Dumbing of Age

Yeah she's defi atly out to Sal and the roller Derby squad. I'm still tempted by the alternative interpretation that Mary doesn't know and didn't realise why saying Calra belonged in the boys dorm for her rowdeyness was so utterly horrible and inappropriate.

And like, part of the core cast didn't believe bisexuals existed when they started the semester, and they talk a lot about their personal identities a lot, the utter silence on Carla's indientiy makes me think she's stealth, in a very lazy way.

You'd think Joyce opinion of gay people doing a very public and dramatic u-turn would motivate her to comment on trans stuff if she knew about it.

Joyce is the person who I’m absolutely positive doesn’t know (unless the strip has already proved me wrong, in which case ignore me).

I really want to see the part of the comic where trans issues just... crash into Joyce like a freight train. And then it can tie back into her big sister.

Also im like 99% sure Malaya isnt trans, just non-binary. Either way Carlas probably her best bet since they started talking when they last met.

Non-binary people are trans.

Except when they choose to identify otherwise, which I've never actually encountered but I am assured is a thing that happens.

Simply, if you are not the gender you were assigned, you're trans until you decline the label. Even if your gender is "none of the above".

Serious question, is transvestitism still considered a trans thing?

It’s generally considered an outdated and inaccurate term. Crossdressers aren’t really part of the community, and the community prefers the term transgender or simply trans.

I consider it an outdated conflation. There are some people who enjoy crossdressing but are comfortable in their gender. Most people who were called transvestites 20-40 years ago were transgender people in a world that didn't have the vocabulary to adequately label them.

Where do drag queens (specifically, the ones who do it purely for the art) fall?

If they're gay men who put on a costume, then they're gay men who put on a costume. Some drag queens are cis women, though, and some are trans women. In which case, they're cis or trans women.

For example: Carmen Carerra was a drag queen, but then she came out as a trans woman and no longer does drag. Ru Paul is a gay man who does drag (and is actually pretty transphobic). Natalie Wynn is a trans woman who sometimes does drag.

Basically, drag is a thing people do, but it's not an identity in itself.

Yeah can I get a source check on where you got that enby is trans thing from? Not only have I never heard of it but when i asked around I got either thats not right or the party was offended.

Enbies being trans seems logical to me. They don't identify with the gender they were assigned, ergo they're trans.

Also, yeah Carla is definitely out

Yeah thats not how that works at all. Too big a generalization for how complex the subject is. Enbys can be trans, but grouping them all as trans by default is gonna make a lot of people very uncomfortable, especially people like malaya who are still figuring themselves out.

Yeah, this entire storyline seems like its gonna be a landmine in the comments section.

It's also why I won't be commenting on it that much. Mainly because when it comes to Gender Politics, I find it better to not get involved in or start debates. I'll just say my thoughts and then avoid talking about it.

Your birth gender doesn't define you. You are whoever you feel you are. All that truly matters is finding yourself and coming to terms with who you are, not what others want or perceive you to be. Cause at the end of the day, not only are we all still humans, but what matters most of all is what you think and feel about yourself, not what others.

Just look at Carla and compare to Jocelyn. Carla has embraced who she is and takes pride in it, and that's great. Jocelyn is slowly coming to terms with who she is, but is still afraid of the reaction her parents will have, which is causing her stress. Not everyone can be extroverted like Carla nor will everyone so easily come to terms with who they are, but what matters is finding out who you are for yourself and being who you want to be.

There. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go hide in the bomb shelter since so far every storyline outside of freaking Blaine's is a landmine of some sorts, and I'd prefer to not get caught up in it.

Edited by RebelFalcon on Oct 15th 2019 at 12:57:56 PM

God, this is why I love Carla so much. She’s abrasive, sure, but she’s a good person. This goes up there with patching up Amber for me in terms of favorite Carla moments.

Because like... She’s right. She’s not better than any other trans person just because she knew from a young age. She doesn’t think she is. She supports other trans people, because they’re in this shit together. And I’m glad that she’s cutting off Malaya as soon as they start to get down on themselves, and making it clear that there’s no “superior time” to figure stuff out.

Carla’s great. I’d love to see more trans characters like her in fiction. People who can be kinda abrasive and annoying, but aren’t actually bad or anything.

wrt non-binary as subset of trans: It's basically the "party line" in the part of trans twitter I hang around in that non-binary people are allowed to identify as trans, or not trans, as they choose. I've never personally encountered a non-binary person taking the second option, and don't really comprehend why they would, but if I ever did encounter such a person I would respect that decision.

I'm non-binary myself, and I'd be pretty surprised to learn two years into HRT that people assume me not-trans by default.

Truscum do have beliefs that are shaped approximately like "non-binary people aren't trans", but I'm not gonna go into that in much detail, because they're wrong anyway.

The reality and unreality of social constructs

Sadly there are no shortcuts on the gender train

The plots converge as Jaime goes for a ride!

Well this is foing to be a fun discussion for the next 24 hours

This is gonna be messy.

Oh wow. This is gonna be interesting.

Ok.

These two getting together because of a Three's Company plot device is above and beyond dumb.

However, if Jacob was only with Raidah because he thought it'd make his brothers proud, and if he's just now realizing he needs to live his own damn life and fuck who is or is not proud of his choices, then them getting together is a good thing.

So I'm torn.

This is ultimately a case of a duel edged sword.

On the one hand, if the assumption that Jacob only dated Raidah because she fit his metaphorical checklist is true, then him realizing the checklist doesn't matter is Character Development and in turn a reasonable writing device for him and Raidah to break up.

On the other hand, not only does this effectively reward Joyce and Jacob for doing stupid shit, it risks them developing negatively.

• Jacob's entire reason for going with Joyce's lie was that he figured Harrison was impressed by Joyce and he desperately wants Harrison's approval. So even if he does have genuine feelings for Joyce, there will be the underlying worry that he's only interested in her because Harrison likes her.
• Joyce meanwhile caused this situation because of an impulsive lie based around wish fulfillment and thinking life works like a Romantic Comedy. She is currently dealing with her existential crisis of faith, and to have her be rewarded after a fuck up on her part makes it possible she'll began acting worse and worse as she continues to spiral.

And on the third hand that just grew out of my back.... The comments section on the site is going to be a nightmare after this. So in regards to the comments section: Screw This, I'm Outta Here