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https://chican3ry.medium.com/some-thoughts-about-ongoing-trans-genocide-narratives-43d7152c6e3>
"Genocide is a terrifying prospect. Fascism and totalitarianism are very real
risks of escalating conflict for which it is important that we as a society
remain vigilant. Over the last year or two there has been an increase in alarm
raising over an impending “trans genocide” with varying degrees of evidence and
a drive to try to stop this.
This discussion has been progressing over a longer time line and two years ago
I was still arguing clearly that we should be avoiding the use of the word
“genocide” when the framework of “eugenics” is much more applicable to the
ideology and practice of the vast majority of suppression of trans identities,
human rights and transition practices in society outside of more totalitarian
state interventions. I have started to revise this position as of last year,
when a wave of literally hundreds of pieces of legislation crashed across
America trying to legislate trans people out of public life altogether. This
shift is something which qualitatively changes the dynamic from the mere
repudiation, neglect and passive suppression of trans life which we have been
accustomed to for decades to actively developing the foundations for trans
purges. It is something which has led other states in the USA to pass
“sanctuary” laws in response to allow refuge for those who are effectively
criminalised for being trans or supporting trans lives.
I should add, I am not a genocide scholar and I note that the rhetorical
environment around this has been charged by accusations from much more
qualified individuals that the gender critical movement more widely espouses a
genocidal ideology. While the Lemkin Institute is a young organisation and
shouldn’t be confused with the more established Lemkin Seminar series held
annually in the former Auschwitz concentration camp, their founding team
includes academics like Elisa von Joeden-Forgey PhD, who is a professor of
Holocaust and Genocide studies, contributed a chapter to the Oxford Handbook on
Genocide, and is an expert researcher in gender issues and genocide. While the
LI have been an early outlier among genocide research bodies describing the
genocidal intent of the “Gender Critical” movement, they are nevertheless not
easily dismissed.
In this essay I’m going to explore from a more pragmatic perspective as a
researcher and advocate trying to intervene against organised harm targeting
trans people, some ways that an exclusive focus on the “Trans Genocide”
narrative can perhaps create problems for those of us working to reduce very
real threats and incidents of harm and violence targeting us."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
