The RuPaul Drag T*Word Controversy

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Rupaul also recently defended his right to use the T word in an interview stating that he has used the word based on Transexualism.

CCB,

My understanding is that RuPaul does not identify as a woman, but rather as a gay man/male who performs drag (which he places under the umbrella of transgender. He doesn't care of someone calls him she...well, I would suspect not since usually when drag queens are dressed they refer to themselves as she). Have you read that he identifies as transsexual? According to Medusa's post that is what he means when he uses the term "tranny".

Although it may read differently, I actually don't have a lot of passion around this, but I think that things are pretty darn clear here. He says he uses the term tranny as slang for transexuals. My understanding is that most transexuals have issue with that term.

I am really having a hard time understanding why you are ok with a person outside of a minority group (transexuals) using a term that is perjorative in nature and is seen as a slur by the majority of the group.

[candy_coated_bitch]

Quote from RuPaul's Twitter: "I’ve been a “tranny” for 32 years. The word “tranny” has never just meant transsexual. #TransvestiteHerstoryLesson"

As I said before--the word tranny has a long history and Drag Queens and transvestites have been a part of that history. THAT's why I am ok with it.

This is the article where I got the quote: http://www.salon.com/2014/05/27/rupa...e_term_tranny/

I have not seen what Medusa referred to as RuPaul stating that the word "tranny" means just transsexual. Actually, I've read the opposite, as the above suggests. In the above quote he says the opposite. That tranny is part of his/her LIVED EXPERIENCE. Everything I have read suggests that RuPaul identifies with the word. I don't think one has to identify as a woman to identify as gender variant or as a tranny. That word has DECADES and DECADES of history--and yes much of it is in the context of tranvestites and queens. I am absolutely ok with someone that has that lived experience to use that word. I am ok with the people I know who are NOT transsexual women using the word tranny, if they relate to that experience.

I understand the word is offensive to many, I understand it is used as a weapon against trans women all the time. But I still stand by the right of anyone who identifies with a word to reclaim it and use it all they want. The word tranny existed before trans women even existed in the way we conceive of it in queer culture today. So, no--I don't think trans women own the word. If one looks at the etymology of the word it came into use mainly around Drag Queens and transvestites.

Do you really think RuPaul has not experienced considerable backlash for being who he is? For being a Drag Queen? I imagine the word tranny has been leveled at her MANY times.

I get that words like this can be violent and used as weapons. And I am not going to sit here and defend the right of just ANYONE to use the word tranny. However, I will defend RuPaul's right to use it. I imagine many don't agree with me and that's ok.

[Medusa]

And I'll further clarify that I was paraphrasing what I read and definitely could have misquotes Rupaul. From what I remember, he has never said he was "just" Transexual or "just" anything. I do remember that Rupaul has talked extensively about drag as performance (and not necessarily in those terms but the flavor of it).

I've always read and observed Rupaul (and yes, giving homage to the packaged value of what he and his managers present) as extremely body, gender, and self positive. I've appreciated Rupaul as one of the most visible Drag Queens in the world who has always appeared to handle racist and gender-phobic comments from his detractors with class and dignity. In short, I think Rupaul is pretty fucking fabulous.

Language is a tricky thing. Like, I love to identify myself as a fatass. A Dyke. A Faggot. A Honky. A Cunt.

I know several of those words make other people really uncomfortable. I've even had other people who don't fall into any of those categories tell me that I shouldn't use those words to describe myself because it makes them uncomfortable.

So here's where I get hung up. I've also had people who DO fall into those categories with me tell me that I'm "upholding the Patriarchy by calling myself a cunt" or "supporting racism by calling myself a Honky" or "exercising Fatphobia by calling myself a fatass" or "being Lesbianphobic by calling myself a Dyke" or "being Homophobic by calling myself a faggot".

And maybe all of those things are true.

Until they're not.

Can a fat, white, queer woman really be fat phobic, racist, Lesbianphobic, and Homophobic? Sure.

But that's only until I am speaking about myself and my own experiences by reclaiming language of a category that I fall into.

My views on language have changed a lot in the last few years. Hell, my views on what marginalizes and disempowers has changed a lot in the last few years. It might change again.

Right now, today, I feel like I get to describe myself howeverthefuck I want to describe myself. (caveat, caveat, caveat)

And, in large, I feel like Rupaul does too.

Now, caveat the fuck out of all of that by adding that Rupaul clearly has a responsibility to his community and the use of the T-word. I think if he wants to be accessible to Transfolks that he needs to listen to the concerns of the folks telling him that the use of the T-word hurts them. Whether or not he actually chooses to do anything about it might be up for discussion.

