Recent Comments
Re: “How beauty pageants view transwomen”
@ Reality Check, you are right. I think the term "transwoman" often de-genders women, as Tackalova says, "with a history." I try to stress that transwomen are always women, but that this prefixal category (or worse, as other comments here instance) is always shaping how the media represents "women with a history." That said, thank you for reminding us that ultimately these categories fail us.
Re: “Schooled by mackerels: Rachel Carson's curiosity”
@ Goaglen. Thank you, I never know how successful my pieces on environmental troubles really are. It is such a complicated issue, and so many strong and conflicting opinions in this country. My own angst tends to get in the way of desire to think freshly about these issues. I appreciate your view -- insightful.
Re: “Why a sex change is not extraordinary”
@ as400 -- but healing oneself is ordinary, and all life forms have inventive ways of doing so.
Re: “Why a sex change is not extraordinary”
@ Caroline Temmermand, Please feel free to reprint and use as you like. I hope that it can help encourage healthcare providers to treat trans-folks with dignity. Thank you for reading my opinions. Eva H.
Re: “Transgenderism and transsexualism are expressions of life-loving invention”
I appreciate your comment. Yes, I can see how it comes across as defensive. And perhaps this defensiveness comes from my own experience and a general frustration about news stories that use the word "trickery." I wanted to simply say that deceit is the wrong word -- we all intentionally and unintentionally deceive our lovers in sometimes small and significant ways. Yes, it is thorny, and everyone involved may feel confused, but I want to suggest that anxiety is also possibility and variety. Unfortunately for some transpeople, we encounter anxiety turned violence. For example, a disturbing number of transwomen are murder each year because their lover "discovered" they were a different kind of woman. All said, I will be more careful about absolutist claims. Thank You, EH.
Re: “Transgenderism and transsexualism are expressions of life-loving invention”
Ida, I agree with you. The terms of debate are already problematic. I wrote those couple of lines to unrest the assumptions people have about "disclosure," which is already a misnomer. Thank you for your smart comments.