So. What did they do right? I had to click on the article that shouted “Cheerleader Muzzled by Team” because it reminded me of learning about scold’s bridles in my Shakespeare class. I thought, what a fucking word choice Yahoo.  Well a young, white cheerleader was apparently accidentally tackled and then tweeted about it. This created fallout and her twitter account was deleted over it. A sports editor “goes to bat” for her, if you will, although in this case I have no idea what the sports analogy would be.

I realize that her being a white cheerleader is helping her case, but I am impressed and I will take small signs of improvement where I can get them. I admire her for declaring how tough she is compared to the man who knocked her over. The writer points out the double-standard with the cheerleaders public image:

The team allows cameras to record cheerleader auditions for a reality show on CMT. It’s alright when the team controls the message but not when a cheerleader begins to get a following and has the stage to herself?

While many commenters decry the grown men’s attitudes of being “like little boys” and needing to grow-up the bigger problem here is ignored. There is a huge imbalance between men and women in this culture. Women are objects to cheer on a team and must perform difficult, grueling routines that require a level of physicality that takes amazing dedication to achieve. They must do this all while barely dressed and knowing that the work they do is not even considered a sport. Cheerleaders are raped and abused and even forced to continue cheering for their rapists. It’s like an amplified microcosm of everything that’s wrong with how our society views women.

Pointing out the double standard is a tiny step, no just one toe, in the right direction.

I went over to the link and found the whole thing very interesting. I was proud to recognize some Rad Fem bloggers adding their voices to the discussion. In case of deletion (since the original question was deleted) I also took some screen shots. I’m just putting this one up for now because it links back to the issue of trans species, furries, otherkin and so on. While this poster is certainly taking a techno post-human approach to the question we can see where surgical modification leads in some people’s eyes.  (notice his ridiculous entitled screen name)

On stage Emilie Autumn and her back-up dancers perform in a mockery of Victorian virtues in corsets and socks with garters. I know showing the body is  typical for female musicians, but something happened. I looked at these women and the happy females around me and I felt suddenly good about my body in a way I never had before. I didn’t feel like our bodies were on display for men, but as a celebration of each other (as many audience members were also dressed in Victorian style clothes, corsets, etc). I realize that this might be problematic for some, but I will talk about that in an upcoming post. In any case the feeling about my body would be solidified by another event I attended later that year, but that’s a story for another time.

Instead, I will close with the lyrics to the first song off of EA’s next album. Some of her fanbase hate this song. They hate the lyrics and are accusing her of hating men. Sigh. Keep in mind that this song also refers to the end of a book she has written about female inmates in an insane asylum.

Lyrics to the first song on Emilie Autumn’s next album:

My heart is a weapon of war
My voice is my weapon of choice
An eye for an eye,
a heart for a heart,
a soul for a soul.
We fight for the dream,
we fight to the death,
we fight for control.

For there is no such thing as justice,
all the best that we can hope for is revenge:
A hostile takeover,
an absolute rebellion to the end.
This is our battle cry
I’m giving you a head start,
you’re going to need it,
’cause I fight like a girl
I’ll get my revenge on the world or a least 49% of the people in it
And if I wake up with blood on my hands,
well, I know that you’ll understand,
’cause I fight like a girl.

We are under attack
What is the body count? I’ve lost track
If nobody’s mentioned how this will end, then I’ll be the first
there are more of US than there are of YOU, so show me your worst

For there is no such thing as justice,
all the best that we can hope for is revenge:
A hostile takeover,
an absolute rebellion to the end.
This is our battle cry
I’m giving you a head start,
you’re going to need it,
’cause I fight like a girl
I’ll get my revenge on the world or a least 49% of the people in it
And if I wake up with blood on my hands,
well, I know that you’ll understand,
’cause I fight like a girl.

It’s so easy to kill,
this I learned by watching you
If I have to, I will,
it’s not pretty but it’s true
I am through lying still,
just a body to be
beaten, fucked, and if I’m lucky, left for dead,
so WHO’S scary now?

NO MERCY, it’s a bit too late,
we’re following NO RULES, NO CODE, just wait:
‘Cause if we’ve got no honor,
then we’ve got no shame,
if it’s in self-defense,
then we will take no blame

This is our battlecry
even if you’re only a boy,
you can
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL!

