Transgender activism extends well beyond the bathroom. Indeed, a few outspoken activists say that sexual preference itself is one more form of discrimination, and that if you like women but not trans “women,” you’re a cissexist (more on this later) and you need to be reeducated.
“I’m trying to show that preferences for women with vaginas over women with penises might be partially informed by the influence of a cissexist society,” declares YouTube star Riley J. Dennis, in a video entitled “Are genital preferences transphobic?” Spoiler alert: she thinks they are.
“Some people are making the argument that it’s not cissexist at all to only be attracted to people with one kind of genitals,” Dennis noted. “These people might argue that being attracted to only women with vaginas in no way negatively affects trans people,” but she said “it’s more complicated than that.”
What is “cissexism” (besides a serious tongue twister)? It is the prejudice for “cis” gender people over transgender people. Cisgender just means a person identifies with his or her biological sex, as opposed to becoming transgender and identifying with a separate gender identity.
According to activists like Dennis, the cissexism in American society is deeply ingrained into people, so that their sexual preference for women with vaginas or men with penises is not really a natural function of biology — it’s societal oppression, and people need to be reeducated against it.
Tellingly, she addresses the complaint that “I’m allowed to have my preferences!” Technically, this is correct, the YouTube star concedes. But that’s not the whole story.
“Ignoring the deeper issues by stopping at a surface-level analysis doesn’t do this issue any justice,” Dennis argues. “If we look a little deeper into this issue, there’s the possibility of your genital preferences being at least somewhat partially informed by growing up in a cissexist society.”
This transgender activist insists that genital preferences need to be deconstructed, to make sure they are not rooted in oppression. “Simply saying, ‘It’s my preference, end of discussion’ is a good way of sidelining all of those issues and instead centering the feelings of cis people in a discussion that’s about trans people.”
Beyond merely pushing a kind of sexual reeducation, Dennis’ arguments sound like a parody episode of The Twilight Zone. This transgender woman has to argue that she’s not “homophobic” or upholding “rape culture.”
Apparently, some have accused Dennis of being homophobic because it sounds like she is trying to change the sexual orientation of lesbians. Lesbian women tend to prefer women without penises, and Dennis frowns on this kind of preference. But she attacks lesbians who accuse her of sounding “like a dude who tried to turn them straight.”
You guessed it — her critics’ responses “are rooted in cissexism.” Dennis argues that she isn’t “telling lesbians they can’t be lesbians. If you’re a woman who only likes women, go ahead!” But, she cautions, “some women have penises. And if the fact that some lesbians might be attracted to those women offends you, it’s because you don’t think trans women are real women.”
If anyone even partially thinks that trans women are not real women, or acts on that idea by preferring women with vaginas over “women with penises,” they’re giving in to the horrible cultural evil of cissexism.
But Dennis does not stop at this. She also addresses complaints that her reeducation is “upholding rape culture.” This response “is probably the most cissexist one,” because “trans women have a long history of being accused of being rapists by cis women.”
The reason some people say she’s supporting “rape culture” is that Dennis is saying lesbians should be fine dating women with penises. But she insists that “you should never feel pressured to have sex with anybody.”
“This is NOT saying, ‘You have to have sex with a trans woman, or you’re cissexist,'” Dennis argues. Instead, “it’s saying that you should examine the societal influences on your preferences. There’s a massive difference between honing in on individual scenarios and considering wider societal issues and attitudes.”
As for why the “rape culture” argument is so damaging, the YouTube star says it perpetuates the “irrational” fear that men might masquerade as trans women in order to indulge their prurient desires. (By the way, this has happened multiple times across the country, notably at Target locations.)
“It’s the logic behind bathroom bills that prevent trans women from using the right bathroom,” Dennis claims. “Suggesting that trans women are rapists for wanting to be fully recognized as women is extremely harmful.” Real transgender people are not the ones violating women’s privacy, of course, and the “rape culture” response may indeed be misguided, based as it is in the idea that society encourages rape.
But Dennis’ fundamental point, that society is cissexist and that people need to be reeducated against preferring men with penises over “men with vaginas” or women with vaginas over “women with penises,” should be taken seriously. It may sound absurd, but it is the logical conclusion of enforcing the idea that Caitlyn Jenner is “stunning and brave” and that everyone should welcome transgender ideology.
This YouTube star argues that people are more than their genitals, and that is entirely true. But sexual preference, if it is based in biology, will always be “cissexist” by her definition. Friendships and romance are and should be based on more than this, of course, but men with penises and women with vaginas have been responsible for the continuation of the human race.
Transgenderism is a radical movement because it requires the rejection of genetics, tradition, and basic social common sense in order to accommodate the self-identities of a small minority. Naturally, these people have the same rights as everyone else, but that does not mean society has to reorganize itself to accommodate them.
Dennis’ arguments demonstrate that accepting transgenderism means more than just being nice to trans people. It involves reshaping each person’s mental approach to gender, and even sexuality. It means tampons in the men’s room, women being referred to as “they” so as not to accidentally misgender them, and it means calls for reeducation on genital preferences.
Welcome to the brave new world.
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