How To Identify And Dismantle Trans Misogyny
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and the Zoe Belle Gender Collective are co-hosting a discussion on Identifying and Dismantling Trans Misogyny, Thursday, June 16.
The panel for this online event includes five trans women from various LGBTQ and Trans Rights organisations to discuss trans misogyny as a cause of violence and how it harms trans women, their families, and their communities.
An Opportunity to Listen to The Voices of Trans Women
According to LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, “This is an important opportunity for allies and the LGBTIQA+ service sector to listen to the voices of trans women and learn how to better identify and respond to trans misogyny.”
The panel includes Starlady (Zoe Belle Gender Collective), Estelle Clarke (BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation), Eloise Brook (NSW Gender Centre), Mama Alto (Transgender Victoria), and Jackie Turner (Equality Australia).
Starlady, Program Manager at the Zoe Belle Gender Collective, a Victorian-based trans and gender diverse advocacy organisation, stressed the importance of allyship.
“We need our allies to respond, to redress that violence through campaigns, awareness-raising and education and for greater access to services that support victims of violence,” she said.
‘Trans Misogyny Leads to Harassment and Violence’
According to the CEO of Transgender Victoria Mama Alto, trans misogyny leads to harassment and violence. These have “devastating and sometimes fatal consequences.”
“At the peak of transmisogyny are the murders of women such as Mhelody Bruno and Mayang Prasetyo, and the disappointing failures of the justice system in their cases; but other incidences of transmisogyny have created the environment where that can happen.
“Whether it’s police taking and spreading pictures of a trans woman in custody, newspapers running sensationalist stories, airport security profiling, or political candidates spouting misinformation, transmisogyny has real and damaging consequences and we need our allies to understand and take action.”
‘We Are The Canaries in The Coal Mine’
Health and Communications Manager for the NSW Gender Centre, Eloise Brook explained that, “transwomen, transgirls, transfemme people are where misogynistic violence is most visible and most acceptable in society. Reduce violence against us and you reduce violence against all women. We are the canaries in the coal mine.”
When asked what can allies do to address transmisogyny Brook said, “When people express anti-trans ideas in public, or think they have a receptive audience it is our allies who need to speak up and out.”
Starlady reiterated Brook’s comments, and urged the community to action, saying, “Support us to lead the response in preventing violence against trans women, employ us, fund our organisations and work. We want the violence against trans women to end, we want our allies to break the silence.”
Identifying and Dismantling Trans Misogyny Webinar is on Thursday, June 16 from 3:00pm – 4:30pm. Sign up to attend here
