Transgender and Stealth

Monday, June 26, 2006

Following upon yesterday's BLOG, I would like to explore the issue of Transgender Stralth a bit further. This has been a fairly hot topic amongst one of my newsgroups. The debate seems to focus on the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the advisability, of a stealthy approach to being transgender. One facet of this is the compromise position of "compartmentalization" and represents one potential solution.

The overwhelming opinion seems to be that there is far too much divisiveness in the GLBT Community generally and the Transgender community particularly. The dissension between heterosexual cross dressers, gender queer, drag queens, pre-op transexuals,post-op transexuals, et al. is palpable and serves only to alienate one from the other. It is not only inappropriate and judgmental to set standard for others, but it enables an elitist mindset that is counterproductive to any progress our community stands to make.

The "elitist replacement" syndrome is as old as the hills...as one group gains "acceptance"...the next group to seek equal rights is marginalized by its predecessor. This self defeating stance will kill any hope towards attaining equal rights for the GLBT community.

On either side of the compromise position are the two extremes of full time stealth and full time "out".

The position of the full time stealthers is that they are not willing to jeopardize employment, family and friends.The biggie is the job. The variable is something the TG community has come to call "passability". The more one is able to "pass" in the chosen gender presentation,the easier it is to choose stealth. Those who are unable to "pass" are relegated to either remaining closeted or dealing with the ramifications of openess. Choosing to live in stealth, to some, is significant because of the perceived, or real, survival issues.

The position of the full time "out" proponents is that change will be more difficult, if not impossible, to achieve were we all to live stealthy existences. They maintain that a responsibility to the community necessitates abandoning the stealth option.

The truth is, as is often the case, that there are valid considerations for both of these points of view. Yes...the more open we are, the greater the chance that we can effect change. There is strength in numbers and letting people get to know us as individuals helps to establish a sense of commonality. But, the choice is up to the individual and anyone who assumes the elitist position that anyone who is NOT open is a liability to our community perpetuates an exclusionary policy that is no better than the societal marginalization we are currently experiencing.


Compromise is the magic formula. The trick is to refrain from imposing one's standards and values upon another. We are, each and every one of us, masters of our own lives. We aspire to an age of personal responsiblity and this means allowing others who reach whatever decisions they embrace to pursue that in an atmosphere of freedom.

In the immortal words of Rodney King, and recently reiterated by my friend Joney,

"Can't we all just get along?"

trickster108