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transLisa Vogel stops gender policing but reinforces transphobia.
This is a response to the press release issued by Lisa Vogel after Camp Trans distributed their press release detailing how the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival have begun to allow trans women entry and of the positive acceptance met by them by other women. Her response was to state that no woman will be denied entry but that she still does not want trans women to attend, and that she places trans women outside the larger community of women.
Camp Trans disagrees whole heartedly with Lisa Vogel’s fundamental point. That trans women do not have a place within the larger community of women. Trans women have always been apart of women’s communities. Sometimes there have been activities that sought to remove trans woman from these spaces (i.e., Beth Elliot not being allowed to perform at the 1972 Lesbian Conference, and Sandy Stone being forced to resign from Olivia Records). Transphobia, has been a part of the history of women’s communities, and also unfortunately it still exists today.
We at Camp Trans had hoped that this year marked an end to this history but sadly that is not the case. While this is upsetting, we do need to look at this in perspective. The Festival is a private institution owned and operated by Lisa Vogel and she is free to make the policy. Much like how the Augusta National Golf Club still refuses to allow women members, and the Boy Scouts of America still refuses to allow Gay scouts and scout leaders. We had hoped that the Festival would be the first to renounce their policy of exclusion, but we find that is not the case this year.
I also want to say in support of all people who make Camp Trans such a success. Every year a group of young activists work hard scrapping together enough money to make Camp Trans happen; from establishing a kitchen, to handling the porto-toilets, to booking the entertainment and setting the stage. People from all walks of life attend and share histories and skills. They make Camp Trans happen every year out of just a desire to end transphobia. I do not want anyone to get discouraged by this development. In reality, change does not come very easily, but it does happen eventually.
At the end of Camp Trans we discussed setting up an anti-transphobia area on the land. That is still a possibility and that members of Camp Trans will continue to work with Yellow Armbands toward that goal. Its purpose is to educate women that trans women are already apart and do belong in the larger community of women, and we also want to show that transphobia, no matter how well intentioned its purpose, is not acceptable and is harmful to all women.
This is a response to the press release issued by Lisa Vogel after Camp Trans distributed their press release detailing how the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival have begun to allow trans women entry and of the positive acceptance met by them by other women. Her response was to state that no woman will be denied entry but that she still does not want trans women to attend, and that she places trans women outside the larger community of women.
Camp Trans disagrees whole heartedly with Lisa Vogel’s fundamental point. That trans women do not have a place within the larger community of women. Trans women have always been apart of women’s communities. Sometimes there have been activities that sought to remove trans woman from these spaces (i.e., Beth Elliot not being allowed to perform at the 1972 Lesbian Conference, and Sandy Stone being forced to resign from Olivia Records). Transphobia, has been a part of the history of women’s communities, and also unfortunately it still exists today.
We at Camp Trans had hoped that this year marked an end to this history but sadly that is not the case. While this is upsetting, we do need to look at this in perspective. The Festival is a private institution owned and operated by Lisa Vogel and she is free to make the policy. Much like how the Augusta National Golf Club still refuses to allow women members, and the Boy Scouts of America still refuses to allow Gay scouts and scout leaders. We had hoped that the Festival would be the first to renounce their policy of exclusion, but we find that is not the case this year.
I also want to say in support of all people who make Camp Trans such a success. Every year a group of young activists work hard scrapping together enough money to make Camp Trans happen; from establishing a kitchen, to handling the porto-toilets, to booking the entertainment and setting the stage. People from all walks of life attend and share histories and skills. They make Camp Trans happen every year out of just a desire to end transphobia. I do not want anyone to get discouraged by this development. In reality, change does not come very easily, but it does happen eventually.
At the end of Camp Trans we discussed setting up an anti-transphobia area on the land. That is still a possibility and that members of Camp Trans will continue to work with Yellow Armbands toward that goal. Its purpose is to educate women that trans women are already apart and do belong in the larger community of women, and we also want to show that transphobia, no matter how well intentioned its purpose, is not acceptable and is harmful to all women.