thetranssexualempireexists:

www.huffingtonpost.com/kayley-whalen/a-trans-woman-on-saving-michfest_b_5653291.html but it was so poignant and sad that a person that seems to fit so well in that space is not allowed. I remember the first years of Camp Trans and most of those folks would tune in with the Land as much as this writer seems to have - but of course, this is just one side of the story. Does anyone know any Rad Fem articles about this particular Kayley Whalen person?

Kayley Whalen’s article was certainly well-written, but in her discussion of Michigan Womyn’s Music festival, she plays a mega game of “No True Scotsman” in her thinking about MWMF. And if she didn’t play that game, it would be clear to her that by attending she is participating in the same kind of male violence that MWMF is trying to escape from.

Who is Kayley, by the way? She is “famous” for lying about being transsexual in order to join an all-female Roller Derby league, and then complaining when other women said she played too rough. So let’s get this straight - Kayley had not gotten genital surgery, so she still had a dick and (more importantly) her balls. It doesn’t matter whether she was taking estrogen: she was also producing testosterone. Because she has no respect for women, she thought this was a fine thing to lie about. And when other women complained she played too rough, instead of being like “Whoa thanks sisters for the reality check”, she just took on a persecution complex like any entitled male asshole. So lets be real: Kayley did NOT belong at MWMF in any way. She hates women. (Not to mention: this is what Kayley looks like when she doesn’t carefully curate her selfies. She really thinks the women at MWMF had “no idea”? Hmm.)

But let’s address the larger question you posed about her article. Do all trans women belong at MWMF? Hell no. If we as trans women had a way of policing the boundaries of our own communities, then I doubt that many women at MWMF would care whether trans women came. Except, we don’t do any policing. As trans women, we need to look at someone like Meryl Fortney, and say “Trust your perceptions: this is a violent man.” Seriously, make sure you go to that link, and watch that video. There is no hate speech in that commentary, just reality. Likewise, Nancy Evelyn Gold is not a woman in any sense of the word I would ever use. I don’t care that Nancy transitioned 20 years ago, or that Nancy says he’s a trans woman: that’s a man who hates women. End of.

If Kayley is allowed to go to MWMF, then so are those dudes. That means that dead-beat dad Gemma Seymour would be allowed to go in to MWMF carrying his spear. Again: I am going to trust my perceptions here. Gemma is a violent man. He mansplained to a lot of young trans women on the Trueselves forum in between threats to others and himself, and he physically threatened women at MWMF and Camp Trans. Fuck that guy.

Not to mention, did you see what I reposted yesterday about the vandalism at MWMF that finally shut down Camp Trans? Cliff notes: some trans women painted a trans lady with a dick and wrote some bullshit about how feminine the “hot load from their monster cock” was. Serious question time: how the fuck do trans women persist in thinking that they can “prove” they are women by acting like violent males? I didn’t understand this when I was 18, and I still don’t understand it at 40. But it’s twenty years later and this tactic has become an everyday occurrence.

Given this context, Kayley is being COMPLETELY dishonest with herself if she thinks for a second that she belongs at MWMF. It doesn’t matter that she’s one of the “good trans women” - there are a ton of sexual predators in our midst, and as a class trans women always side with sexual predators over their female victims. The ONLY reason I could imagine a trans woman attending MWMF is to act as a safeguard by keeping an eye on other trans woman attendees. Except that I have enough respect for the MWMF to handle that on their own, which is the way they want to handle it.

If Kayley wants to learn about lesbian history, she should read some books and take some Women’s studies classes, and make friends with some older lesbians in her community. If she wants to feel accepted as a woman, she should join a local feminist group, knitting circle, gardening club, etc. But by insisting that someone has taken away her “right” to be at MWMF, while ignoring the importance of MWMF as a healing space for women born female given the reality of male (including trans woman) violence, Kayley is simply participating in that male violence. Just like she did in the roller derby league.

Dear Kayley: you are acting like a macho asshole. Please stop calling yourself a lesbian and a feminist, and try actually listening to women who were born female. Signed, a trans woman who respects women born female.