Day 4: School is in session! Educate yourself on trans issues

(I decided to number my NaBloPoMo posts. I'm trying it out as a motivational tool. Or something.)

I spent way too much time today playing with other things (adding linky-links to the first three posts -- yes, it took me that long) and now it's almost 10:30, which is Criss's Completely Not Realistic Desired Bedtime. I have a couple of heavy topics I want and need to blog about, but I don't want to start any of them this late at night, when I'm already sleepy.

Luckily, I stumbled across this on Twitter.

I think I started following @nueva_voz from a Tweetchat on women of color. I liked what she said on that subject, and soon I found out she's a proud trans woman. In my limited world view, I had never met an "out" trans person before (is that the right term? I hope so...), and in my limited, priviledged thought process I had not ever thought about those women, or men, and how things I take so absolutely for granted can be life-threatening to them.

I've stuck my priviledged foot in my mouth (and this is a very candy-coated, understated way of phrasing it) several times, but @nueva_voz, and other amazing trans ladies I've met through her Twitter feed (I would link to them but I kind of feel that might be an invasion of privacy, me listing them as trans women here without their permission, and also some I'm not sure if they're trans or just solid allies), have been patient with me and helped me learn. They have taken the time to call me out when I've screwed up, and taught me how and why I've screwed up -- even though it's not their job, as the oppressed, to teach me, the oppressor (yes, as a cis woman, especially as a feminist, I am a member of the group that has, sadly, oppressed and attacked trans women).

So, all that rambling was supposed to be a quick introduction to the formspring question @nueva_voz answered tonight. The question: Advice for prochoice cis feminists? What should we be reading to educate ourselves on trans women's issues?

Did you click the link yet? Why not? Read her answer! Because it's useful, and detailed, and helpful. And it wasn't her job to do all that work for us cis fems.

Now, just because I like you, I'll do part of the work for you. See how nice I am?

If you call in the next five minutes, I will give you, absolutely free, the link to Questioning Transphobia. Call now!!!

(If you want to order Julia Serano's WHIPPING GIRL, you're going to have to go here to read about it, or look for it at your favorite indie bookstore. I don't like you enough to buy it for you.)

And I think this "short" blog post is long enough now. You have your reading assignments, get to it!