‘Cause I fight like a girl,
I’ll get my revenge on the world (or at least 49% of the people in it),
and if I end up with blood on my hands
Well, I know, that you’ll understand,
’cause I fight like a girl.

In the Freedom’s series a small group of people and humanoid cat creatures (oh goddess no, furries, fuck) are on a planet and must reproduce. It’s so dire and fucking important! Babies must happen! This should have been my first clue to stop reading, but I was 12! So, since the human female main character is partnered with a male cat creature she can’t get pregnant. His solution? He conspires with a human male to get her pregnant, even though she has explicitly stated she doesnt’ want to be pregnant. The human male gets her drunk, they have sex, and then once it’s over and she realizes what’s happened she’s like, oh em gee, lol! You boys are so right. I’m so glad. Actually, I think she was angry for a moment afterwards, but got over it once they mansplained how important babies were.

I immediately stopped reading. I knew what I had read was wrong even though the narrative tried to tell me it was right. I never read another McCaffrey book after that. I went on to read Clarke and Asimov novels that focused on cultures and technology instead of human relationships. I was even scared to read other female authors, worried that I would have to come across something like that again (although it’s just as likely, if not more with male authors).

McCaffrey is a product of our culture and internalized misogyny. She could have written amazing stories with strong women. Unfortunately from my research online the Pern books have the same sexist bullshit, rape, forced pregnancy, etc. How sickening. What’s worse McCaffrey worked with numerous female authors, women who should have a responsibility to write fiction that empowers and enlightens other women. Wikipedia states:

Up until 1990 McCaffrey co-authored more than 30 books: at least fifteen with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough; other fiction with Margaret Ball, Mercedes Lackey, Elizabeth Moon, Jody Lynn Nye, and S. M. Stirling; the non-fiction Diversity of Dragons with Richard Woods.During the last decade she and her middle child Todd McCaffrey collaborated to continue the history of Pern. As of June 2011, they had completed four Pern books jointly and Todd has authored three solo. Another collaborative sequel is expected in spring 2012.

Now her horrible son will go on to keep this bullshit alive and spread it around.

To combat this in the comments please recommend some feminist friendly science fiction and fantasy.

A fake surgeon who managed to evade police for a year has been charged for injecting a toxic concoction into the buttocks of a woman seeking a curvier figure.

Oneal Ron Morris, 30, has been charged with practicing medicine without a license with serious bodily injury. Authorities have found no phone listing for Morris.

Morris was arrested on Friday in Miami-Dade County and released on bond. Morris has been on the run for one year and has an arrest record in Hillsborough County that details three arrests between 2000 and 2002, once for trespassing and twice for grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Then I stumbled on radical feminist blogs and I began to read and read. Now the world has a new radical feminist who is committed to living out her beliefs and acting for change.  Part of that acting is clearly by blogging because women’s voices and observations will be silenced when put into someone else’s hands.

So, who is reading my blog? In these short weeks I have had thousands of people come here. Many were fixated on just one post in which I called out a man with a penis for claiming to be a lesbian women.

The point of this post is just to say that I am ever grateful to those women who are out there questioning men and highlighting what is going on.

And… I also wanted to share this next part:

The search terms for how people get here are very interesting. Clearly some men end up here thinking they will see porn. Hahahah. Go to hell.

One of the most common socially approved expressions of this universal Hate, is the continuing metaphor of women as animals, (ie not-human animals), chicks, cows, dogs, bunnies, and often presented as such in advertising, along with gender minstrel performance as a put-down, just as racial minstrel performance is.

Rainsinger is talking about language and the metaphor extends to a visual one as well.  As we well know women are dressed up as “sexy” animals for Halloween and for pornographic purposes. That’s not all I have to say about dressing up, however. The second part of the quote, the gender minstrel performance reminded me of not only the men who claim the label transgender and attempt to cosmetically dress and alter themselves to resemble a caricature of what a woman is, but also of this post about a man who wore a vinyl face mask to disguise himself and gain entry into the women’s bathroom for perverted, sexual reasons.

