well.. it's 40% of the guys who decided to respond and there was no discussion of what "defending trans women" actually means.
As far as my perceptions, I'll reference two different news stories. First the recent article about men watching shemale porn that I posted about. According to that article millions of men join pay sites and/or trans dating sites.
Second story is the biggest Trans story of the past 20 years. The murder of Angie Zapata. It was picked up by the AP and CNN was in the courtroom. Big news blogs posted about it. As with most things Internet, the online articles from various sites have sections for comments. Some of the most horrid things were said about Angie and trans women. Trans women, including myself, were in full force refuting incorrect statements and assumptions. Women who remained married to their partners after they transitioned (either f2m or m2f) were in there with us, parents of trans kids were particularly active.
While some folks identified as men and were vocal in support, none of them identified them selves (if any actually were) as men who date/love/fuck/lust over trans women. Given that the greatest problem with any Trans murder by an intimate partner is the automatic assumption that we trick them, that we couldn't get a man unless we do trick them, that part of being trans is the need to deceive people. Had men been honest, that could have gone some distance in dispelling that. Instead it was trans women *claiming* that their partners were hetero, that we don't trick guys, and that our lives are actually worth protecting.
So of all groups being vocal during a trans story that was about as big a story as we are likely to get we had : trans men and women, parents, helpful friends and family, non-trans women married to/dating trans folks. Given a silver platter opportunity to be unidentified (Internet and all) an make a statement in support of trans women, I didn't see anything from fellas.
I do know some guys, one in particular, who used the trial to bring up Trans issues with his co-workers. So, I know that in some cases you all are there one-on-one. But as a group men who date/fuck us don't step up to the plate very often, even when it poses very little risk to them.
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