Steerage Class Citizen (May 19, 2017)

Please forgive me

If my anger boils over

And I say 

Or do something.

That I'll regret 

Afterwards

To you.

So want

To get into your face

And scream obscenities

Until my voice is hoarse.

A mere whisper

Of itself.

Fucking

Stupid 

Cow.

Just because

We weren't born

With the proper plumbing

Like you.

You think

We don't know

What it feels like

To be raped

Or abused?

Eight years ago

I came forward

To a local abused

And battered women centre

In Toronto.

Looking for help

In dealing

With my abusive past.

Having clearly

Identified

Myself

As a transsexual

(Male to female).

And yet

I was sluffed off

To a local counselling service

By the intake worker.

Who doesn't specialize

In the issues

Abused and battered 

Women face.

As if

She's yelling

"Next!"

To the callers

In the phone queue.

Any wonder

Feminism has become

A pejorative word

In Western society.

By turning your back

On the real needs

Of your trans-sisters

With your misogynistic  

Beliefs.

Ensuring all women

Remain 

In chains

Of oppression.

Therisa © 2017

Author's note:  On May 12, 2017. I noticed this article on CBCnews.ca, about the Senate hearing on C-16, the inclusion of gender identity and expression, under Canadian law and Canadian Human Rights Act,  (http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/transgender-rights-bill-female-born-spaces-1.4110634?cmp=news-digests-canada-and-world-morning) which I support, as a Canadian, who identifies, as trans, and live my life, as a woman. As I read this article, I grew angrier, at the dismissive tones, of those feminist, who view people, like myself, as basically, gender traitors, to other women.

Reality is, we face the same discrimination, as cisgender women do, and more, in the way that Western society is structured, and has influenced other societies, around the world. Honestly, why would anyone want to give up, their position of power, to live life, as some feminist would argue, as the dominate birth gender, as a male?  In many ways, trans-woman, are starting, at a lower point, in society, with the barriers that we have to overcome. Many cases, losing our biological families, our jobs, and sense of self-identity, as we transition, from one gender to the other. 

Sadly, on May 14th, I accidentally erased this poem, and for the past 5 days, have been struggling to rewrite this, while battling a very nasty chest virus, which is slowly clearing up. This version of the poem isn't as angry, as the original one, the thoughts, and frustration, still remain. 

I wonder, how these feminists view the Intersex community, and their struggles, for political recognition. In that, these women were deemed, at birth, to be visibly male, and yet, chromosomally, are female, with underdeveloped female reproduction organs. Are they not female, since they can have periods, which many trans-women, only dream of; given these feminists' .agrument.

The Dream Has Grown (February 11, 2016)

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Ghandi


Have you

Ever have a dream

That you're willing

To pay the ultimate price

Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr?

Knowing

Your dream is

Bigger than

Any one person

Or organization.

Radically challenging

Society's paradigm

With its simple message

Of love and equality.

For many transpeople

Our very existence

Is a testament

To our community's dream

Of acceptance and equality.

Just stepping

Into a public space

Is truly

An act of courage.

Aware

In doing this

May mean

A death sentence.

As Canada

And the United States

Celebrate Black History Month

Throughout February.

The struggle

For human rights

Isn't just limited

To ones:

Skin colour

Religious observation

Gender

Or sexual orientation.

Rather

Involves everyone

For no one

Is truly free.

If one person

Remains repressed

In any manner.

And you

Dr. King

Your dreams

Still

Lives on.

Only

It's shared

By a wider community.

Who's hearts

Are filled

With its vision.


Therisa © 2016

Author's note: Although, I was born, into a white, middle class Canadian family, I have known, what it means, to live your life, in abject poverty. Having spent time, in the Toronto women homeless shelter system. Not a place, I want to go back to, again.


Like the Afro communities, of Canada and the United States, the Trans community knows, all too well, what the phrase, "strange fruit", which Billie Holiday sang about. Having your application rejected for housing, because, the landlord wasn't comfortable, with having "one of those tenants". As if, all trans-people work the street or use drugs. Never mind, the hidden crisis of mental heath problems that remain largely unaddressed, by society, at large. One need to hold onto a dream of hope, if they want to grow and heal, as a community, as a whole.