to join (yourself) with another person, group, etc., in order to get or give support

Ever since my roommate brought her TV to our apartment we've begun a nightly ritual. At 10pm we turn on Comedy Central for the Daily Show and watch straight on through the Colbert Report and @Midnight. I've never before followed this weekday lineup, but it's quickly becoming something I look forward to. We all have our favorite parts, and I'm definitely partial to the interviews (though the puns are a very close second ^.^). This past Tuesday, Stephen Colbert interviewed Janet Mock, an advocate for trans women and author of the New York Times bestseller  Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More. Watching the interview, I immediately began composing a PfP blog post about the effect of satire on social justice education. While this topic is hasn't gotten any less interesting, researching Janet Mock brought up feelings on allyship that were much more immediate. (I encourage everyone to watch the Colbert interview anyway here).

Before Ms. Mock was on the Colbert Report she appeared in two controversial segments on Piers Morgan Tonight. The first segment can be seen here where she was interviewed about her memoir and her life as a trans woman. In the interview Piers Morgan repeatedly mentioned that she "was born a boy" and focused most of the interview on the experience of her transition. Portraying to Mr. Morgan that everything went well in the studio, Ms. Mock later used twitter to express her disappointment of the sensationalist treatment of her story and of Morgan's misgendering her. With Mock's tweet came a torrent of backlash against Morgan from her supporters. Piers Morgan fought back, also via twitter, and eventually invited her back to the show. 

"Come back on my show again tonight @janetmock and let's debate my supposed 'offensiveness' live on air."

Rather than pointing fingers at who was right and who was wrong, this second segment is what I really want to talk about. Piers Morgan starts the interview by defending himself, citing his support for "gay rights, gay marriage rights, and transgender rights" and asks Janet Mock to explain "why I've had to go through this" ("this" being the twitter "abuse"). And then he proceeds to defend himself for another minute and a half (an extraordinary amount of time in the 8 second sound bite world of TV) before he lets her answer. The rest of the interview goes downhill from there. It's obvious that Morgan is way more interested in defending his position than listening to Mock, repeating the same statements again and again regardless of what Janet Mock is actually saying. This tweet of his nicely summarizes his portion of the interview: 

"As for all the enraged transgender supporters, look at how STUPID you're being. I'm on your side, you dimwits. @janetmock"

Ever since I started my social justice journey I've learned about taking up space. I've learned that to be an ally to any community is to let that community speak for themselves. They get to define their goals, their needs, and their direction because these are choices that will affect their lives, not yours. I've learned that to be a good ally is to listen and to watch the amount of space you're taking up. I've always loved the idea of listening; I tend to be a quiet person that likes to collect different perspectives and I would think that the most pertinent perspectives in being an ally are those for whom you are showing support. After all, they're the ones who either feel supported by you or don't. 

Now, I understand that everyone makes mistakes, and it's important to accept those mistakes with grace. What could have been a teachable moment ended in a verbal sparing match that was very difficult to watch. Honestly, what struck me most about the interview was Morgan's insecurity. He was so worried about his reputation as an ally that he let his relationship with the transgender community deteriorate. In other words, he was so worried about losing his 'ally card' that he embodied the exact opposite of what an ally represents, or as Merriam Webster defines, "to join (yourself) with another person, group, etc., in order to get or give support".   

To read up on Janet Mock and her work here is a link to her website.

To my fellow Trans* people of color,

                You are brilliant, beautiful, and incredible.  Not that you need to be reminded, just that it’s not a message we get a lot and I want to add it to the world as often as I can.

                And I think you can help me with that.  See, thirty years ago Audre Lorde wrote that poetry is not a luxury in an essay that outlined the importance of writing in our daily lives.  You should look it up, like all of her writing.  I guarantee you’ll love it, because few writers or activists have shown the sheer love in their work and ideology that Lorde has.  Anyway, her point was that we must create and find beauty in our daily lives, even in the most mundane aspects.  This is something we as Trans* people of color need to do both as a community and as individuals.

                We need to begin to define who we are if we are going to organize and move ourselves forward, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by writing poetry.  Creating and performing poetry is possibly the most basic way of creating a united community that has existed for as long as human beings have, and contributes to the development of a culture and a shared identity.  Take a moment and think about how our writing—your writing—could shape TPOC culture and consciousness.  While we have a history,  a long and powerful one, the writings that are most influential, those from the Seventies and Nineties are in many aspects as removed from our lives as the white, straight, cis narratives that pervade this country’s culture today.  There is an undeniable need for something that defines us now, in a time when the world is constantly changing and being redefined.  

Also, I know that in my own case I need a vent for all the frustration and the fury I feel when I confront oppression, in any way I might be doing it.  Poetry can be a creative outlet for that, and can give us, a group of people who are never given the opportunity to speak for themselves, a powerful voice.  Only we can outline the full extent of our experiences, and we need to do so.  Not for others, not for the media that has misrepresented us or the communities that have marginalized us, but for ourselves.  For those of us who are just beginning their journey as a Trans* person, and for those of us who are isolated from a welcoming space.

                Even more than expressing all the rage we must stifle in our daily lives, we must show our beauty.  To portray the inner and outer beauty of our community is one of the most revolutionary things we can do, and one of the most fundamental for us to create a strong community.  Nothing remotely close to this exists, certainly not as a cohesive consciousness toward writing.  There are some poems online and in Trans* history, but these things are few and scattered.  That leaves it to us to add to this body of work and to make a space for our community to thrive and create spiritually and emotionally.  These writings can be our love note to one another in a world that has no positive messages for us, they can counter every stereotype, every internalized bit of transphobia, and replace them with strength and self-confidence.

Our words can and will carry power that no one has ever seen before, they can create bonds between us that will never be broken.  In my life I know that loneliness and a sense of alienation were some of the biggest struggles I faced, and I know that this is the case for many Trans* people.  I firmly believe that when we begin to represent ourselves, when we work to find one another, this situation will end and the TPOC movement will finally begin.   

                 Todo mi amor,

Sam Andazola

Look What I Found On T.V.

So as I was channel-surfing last weekend I came across a little show on VH1. Normally this channel is beyond my surfing range mainly because it's in the 70's and I don't go above 69. But I decided to venture beyond the safe channels I'm so used to, and I'm glad I did.

The show is called "TRANSform Me". It's basically "Queer Eye, for the Straight Guy", but with Transwomen helping women. I have to say I was a little excited to see it, and I watched the episode. It's a relatively short program, only 30 minutes.

The cast members are all transwomen. Two of the three are women of color. This show is a little gift and while I'm not a fan of make-over shows, I think I'll be watching this one. If for nothing else than to show support for my community out there making a living, even on T.V.

I was talking about this with one of my friends, earlier this week and she made an interesting point. Though it's great news that this show exists (Yeah, for the trans!), it follows a stereotype trend started by "Queer Eye". Let's face it you'll never see a show with lesbians giving make-overs.

Still, I'm a fan and I approve of the idea of the show: Transwomen are just as capable of being fashionable and glamourous as any gay man or cis-woman.

If you want to check it out here is the show's website:

http://www.vh1.com/shows/transform_me/series.jhtml