I had no idea masks like this existed. It even has attached breasts. If I saw someone with that on in a woman’s bathroom I’d be traumatized for life. Click on the thumbnails for the full horror show.

While I did not know about men donning these creepy face masks I do know a lot about other costumes men wear to engage in a sexual fetish and to try to hide/change their identity. That would be the Furry Fandom. Furries are obsessed with anthropomorphised animals.

Furries are largely comprised of men who identify sexually as gay or bi-sexual. Fursuits are costumes that can range from a tail and ears with make-up to fully articulate mascot style suits. Often these suits have strategic holes for penetration while still in the suit. Aside from wearing fur suits at conventions many furries wear them at home and live out the furry lifestyle full time. This includes posting on forums and sites like Deviant Art. I have seen fursuiters at anime conventions and while I’m sure some have a sincere love of crafting and self-expression there is a dark side as well.

So what does this have to do with transgender? Obviously a group made up mostly of men are dressing up as something they are not and using this to try create a new identity. Fursuits might not be problematic on their own, but we find a connection between the concept of women equated with non-human animals and male minstrels when the transgender community comes on the scene.

For example behold this creature known as Bitch. I’m not kidding. The person in the costume is a man to trans.

I blacked out the “eyes” to protect “her” identity. LOL!

Can we say fetish? Can we say false, horrible concept of what a woman is? There are many male fursuiters out there masquerading as a woman out of the suit and then as a female animal in the suit.

That’s not all! Furry art takes on the transgender theme with a vengeance. There’s art of anthromorphised male animals cross-dressing and transgender animals as well. One popular trope is that of the instant “sex change”. Below is a picture that is fairly representative of the style and quality of art that gets posted on Furry forums, deviant art, etc.

Here’s the verbatim quote that goes with this piece of “art”.

“Try new ‘Fox Juice’ Purple Berry flavor (Not grape by the way)!

We found a mysterious breed of berry that were apparently used by an ancient civilization for cheap and effective female sex changes for the men or easy body enhancements for the women.

I find the last part of that quote very telling. In the drawing you can see a human male is transforming into a “female” fox in an instant after drinking this juice.

This quote is from this disturbing documentary about pornography (click here). It only has 45 views, but I hope more have seen it than that indicates. Maybe from other links or DVD? I am glad Dworkin discusses the issue of pornography as it relates to black women. I got the link for this from Radical ProFeminist.

To me the most important part of this quote is the first part. I’m not discounting the problem of pornography when I say that. What struck me was that something happened because women came forward and told their stories. We must do this. And when women come to us, we must take seriously what they say. Internalized misogyny tells us to ignore and hate other women. It tells us women are only “seeking attention” as if trying to get attention or help was intrinsically bad. No! That is a symptom of how fucked up our society is: the very length women have to go to be heard or receive attention.

We have to listen to women. Those who are born female and assigned so at birth. Realizing this has changed my life. Nothing is more important.  I do want to address the issue of pornography, but I will do that in a different post.

From the same documentary:

“I like direct action politics. I like confrontational speech. I like being direct….I don’t think we are going to get anywhere by begging men to be nicer to us” Dworkin.

“There are many threats of attack for speaking” Dworkin

How does the Transgender, Trans Species, Otherkin, and Therian fit together in the real world? Do these groups want the same thing? Yes. They DEMAND that other people not just live and let live, but believe them, approve of them, and treat them accordingly. Oh Tumblr, why do I even bother with you? This is why, to find out the disturbing trends infecting my generation:

Doesn’t this all sound familiar? In the post below this I already talked about how this coincides with transgender, so let’s look for some examples of that from a forum:

This post is met with responses of yes. Notice that like the trans the Otherkin locates the dysphoria in childhood. This is used to validate it. Frankly I cannot understand how someone could remain so stagnant and not change from childhood. I think it’s indicative of a lot of problems. I still love some of the things I did as a child, like science fiction and video games, but the point of life is growing, changing and learning through self-examination. This seems to have been lost with the glorification of childhood and the smothering presence of helicopter parents.  I digress. Let’s see if anyone else posts anything relevant to radical feminism’s discussion of the trans machine?

