14 Reasons Why I Stood Out To Me Essay

Words: 630
Pages: 3

One practice that really stood out to me was #9 on American Trans Man’s “14 Reasons Why It’s Not Okay to Out Someone As Trans”. The practice involves not outing trans people without their express permission, because even though they “might seem to be out to a lot people… and so that might let you assume that it would be okay to disclose their trans status to someone else” (5), it really isn’t. Coming and being out is a personal decision that is up to every individual, and robbing them of the opportunity to pick who they trust with that personal fact robs them of a part of their humanity. This goes hand-in-hand with #8 on the same list, “Education, enlightenment, diversity training, and the ‘poster child excuse’”. This point talks about how outing someone else to make a personal point or to show off the diversity one has in their friendship circles is a selfish and exploitative act. A trans person does not exist to fulfill a diversity quota, and their identity is not a tool to prove how accepting or open-minded someone else is. I think that the practice of just keeping your mouth closed unless otherwise prompted is one that I try …show more content…
It also means that sometimes my participation will be needed, and sometimes it won’t. For example, if someone around me makes a transphobic remark, I have the safety of being cis to call them out on what they’re saying. What I say will be heard and taken more seriously than if a trans person were to make the same point. On the other hand, there are spaces and conversations that I don’t need to be an active participant in. Trans people talking about their experiences and what they want out of trans allies isn’t a time to interject, whether to say “I don’t act like that”, or “I disagree with that, I think it should be done differently”. Allyship is listening to the groups you are attempting to stand by, not talk over them to get your point