2 Times a Trans Man’s Opinion Was Dismissed Just Because He’s Trans
One happened to me. One happened to a more prominent trans person.
People sometimes ask for examples of how trans men are marginalized. I’ve got a couple examples of online comments that will begin to explain it.
One genre of comment is: But are you trans? This is sometimes said just after a trans person, implicitly or explicitly, identifies our own transness. It’s more of a comment than a question, as it means: Since you’re trans, your opinion about trans people doesn’t count. It conveys an aggressive non-listening stance.
Another genre is geared to delegitimize trans women and trans men in two separate ways. This type of comment is: Trans women are noisy, and trans men are silent. Meaning: I set my own agenda for whom I choose to harass. It so happens that I’m here to directly pick on trans women. If any trans men are present, I’ll indirectly pick on them by declaring that no one ever has or ever will hear anything they say, and hopefully their relevance will vanish.
Sure, these are “just” anonymous online comments. But it amounts to infantilization of trans men. This is one way trans men are told we don’t matter and can’t have adult opinions.