:

This woman identifies herself not as a woman, but as a cisgendered wolfgirl. Women are classically equated with the body and the animals in nature that men trample on and destroy. She’s not just a wolf, but a girl. A child. She has accepted the naming of herself from another source, trans, who have no right to call the female sex cisgendered. Disgusting.

Finally, let’s go back to Tumblr and see what else is going on in that discussion:

Wow. Can we even FUCKING believe the logic fail of this person. First, they say “Otherkin is not a spiritual identity”. O RLY? Then they fucking compare it to ANOTHER spiritual identity and one that has nothing to do with the physical body in the same sense that transgender or trans species does. It is also not a good analogy as Christians, Jews and other religious adherents are openly mocked and criticized in our culture from t-shirts and bumper stickers to books and college courses exposing the history of these groups. What a complete fool and a completely inaccurate use of the term straw man. It’s not a straw man. Otherkin have a SPIRITUAL belief that they have been INCARNATED into the wrong body. Guess what, reincarnation is not a scientific theory. It’s a fucking religous belief. Dragons, fairies, elves, mermaids do not exist. If you think you are one there is no biological basis for that. There is nothing. Those creatures are part of archetypal mythology.

However, speaking of Straw Men.  You guessed it. I feel very crunchy and stuffed inside…..

Yes. I was introduced to the world of Therians, Otherkins, and Trans Species through a friend in high school who was into anime much like myself (unlike me this person was a closeted furry). This man believed that he was a female dragon in a past life and was an Otherkin. Here let’s look at this quote form Otherkin.net

Transgendered people feel they were born into a body of the wrong gender. Trans-spirited otherkin usually feel they were born into (or are residing within) a body of the wrong species. Like someone played a collosal joke upon them at conception and they were put into a body of the wrong species. Someone swapped planets on them when they weren’t paying enough attention at the incarnation office. Trans-specied individuals could be differentiated from many reincarnates in that just because someone may feel they incarnated in a different form in this existence, it doesn’t automatically mean they feel “wrong” about being physically human. Some Otherkin handle their displacement better than others, but having a community of understanding friends can be helpful.

When my high school friend sent me some links over xanga I initially thought that this was a form of fan fiction or online role playing. Soon it became clear that some of these people really believed this. In the years since I’ve finished high school and college I mostly forget about Otherkin. I did meet another dude in college who believed he was a female dark elf (and also a human woman). So I forget about all of this until I started reading radical feminist blogs and my memory was jogged. So I decided to see if there was a connection between being “transgender” and Otherkin, Therian, or Trans Species.

As the above quote from Otherkin.net shows there is a connection and it appears to be a strong one. Some of these people might be Furries and dress up in animal costumes in the same way transvestites dress up as women. They are performing what they think the role is and using it to live out their fantasies. Like transvestites for many Furries furdom is a sexual fetish, but before this becomes a different post, let me return to the Otherkin and their ilk.

Otherkin believe that they are mythological creatures. So here we have a quote from this essay about being a dragon which compares that to transgender:

What is a “Real Dragon”? What does Tser mean when she says she’s “trans-speciesed”?

A Real Dragon usually refers to someone who is, though appearances may be decieving, a Dragon rather than a human. They may be a Dragon in heart, mind, spirit, soul — even body. Your boss or your daughter might be a Dragon. People of all different religions and cultures may be Dragons. Usually I just refer to this as being a Dragon… “Real” is just added for clarification when people say “Dragons don’t exist.” Real Dragons often refer to themselves as Otherkin, and this is a more common term for the state of being trans-speciesed.

Radical feminist bloggers really woke me up and shocked me. They made me rethink my positions, question myself and then I saw what I believed unravel. It’s like the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. You peek in, wonder what’s going on and then you start falling. So how deep does this rabbit hole go?

Wikipedia’s page on Otherkin links to Species Dysphoria and says this:

The psychological community has not officially proposed any treatment for species dysphoria, as it has never been officially defined.

A group called the Equine Dream Foundation was formed to investigate the possibilities of species transformation, calling for morphological freedom for all.

You cannot even make this shit up. And what does the Species Dysphoria page link to? You fucking guessed it. GENDER DYSPHORIA.