIHEU&s=79 [4] http://cyborgdemocracy.net/2005/11/rights-investment-in-bioethics.html [5] http://cyborgdemocracy.net/
The F in FEMA Stands for Fucktard
Monday, March 13th, 2006[1] Just in case you thought it couldn't get any worse: The Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal responders failed to provide warnings and evacuation notices in languages besides English, resulting in the avoidable loss of life among Peruvian and Brazilian casino workers in Mississippi, the report found. In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not suspend immigration enforcement to allow all disaster victims to access food, water and shelter -- and several victims who did come forward were placed in deportation proceedings. (Emphasis mine. More here [2].) I'll be thrilled and relieved when all these zenophobes running our country - and running around our country - return to where ever they came from. The new definition of mean-spirited obscene: FEMA. [1] http://jaysennett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/learn-english.JPG [2] http://www.reconstructionwatch.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=101
The Latest Carnival of Bent Attractions is Here
Friday, March 10th, 2006Jen at Transcending Gender [1] has produced a wonderful, excellent effort for this month's carnival. Check it [2] out, and her blog, too, if you haven't, and don't, already.Next month yours truly will play host to the carnival. [1] http://jaysennett.com/cgi-bin/mt/www.jenburke.com [2] http://www.jenburke.com/2006/03/10/the-carnival-of-bent-attractions-march-2006/
Bothand Can Be More Challenging Than We Like
Friday, March 10th, 2006Last year an internet pal emailed me that an FtM had been arrested in Texas for murdering his wife. Terry Michael Dalton had, indeed, murdered his wife. [Link [1].] (If any of my Texas readers know more about Terry's current situation please email me.)What interested me then, and now, is Terry's proximity to me. He is FtM. So am I. Presumably he had an violent temper. I have struggled with the same behavior.Terry seems somehow a shadow for me. Like how I might have become save for small choices that added up to a different direction. [1] http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/04/9trans.html
The First T- Shirt is Coming…or Jay’s Global Microbrand
Thursday, March 9th, 2006This shirt will be printed on a Hanes Beefy-T type shirt. Right now, I'm only ordering white. [1] Right now I'm soliciting pre-order interest. No need to send me cash just now. Simply send me an email at jay@jaysennett.com [2] and let me know how many you want and what size(s). The Brass Tacks: These shirts (there will ultimately be 5 designs sold of 25 in each design, totalling 125 t-shirts) will be priced in the $25-$30 range. Why? As a culture we are happy to spend more dollars to have a horse over our tit or FUBU on our ass. In every way these items represent cookie cutter culture at its finest. My price represents a fair wage for my talent, time and energy. It is a limited edition (1 of 25 - once they are gone they are gone!) that represents our growing trans/queer/cuir cultures. You will be purchasing something made by a trans artist for us. You're own trannie microbrand. Plus, the t-shirt is funny! How will you know it is a limited edition? Neck tags. I am removing the original tag that comes with the t-shirt and replacing it with my branded tag. Think of it as my label/global microbrand: [3] Lastly I will include a certificate of authenticity, which I am still working on. So, let me know what you think. If you want to pre-order one or two, send me an email: jay at jaysennett dot com. [1] http://jaysennett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/wrongmindfront.jpg [2] http://jaysennett.commailto:jay@jaysennett.com [3] http://jaysennett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/neck-tag.JPG