I also recently read that Heklina of the Bay area show "Trannyshack" will be changing the name of the show and even that has been drawing some severe criticism on both sides. Some folks arguing that she shouldn't "give in to the bullying of the word police" (or something to that effect) and some arguing that "she's only changing it because people are breathing down her neck". So basically, she's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't and hopefully, in the end, she'll do what her heart tells her is right.

Which leads me to ask folks this: Does the performance of art or the use of offensive terminology in artistic performances change your views at all about what words are allowed or not?

[candy_coated_bitch]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Now, caveat the fuck out of all of that by adding that Rupaul clearly has a responsibility to his community and the use of the T-word. I think if he wants to be accessible to Transfolks that he needs to listen to the concerns of the folks telling him that the use of the T-word hurts them. Whether or not he actually chooses to do anything about it might be up for discussion.

<snip> My response: I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a second. DOES RuPaul really have a responsibility to his community regarding whether or not he calls himself a tranny? Even if publicly? Do you feel you owe a responsibility to your community (whatever that may be) when you call yourself a dyke or a faggot or a honky or a fatass or a cunt? I feel very similarly to you when it comes to reclaimed language and my right to call myself pretty much anything I want.

I think RuPaul is being pretty in your face with his responses to this issue, and I actually think it's a good thing that he is pushing the envelope. I think he is being deliberate. RuPaul isn't an activist he's a performer, an artist, an entertainer. I'm not sure he is obligated to be ANYTHING just by virtue of being famous.

With that being said--I also don't think the other side of the argument shouldn't be heard, or that transwomen shouldn't be listened to when they talk about their feelings regarding the word tranny. That shit is real. However, should this mean someone should stop doing what they are doing because it hurts others? /end response

Which leads me to ask folks this: Does the performance of art or the use of offensive terminology in artistic performances change your views at all about what words are allowed or not?

My response: For me, yes it does. I will state up front that I am a pretty in your face kind of person, I see the value in pushing the envelope, and I believe that when something makes people uncomfortable it's an opportunity for growth an understanding. I LOVE art that challenges me, and I strive to be that sort of artist. I think if there is some purpose in using a word generally seen as offensive in a work of art, be it performance art or otherwise--I am not against that. But as in all things, there are lines. I am not the arbiter of where that line is--but I know for me what comes across as brilliant and challenging as opposed to gratuitous. It also depends on the artist, the intended audience, the situation. And generally a matter of taste.

...........

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by candy_coated_bitch

....My response: I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a second. DOES RuPaul really have a responsibility to his community regarding whether or not he calls himself a tranny? Even if publicly? Do you feel you owe a responsibility to your community (whatever that may be) when you call yourself a dyke or a faggot or a honky or a fatass or a cunt? I feel very similarly to you when it comes to reclaimed language and my right to call myself pretty much anything I want.
......

CCB!

I think there is an implied responsibility with any kind of "fame" and maybe it's fair and maybe it isn't. I'd like to think that people get to be famous and still get to be themselves without society putting a bunch of bullshit expectations on them but I think more often than not people *do* have expectations of anyone with any level of visibility.

It almost seems like we (the general) hold people with visibility up to this weird standard of "You now have power so you must go forth and represent". And that can be a really good thing (Laverne Cox on the cover of Time this week!!) and a really shitty thing (Miley Cyrus is "crazy" and a "whore" because she dares do what the fuck she wants with appropriate caveats to the fact that her fame machine is driving the boat).

Today I'm wondering what the solution would be. To completely erase the use of the T-word for any and everyone or to step back and observe the people who use it and decide whether or not we agree with it for ourselves (meaning whether or not we give them our time, attention, or money)?

And I'm falling in line with Honeybarbara here as far as looking at the ridiculousness of me even having an opinion around the use of the word when I'm not Trans.

But that's the way the world works. We're always looking at what other people say and do and always having opinions on it. It's almost exhausting.

a

[candy_coated_bitch]

Originally Posted by Medusa

CCB!

I think there is an implied responsibility with any kind of "fame" and maybe it's fair and maybe it isn't. I'd like to think that people get to be famous and still get to be themselves without society putting a bunch of bullshit expectations on them but I think more often than not people *do* have expectations of anyone with any level of visibility.

It almost seems like we (the general) hold people with visibility up to this weird standard of "You now have power so you must go forth and represent". And that can be a really good thing (Laverne Cox on the cover of Time this week!!) and a really shitty thing (Miley Cyrus is "crazy" and a "whore" because she dares do what the fuck she wants with appropriate caveats to the fact that her fame machine is driving the boat).

Today I'm wondering what the solution would be. To completely erase the use of the T-word for any and everyone or to step back and observe the people who use it and decide whether or not we agree with it for ourselves (meaning whether or not we give them our time, attention, or money)?

And I'm falling in line with Honeybarbara here as far as looking at the ridiculousness of me even having an opinion around the use of the word when I'm not Trans.

