response to Compliance is Gendered: Dean Spade
The Gay Agenda: Response to Compliance is Gendered
Dean Spade outlines the difficulties trans-gendered individuals have in advocating for their rights to safe spaces and gender inclusive policies. As most trans-gendered people experience some form of abuse and/or trauma, and are unwelcome in many high schools and street outreach programs, their disenfranchisement often turns into a vicious cycle of poverty. Although trans-gendered individuals are part of the LGBT community, there is a strong bias of LGBT political movements towards the empowerment of the wealthy gay individuals, and in turn the oppression of lower class trans-gendered community.
A critical intersectional analysis of the LGBT community reveals there are many layers of discrimination inclusive of race, gender, class and sexuality resulting in an unbalanced distribution of power. In our patriarchal society, the cis-gendered, white, wealthy, gay male holds the most power as this figure aligns most closely to the heteronormative hierarchy of power. This directly results in the agenda of said figure to become the forefront of the LGBT’s political movements. As trans-gendered people, who has consequently have limited access to education, opportunity or wealth are the most marginalized; their basic needs are not met or addressed in the LGBT community. Spade articulates the legal ramifications of the marginalization the transgendered community, “The debates about gender inclusion in the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) or the exclusion of gender identify protection from New York State’s Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) are only the most blatant examples of mainstream lesbian and gay movement’s lack of gender-transgressive populations,” (Spade, :23.1)
Further than just excluding the trans-gender community from access to LGBT support and funds, Ross argues the predominate wealthy, gay male agenda directly oppresses such communities. She draws upon the forced
Dean Spade outlines the difficulties trans-gendered individuals have in advocating for their rights to safe spaces and gender inclusive policies. As most trans-gendered people experience some form of abuse and/or trauma, and are unwelcome in many high schools and street outreach programs, their disenfranchisement often turns into a vicious cycle of poverty. Although trans-gendered individuals are part of the LGBT community, there is a strong bias of LGBT political movements towards the empowerment of the wealthy gay individuals, and in turn the oppression of lower class trans-gendered community.
A critical intersectional analysis of the LGBT community reveals there are many layers of discrimination inclusive of race, gender, class and sexuality resulting in an unbalanced distribution of power. In our patriarchal society, the cis-gendered, white, wealthy, gay male holds the most power as this figure aligns most closely to the heteronormative hierarchy of power. This directly results in the agenda of said figure to become the forefront of the LGBT’s political movements. As trans-gendered people, who has consequently have limited access to education, opportunity or wealth are the most marginalized; their basic needs are not met or addressed in the LGBT community. Spade articulates the legal ramifications of the marginalization the transgendered community, “The debates about gender inclusion in the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) or the exclusion of gender identify protection from New York State’s Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) are only the most blatant examples of mainstream lesbian and gay movement’s lack of gender-transgressive populations,” (Spade, :23.1)
Further than just excluding the trans-gender community from access to LGBT support and funds, Ross argues the predominate wealthy, gay male agenda directly oppresses such communities. She draws upon the forced