It’s that time of year again, when RuPaul’s show heads back to the cable, and the already high level of transphobic content on television spikes. So what better time than now to tackle this issue again?
RuPaul and others contend that the word "tranny" -- which I will now refer to as the "t slur" -- isn’t aimed at trans women, and therefore, he, as a cisgender, gay man, is welcome to use the term as he sees fit. He’s gone so far as to denounce those who have apologized for using the term. “It’s ridiculous! It’s ridiculous!” RuPaul told The Huffington Post’s Michelangelo Signorile in 2012. “I love the word ‘tr*nny.’"
Elsewhere in that same interview, RuPaul became exasperated when discussing the cancellation of the short-lived ABC sitcom Work It, a show that seemed on track to become the most transphobic piece of media to hit network TV. “We live in a culture where everyone is offended by everything,” he told The Huffington Post. “Everybody’s like, ‘Oh my god, I’m offended!’” He continues, “In my circle of friends, we mock everything! Everything is up to be mocked. Don’t take life too seriously... If you’re offended by a name that somebody calls you, or something, whatever, you gotta take that up with your therapist, kiddo.” And, in possibly the most ludicrous statement ever constructed, RuPaul said, “No one has ever said the word ‘tr*nny’ in a derogatory sense.”
Is that so? So when I sat in the only open seat on a crowded train in the months after coming out as transgender, when the woman next to me said into her phone, “Some fucking tr*nny just sat next to me” and decided to stand rather than remain next to me — that wasn’t her being derogatory? When a group of college kids called me a “tr*nny faggot” as I waited for a bus, triggering a panic attack that left me home sick from work for two days — that wasn’t them being derogatory? If only I knew that they meant it in a loving, happy way, oh, how things could have been different!
The fact of the matter, Ru, is that words do hurt, and when you continue to use words that are frequently used to dehumanize people like me, that are used as precursors for assault, after you’ve been informed how hurtful these words are, you’re no better than a racist who uses the “n word,” the homophobe who calls gay men “faggots,” or the misogynist who refers to his female coworkers as “bitches.”
“But Parker,” you ask. “Aren’t there bigger issues to worry about? What about the startlingly high rate of trans suicide attempts, or the number of homeless trans youth, or the number of trans women of color who find themselves the victims of physical violence? Why are you so hung up on a word? It’s just a word.” Well, my inner devil’s advocate, you’re absolutely right. Those are important issues, and addressing those should take precedence over whether I have a panic attack after being called the t slur. This isn’t about panic attacks, this is about the systemic dehumanization of trans people.
When someone is no longer treated as though they have a shred of humanity in them, they become easier to attack. It’s the same reason people often use the phrase “born a man” to describe trans women. When someone has a baby, finding “It’s a boy!” and “It’s a girl!” cards is no problem. I ask you to try to find a card that reads, “It’s a man!” You can’t. It’s for this reason that trans people are treated as though they never had the innocence brought on by childhood: it’s easier to attack someone if you don’t view them as ever having been “pure.” When it comes to morally justifying emotional and even physical attack, a man will always be easier to attack than a boy; a woman will always be easier to attack than a girl; a t slur will always be easier to attack than a human being.
When you use these words, and when you disregard the concerns that have been brought to you by both trans individuals themselves as well as organizations like GLAAD, you contribute to those larger problems: homelessness, violence, poverty, and more.
The new season of RuPaul's Drag Race could be used as a chance to change. Based on past comments — and there hasn't been anything said publicly since that Huffington Post interview — it doesn't seem likely. Miracles could happen, though, who knows.
In the meantime, RuPaul, you dehumanize us, and you teach the public that it’s OK to do the same. Once we’re no longer people, once we’re simply t slurs, it’s easy for society to toss us aside, to discriminate against us and beat us, to deny us care and send us to the streets.
I’m a human being, not a tr*nny. Knock it off.
RuPaul and others contend that the word "tranny" -- which I will now refer to as the "t slur" -- isn’t aimed at trans women, and therefore, he, as a cisgender, gay man, is welcome to use the term as he sees fit. He’s gone so far as to denounce those who have apologized for using the term. “It’s ridiculous! It’s ridiculous!” RuPaul told The Huffington Post’s Michelangelo Signorile in 2012. “I love the word ‘tr*nny.’"
Elsewhere in that same interview, RuPaul became exasperated when discussing the cancellation of the short-lived ABC sitcom Work It, a show that seemed on track to become the most transphobic piece of media to hit network TV. “We live in a culture where everyone is offended by everything,” he told The Huffington Post. “Everybody’s like, ‘Oh my god, I’m offended!’” He continues, “In my circle of friends, we mock everything! Everything is up to be mocked. Don’t take life too seriously... If you’re offended by a name that somebody calls you, or something, whatever, you gotta take that up with your therapist, kiddo.” And, in possibly the most ludicrous statement ever constructed, RuPaul said, “No one has ever said the word ‘tr*nny’ in a derogatory sense.”
Is that so? So when I sat in the only open seat on a crowded train in the months after coming out as transgender, when the woman next to me said into her phone, “Some fucking tr*nny just sat next to me” and decided to stand rather than remain next to me — that wasn’t her being derogatory? When a group of college kids called me a “tr*nny faggot” as I waited for a bus, triggering a panic attack that left me home sick from work for two days — that wasn’t them being derogatory? If only I knew that they meant it in a loving, happy way, oh, how things could have been different!
The fact of the matter, Ru, is that words do hurt, and when you continue to use words that are frequently used to dehumanize people like me, that are used as precursors for assault, after you’ve been informed how hurtful these words are, you’re no better than a racist who uses the “n word,” the homophobe who calls gay men “faggots,” or the misogynist who refers to his female coworkers as “bitches.”
“But Parker,” you ask. “Aren’t there bigger issues to worry about? What about the startlingly high rate of trans suicide attempts, or the number of homeless trans youth, or the number of trans women of color who find themselves the victims of physical violence? Why are you so hung up on a word? It’s just a word.” Well, my inner devil’s advocate, you’re absolutely right. Those are important issues, and addressing those should take precedence over whether I have a panic attack after being called the t slur. This isn’t about panic attacks, this is about the systemic dehumanization of trans people.
When someone is no longer treated as though they have a shred of humanity in them, they become easier to attack. It’s the same reason people often use the phrase “born a man” to describe trans women. When someone has a baby, finding “It’s a boy!” and “It’s a girl!” cards is no problem. I ask you to try to find a card that reads, “It’s a man!” You can’t. It’s for this reason that trans people are treated as though they never had the innocence brought on by childhood: it’s easier to attack someone if you don’t view them as ever having been “pure.” When it comes to morally justifying emotional and even physical attack, a man will always be easier to attack than a boy; a woman will always be easier to attack than a girl; a t slur will always be easier to attack than a human being.
When you use these words, and when you disregard the concerns that have been brought to you by both trans individuals themselves as well as organizations like GLAAD, you contribute to those larger problems: homelessness, violence, poverty, and more.
The new season of RuPaul's Drag Race could be used as a chance to change. Based on past comments — and there hasn't been anything said publicly since that Huffington Post interview — it doesn't seem likely. Miracles could happen, though, who knows.
In the meantime, RuPaul, you dehumanize us, and you teach the public that it’s OK to do the same. Once we’re no longer people, once we’re simply t slurs, it’s easy for society to toss us aside, to discriminate against us and beat us, to deny us care and send us to the streets.
I’m a human being, not a tr*nny. Knock it off.
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