But that's the way the world works. We're always looking at what other people say and do and always having opinions on it. It's almost exhausting.

a

I don't believe there is any "implied" responsibility that comes with fame. Frankly, most celebrities just act like idiots and we (as a culture) eat that shit up. We have celebrities that are pretty much famous FOR being idiots. I don't see why queer folks need to be ambassadors to the world just because they are queer and famous. I think the queer community DOES expect that sometimes because by and large there are not very many out celebrities. But just because something is expected it does not make any person obligated to deliver.

Yes, I do see the irony in a bunch of cis folks sitting around debating whether or not the word "tranny" is offensive. Let me be clear: I am not trying to say any trans person SHOULDN'T be offended by the word. That is obviously not up to me. And I would never force the word on any trans person who found it offensive or asked me to stop using it. I *DO* use it some in my personal life with select people. I wouldn't use it in conversation here on the forums because it isn't a word I feel "belongs" to me in the same way others do. I do have manners and I have a good sense of where the lines are.

However, I also feel I am not the arbiter of who gets to identify with the word tranny. If someone says they identify with a reclaimed word I will generally accept that. I've found that most people do not inappropriately reclaim language for THEMSELVES. (Which is different from using language as a weapon.) I don't hear too many cis men calling themselves dykes and cunts, for instance. I mean--just why would they? I'm sure it could happen but it's not a line I feel super compelled to police.

My first serious partner when I was growing up as a baby queer was a transvestite. And I came up among transvestites and queens. The word "tranny" was part of my queer vocabulary even before "femme" was! So, it doesn't sound weird or out of the ordinary or offensive to me at all. Honestly--I'm surprised there is as much outrage from the trans community about this as there is. I know there will always be people who are offended by certain words, and that's ok. But to me, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it's devastatingly offensive for a drag queen to use the word tranny. I also concede that my own personal experience informs that feeling.

I am REALLY freaking cranky about reclaimed language, I will admit. I think that people have the right to call themselves what they want, use whatever labels they want, and reclaim whatever historically negative word they want and turn it into something powerful. That's also why I feel invested--because of the principle of the thing. I can't even tell you how much shit I got over my screen name when I first started posting here (and still get). OMFG--I got hateful private messages and was told I should change my screen name and that my choice of my name was offensive, stupid, thoughtless, anti-woman. I was told I should leave, that I obviously had no experience with butch/femme community. I was told I was obviously just a 22 year cis dude trying to invade sacred space. It was RIDICULOUS. And actually, this screen name is very carefully selected and very meaningful to me. So it was really fucking annoying. I know there are a lot of women who hate the word bitch, and I get that and I get why--but I will NEVER stop using it. And it's kind of just too bad for them. I do get where RuPaul is coming from. This is just one example.

Also, on a final rambling note: I appreciate both the Laverne Coxes and the Rupauls/Miley Cyruses of the world. I think we need both. Laverne Cox is beautiful and smart as hell and spunky. I am glad she is visible as a trans woman, I am happy that the trans community has her as a representative. It's wonderful and I celebrate it. But she is also visible as a trans woman BECAUSE she is beautiful and smart and spunky WITHOUT being too threatening. She's relatable. Which is not a bad thing--like I said, we need people like her. But I think we also need the people that say FUCK YOU to the entire world and do what they want and show us, even if inadvertently so, why being yourself, even if it offends hoards of people, is really the most valuable thing you can do at the end of the day. I do think Laverne Cox does that, she is just a lot more graceful at it. I just happen to admire grace and bitchy attitude in equal measure.

[Martina]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Language is a tricky thing. Like, I love to identify myself as a fatass. A Dyke. A Faggot. A Honky. A Cunt.

I don't get wanting to reclaim honky. The others, yes. They are used by dominant groups to oppress others. But honky was typically used by African Americans to describe the group oppressing them. One of the things it connotes is an ignorant bigot who'd like to have his foot on your neck. How is that reclaimable? Being fat can be positive. Being gay is positive. Being a sex positive, body-positive female, yes, all good.

Being an ignorant bigoted oppressor? How is that ever positive?

I get reclaiming "white trash" because that was used against poor people by a more dominant group -- more privileged classes. I like that phrase. But honky? I don't get it. It's like telling Black people, "You don't get to be mad at me anymore."

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Martina

I don't get wanting to reclaim honky. The others, yes. They are used by dominant groups to oppress others. But honky was typically used by African Americans to describe the group oppressing them. One of the things it connotes is an ignorant bigot who'd like to have his foot on your neck. How is that reclaimable? Being fat can be positive. Being gay is positive. Being a sex positive, body-positive female, yes, all good.

Being an ignorant bigoted oppressor? How is that ever positive?

I get reclaiming "white trash" because that was used against poor people by a more dominant group -- more privileged classes. I like that phrase. But honky? I don't get it. It's like telling Black people, "You don't get to be mad at me anymore."

