Does Language Matter: “Transgender” vs. “Transgendered”
I grew up in the age of second-wave feminism. It is true, I recall, that back then (the 1970s) the feminist movement wasn’t thinking about equal rights for GLBTQ people, but, rather, equal rights for women. We were also sensitive (perhaps some were overly-sensitive) to being called “man-hating dykes”, thus separating ourselves from issues directly relevant to lesbians. I am NOT an historian so I’m just going from my own personal experiences and memory here. I took a “consciousness-rasing” class at a community college in 1974 to learn how women were being oppressed and why it mattered. One night, we had a guest speaker. She was a LESBIAN. I shout it because that is what she came to talk about- basically: this is what a lesbian looks like. It was very exciting to meet a real live lesbian and be able to ask questions. She had us all say “lesbian” out loud that night
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Before you look back at the topic to see why I’m telling that story in a post about the word “Transgender”, let me say that one of the things that we second-waver were passionate about was language. Firemen were firefighters, Mailmen were Letter Carriers, Policemen were Police Officers. A lot of people thought we were wasting our time on petty issues but I am a strong believer that language affects our thinking and, ultimately, our behavior. I taught pre-school back then and didn’t want to tell little girls that they could be “firemen” as it sounded like the could do a “man’s job” rather than a “job”. Even today, I find myself wrapped up in the subtleties of language. And I also find myself being criticized for wasting my time on petty issues. Happily, I’m not alone!
I’ve already brought up the use of the word “queer” and have been sent some very interesting things (e.g., this link to a discussion on the topic).
Today on Facebook, The International Foundation for Gender Education posted a reaction piece by Activist Pauline Park to GLAAD’s use of the term “Transgender” as opposed to “Transgendered”. When I joined an online group called TransKidsFamilies (run by TransFamily in Cleveland, Ohio) I used the word “transgendered” and was contacted by one of the members of the group who gently explained the differences between the terms and why it is important.
Words matter. How we refer to people and groups matter. So while some may find this a petty topic, I believe it matters. Read for yourself why GLAAD advocates the term “transgender” (as in a “transgender person”) and Pauline Park’s different viewpoint. The GLAAD piece has other informative points on terminology on that page.
My opinion? I do agree that “transgender” is the proper term if for no other reason than we do not say “lesbianed” or “gayed” or “straighted” (“straightened”?)
I am of the belief that words shape our world view and ultimately our actions (referred to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in linguistic terms). This is by no means a universally accepted opinion, just one that I haven’t abandoned since my consciousness was raised in 1974.
