The Damage Done

I read a column by a young transwomen who stated in her piece she dresses and acts like she wants to live her life but it's not as a "good" transwomen, meaning representative of women. She lives openly as a transwomen but is in the area between normally passing and not passing.

This means, as she stated, "survives" her transition as a (trans)women, the trans part being just the label other people attach to her because she wasn't born female and lives as a women. I don't know her and the photos of her suggest she gets through life and her transition, albeit probably with some issues and problems.

But that's not my point. My point is the idea of these women who openly, and in many cases as this women seems to say, live loudly as a transwomen. What does she and her openness do to other transwomen who are transitioning and don't want to be seen like her?

Does this women create an enviroment and set an example for other transwomen which openly invites problems for other transwomen? Where does personal presentation and expression overlap the presentation and expression of others who don't want the label?

The range of transwomen is diverse, as diverse as women, so there really isn't any consistent label which fits all of them, but there are so few open transwomen women that the diversity gets shrunk into fewer labels where many of the transwomen don't fit let alone want.

So do the actions of a few out, loud and proud transwomen who aren't necessarily normally let alone easily passable, damage the rest of transwomen who don't want to be seen as them?

If many people only see the extreme examples of transwomen, which is a small percentage of them, does it hurt the rest  as how the public thinks should see them?

Many of these transwomen also like to write about their life and personal experiences as a transwomen, like this woman, which increases the perspective others see for transwomen. But once written, is the damage done to others?

Or do these women really think their words are simply unintended consequences they don't have to accept responsibility if applied to others?

The transcommunity is something I have seen be more about individuals than others. There are a few good organizations and people, but there are far more individuals who are out for self-promotion and self-identity, and these women are often mistaken for the whole of transwomen.

So where does that leave a transwomen except to simply get through their transition and get on with their life as women? The answer is that this is what the vast majority do and don't touch the transcommunity let alone get involved.

And why the transcommunity more often than not doesn't represent those transwomen, they don't want the representation if it's like many in the transcommunity. They don't want the damage done to them by others.