Martina-


I generally don't like to engage with you because of what you just did above.

I made a statement with what I felt was a pretty large concept and all of the sudden I'm throwing White Oppression back onto Black people.

I mean, for real?????


For anyone else who may want clarification, I am not speaking of reclaiming the word "honky" in relation to Black folks using it to describe their white oppressors. I use that word in reference to the grand "All Things White and White Privileged that Are Ridiculous".

And yes, in some (and most in my case) instances, interchangeably with "white trash".

I'd seriously like this thread to NOT focus on me and my racial oppression if at all possible.

Thanks,
Angie

[imperfect_cupcake]

I guess it depends on how you see it. I had a Hawaiian mate who used to call me cracker, playfully, and It never bothered me. It made me laugh. Why? Because I come from a dominant culture of whiteness that doesn't feel the effects of being one. To me it's just a word with no systemic bite. Therefore, her playfully using it had no oppressive backup. I *could* laugh. To me, all it means is white. I know the background of it, but it doesn't have that "feeling" behind it that other words felt for her.

I also met a straight girl named "g" who was a friend of my best friend. We were sitting around the table and I mentioned an ex by "she". G turned to me and said "oh! Are you a carpet licker?"
I burst out laughing "yes" I said "I lick carpets. Indeed I do. I do."
She grinned and said "I adore you kind of gals" and winked at me and I laughed.

I did not get angry at her use because I could tell by her tone she was being playful and rough-edged. Plus words don't really hurt me all that much anymore, tbh. The more self accepting and self loving I am, the less they seem to bug me.

I was upset at being called "titsy fatarse" by a group of boys before they shoved me off my bike a couple years back, into a bush. But when I told my best friend the story she almost peed herself laughing. At that point I stopped and thought about it and thought, yeah ok I see your point, and grinned. And you know what? It feels a lot easier, a lot lighter and a lot better to laugh when she calls me titsy fatarse now on occasion. That's not to say I wouldn't punch those boys in the face, given the chance, but I don't carry what Said or did around like a sack of wet wool.

The only thing that kind of bothers me is that I'm opineing away on what I think of the word tranny. I know what I think and what my trans friends think. I know which ones are ok with it and which ones aren't. And really, taking people's preferences into account is what friends do. I don't call strangers by that word because I don't know what they think or how they feel. They may not feel I have the right to say it, they may think no one does, they may love it as a term of endearment like I do with playful jousts with who I am.

But I'm not in the public eye saying it - you can't accomidate everyone in that instance. I personally am not trans in any way shape or form. So frankly, what I think is irrelevant. But here I am. Blabbing away... Because for some reason my opinion on the matter just comes pouring out of my mouth.

I do what my friends want. That's about as far as I can go with it.

[Martina]

Originally Posted by honeybarbara

I guess it depends on how you see it. I had a Hawaiian mate who used to call me cracker, playfully, and It never bothered me. It made me laugh. Why? Because I come from a dominant culture of whiteness that doesn't feel the effects of being one. To me it's just a word with no systemic bite. Therefore, her playfully using it had no oppressive backup. I *could* laugh. To me, all it means is white. I know the background of it, but it doesn't have that "feeling" behind it that other words felt for her.

I am not talking about Medusa, but the use of words, epithets that can be used against groups of people. I think that while it might be a tangent, it is not entirely off track in this thread.

I do think this instance -- cracker -- is different than the honky example. Cracker was coined by more privileged white folks to describe poorer people. In the instance you cite, a POC used it to describe you, but the history and most common usage of the word was that of one class disparaging a less privileged group. Over time, it has been reclaimed and is used by some people with pride. It doesn't have much bite at all.

And I honestly wasn't talking about how white people feel being called honky. I was talking about the message it sends about race to even attempt to reclaim it. It is not comparable to cracker or white trash because it was used by the subaltern class to describe the dominant other. For the dominant group to make any attempt to reclaim it is to send some questionable messages, including the racist past of my people doesn't matter anymore.

To me, it is worth thinking about these cases because, as people have said, these debates about the language of naming can get complicated and overdetermined. And we are ultimately talking about the real lived relations of power among people now.

[imperfect_cupcake]

I was under the impression cracker came from "cracker back" as in whipping someone.

Honky wouldn't bother me either, it means nothing. There is nothing to reclaim. I'm in a dominant group. Same thing, to me, as cracker. You may feel differently about those words, neither of them hold any bite for me at all. I'm white and privileged and there is no systemic oppression to go with that word. So... *shrug* I don't care if someone calls me that. I personally wouldn't use either term because I'm not American so I did not grow up with those terms at all.

Bitch, slut, pervert, lezzo, titsy, etc... Sure.

It's not up to me if it's not a word that describes a group I'm not in.