YO’ LIFE DON’T MATTER IF YOU DON’T EXIST
The Curious Case of Black Cis Folks and the “Debate” on Black Trans Existence
By: Lynx M’Chea
(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.)
With each wave of cis panic, trans existence is denied and threatened. The threats are disguised as a “debate” on whether trans people even exist. In the sea of cis paranoia and violence against Black trans women, lives a painful paradox: the curious case of Black cis folks. While Black folks proclaim that our humanity is not debatable, the humanity and existence of Black trans folks (Black trans women especially) is still being debated and violently erased (most often) by Black folks who demand that Black lives matter. The existence of human beings is not debatable, yet this same truth (beyond empty theory) isn’t applied when engaging with trans and non-binary people. Ironically, Black cis folks beat Black trans folks into the same gender binary that was beaten into them — and the cycle of violence continues.
Get Some Act Right! Steppin’ Up for Black Trans Folks
1. Put some respeck on my name… I ain’t gon’ say it no mo’.
The clapback that lit Black Twitter on fire started with a name. Why? Words have power. Names have power. Language is a tool used to reclaim, redistribute, and maintain power. Who we are, where we have been, and the legacies of those who came before us are honored in our names; how others refer to us is an extension of how our names hold us. Names are how we stand in our truth and demand the respect that is due to us and to those who paved the way. Even if you don’t understand the experiences of Black trans folks, referring to us how we tell you to is required. If you don’t know someone’s name, you ask, right? The same goes for someone’s pronouns. When in doubt, ask. The goal of trans rights is to gain the respect, safety, and dignity that all people deserve; your understanding is cute, but respect is required.
2. Intent vs. Impact
Intention (malicious or otherwise) does not outweigh the impact of our actions. We are affected by the impact of others’ actions, not by their intentions.
Too often in strides for change, folks have moved forward without a full understanding of where we currently are. In the case of Black cis folks, they have struggled for a closer proximity to power through generations of sacrifice and assimilation, as if to say “we ain’t neva gonna get free so might as well make the most of what we got.” When Black trans and non-binary folks demand respect and accountability for Black cis folks’ role in the othering and subjugation of Black trans women especially, Black cis folks see this as an erroneous and overwhelming threat against centuries of resistance and struggle. Echoing the Sith (the antiheroes of the Star Wars saga), the Cis (i.e., Black cisgender folks), and their “no one’s struggled like I’ve struggled,” “accountability is oppressive” logic, see the demand for trans rights as a push to belittle the “acknowledgement of difference.” In fact, the reverse is true; the othering and erasure of Black trans people represents an internalized imperialist need for sameness.
3. We Ain’t New to This, We True to This
Although trans narratives, as told by trans people, are new to mainstream media, trans people (in the African diaspora especially) have always been integral members of the community. Black trans stories have been told in all parts of the community, but the choice to listen to those stories is always changing and elusive. Stop debating trans narratives with no trans people present. Trans folks don’t need a voice; we need you to stop talking over us and listen.
Conclusion
Respectability politics, resulting in violent homophobia, transphobia, transmisogyny, and misogynoir, are being rode hard and put up wet. Yet, for all that sacrifice and “Yes We Can” rhetoric, Black lives still don’t matter. Black folks are asking, “What will it take?!” But the very folks who are providing the necessary strategies are being othered, and their existence is put up for debate. For many Black trans and non-binary folks, Black communities are the houses we live in (and build) but cannot call home. To make solutions, we must first correctly identify the problem.
You say Black lives matter. Cool. But if yo’ talk don’t match yo’ actions, then what you really sayin’?
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Lynx M’Chea (they/them pronouns) is a Black non-binary trans person. They currently live in Detroit, MI. They are also a Media Organizer with Detroit REPRESENT! and a Media Fellow with the Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan. They are an awkward, nerdy, hip-hop head who hopes to eventually finish writing their fiction novel. Follow them on Twitter @BlerdSenpai or on Facebook @Lynx M’Chea. For speaking, writing, or training opportunities, please email them at lynxmchea@gmail.com.
