Club Club

abbyjean:

France has removed transsexualism from an official list of mental illnesses, according to an order issued by the French Ministry of Health reported Friday by French news media. The order issued Wednesday removed “gender identity disorders” from an article of the social security code related to “long-term psychiatric diseases.” According to media reports, France is the first country in the world to do so.

pensata:

Anonymous asked: hello,
i just read the text about kael t block.
Im from France, and here its horrible. we discovers that he rapes other girls in Paris. The victimes are scary to talk because youngs xxboys can’t believe their chief is a criminal, machist and violent person.

I’ve heard quite a bit about the rape allegations involving Kael. I only call them allegations because [to my knowledge] nothing has actually been proved, and I’m not one to just assume something even though 3628196837 people are saying the same thing. All I really know is that he was accused of rape in the U.S. and moved [fled] to France when his court date came about. And he hasn’t returned since.

- Shaan

i find this response INCREDIBLY problematic, considering there are at least three different explicit statements from survivors detailing how kael t. block raped them each at different times. to say that you don’t assume something just because many people might be a good rule to follow in general, but proves pretty problematic in cases of rape and sexual assault.  i understand not wanting to jump to conclusions. i understand that trans men face a lot of discrimination, and that because of this it is important to question the veracity of statements before jumping to conclusions. i understand that it is incredibly unfortunate that someone who has done so much good for ftm visibility has been accused of rape. BUT IGNORING THREE DIFFERENT SURVIVORS’ CLAIMS DOES NOT UNDO TRANSPHOBIA, OR PROTECT AGAINST IT.

so. kael t. block has not received a fair trial. there is a fair amount of reason to believe that he has raped women, but certainly not enough to say that it’s the case without a doubt. i still think that we have to be careful expressing this feeling - that he should be presumed innocent until proven guilty - especially when rape survivors are silenced and their stories are erased every single fucking day.

these were three different women, who didn’t previously know each other, who came out with their stories. this is a brave act, and not one to be taken lightly. at some point, unless there’s a rape kit administered immediately after an assault, a court would have to rely on anecdotal evidence anyway. as much as block may deserve to be presumed innocent, these women also deserve to have their day in court, which he has deprived them of. and the fact is, sometimes community responses are just as valid. the fact that SO MANY members of different communities in california have come out against block matters to me maybe more than a court verdict. this doesn’t seem like a personal vendetta, or an instance of transphobia. this seems like a rapist, who escaped justice, and is relying on people who will say that that they don’t believe it because they don’t have proof.

how many women have to come forward? why isn’t one enough? why doesn’t kael describing his own behavior as rape count as proof?

what are you really saying when you say that even if many people have come forward talking about rape, it doesn’t mean you’ll believe it?

for another opinion check out http://brownstargirl.blog.friendster.com/2006/08/lexs-statement/. for survivors’ statements (trigger warning), check out the comments section of sinclair sexsmith’s top hot butches: http://www.tophotbutches.com/comments/.

fuckyeahtrannies:

(via peachymomo)

Until recently, many children who did not conform to gender norms in their clothing or behavior and identified intensely with the opposite sex were steered to psychoanalysis or behavior modification.

Dr. Kenneth Zucker, a psychologist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, encourages children to be content with their gender.

But as advocates gain ground for what they call gender-identity rights, evidenced most recently by New York City’s decision to let people alter the sex listed on their birth certificates, a major change is taking place among schools and families. Children as young as 5 who display predispositions to dress like the opposite sex are being supported by a growing number of young parents, educators and mental health professionals.

Doctors, some of them from the top pediatric hospitals, have begun to advise families to let these children be “who they are” to foster a sense of security and self-esteem. They are motivated, in part, by the high incidence of depression, suicidal feelings and self-mutilation that has been common in past generations of transgender children. Legal trends suggest that schools are now required to respect parents’ decisions.

Read more…