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An argument for embracing the label “transphobic”
What does it mean to be transphobic? Redphobia offers clues.
Sometimes people say they aren’t “afraid” of gay people or trans people and therefore they aren’t homophobic or transphobic. But these terms also include being afraid of outcomes related to accepting queer culture and families or trans identities and rights. If you’re afraid that gay parents will inherently harm children and mess up society in some way, you’re quite literally homophobic. If you’re afraid that letting trans women compete in sports will hurt other women, you’re quite literally transphobic.
Is that an okay thing to be? You get to decide for yourself just as others get to decide for themselves. But you don’t get to limit what the word means. A “transphobe” is not merely “someone who is afraid of trans people.”
It might be helpful to think of these less as labels and more as states of mind that can change at any time. If you feel comfortable with your belief or political position that restricts trans self-definition, trans health care, trans social access, or trans acceptance, consider that the label “transphobic” fits either you or one of your points of view. If you want to keep the point of view, you probably have to become okay with the label. If you don’t like the label, you have to find a way…
