Privilege

Occasionally I find and read an entry on a blog by a in-transition woman, sometimes a post-transition one which escapes me why a post-transition woman talks about anything trans or related to transpeople, about passing privilege.

And it's clear these women are almost if not completely female in appearance and voice if they have a YouTube channel. What bothers me is that they refute they have "passing privilege" and talk about how hard they've worked to be who they are to get through public life as women.

I don't doubt that and I think it's cool they are within the normal range of women for their body, face and voice. I do think, however, they're misguided to say it's not a privilege when there are so many transwomen who barely pass some of the time, if at all.

They say to passing is self-confidence, which I can't disagree, but there are limits when you're not immediately seen as a woman no matter how hard you try, even more than those above who do work hard and pass with relative ease.

And that's my point, it's not about how hard you work, it's about where you start. Being gifted to be more naturally passable as a woman goes far more and longer than if you don't pass. You can improve if you pass but you can't improve if you don't.

That's because the body, face and voice just isn't there to be passable, sometimes even with surgery. They can't win acceptance without being themselves and hope people are nice and kind or at least don't point them out or worse.

What the blogger I read doesn't realize, the privilege is about being invisible versus visible, or worse being obvious not a woman no matter how hard you try. Privilege is about being invisible even when you don't try because you can.

Maybe this blogger and others should try being visible or more so obvious not passing and see how it feels. Then talk about privilege.