Actor on Transparent says Jeffrey Tambor sexually assualted her

[KathyPartdeux]

Hiya Transperson here here

It’s really problematic that trans women are most often portrayed by men.

[mous]

a female actor is called an actress.

[Brainspore]

Many female stage & screen performers now prefer “actor,” just as many female aviators now prefer “pilot” instead of “aviatrix.”

[Brainspore]

The “Pence Rule” treats all women as potential rape accusers/evil seductresses instead of as equal members of society who deserve the same treatment and opportunities afforded to fellow men.

[Snowlark]

I just realized that Stephen Merritt has yet to use the word ‘aviatrix’ in a song, which is borderline puzzling.

[Heraclito]

@mous

a female actor is called an actress.

Yeah, not so much anymore. Everyone is an actor. I’m speaking from a position of some authority.

[anon48584343]

Not if I have a say.

[DukeTrout]

@Brainspore

I kind of resent the idea that Mike Pence suddenly looks like a genius for refusing to be alone with any woman other than his wife, because that implies that either:

Women are vindictive lying whores who are making this all up, or
Men are incapable of controlling themselves when placed alone with women.

I spend time alone with young women in my office all the time. In fact it would be grossly inappropriate if I refused to do so, because as a college professor meeting one-on-one with students during my office hours is an integral part of my job. I’ve never sexually harassed anyone or been accused of same. This doesn’t mean I’m a saint or a hero. It just means I can successfully navigate some of the bare minimum standards for human decency.

THIS, x1000. People who imply being a sexual predator is just part of being male are assholes. It’s also a cheap out for the ones who are. Don’t give them that out.

[Lexicat]

Yeah. I more or less agree with that (provisional on my earlier comment, and provisional on cis/trans being just another binary construct ).

[KathyPartdeux]

race and sex are just constructs - yet representation still matters as those constructs have real world effects on people.

I’d also suggest that some parts of trans experiences aren’t global. Cis people don’t experience some of the things we do in the same manner. Or so my surgeon tells me.

[anon61221983]

At least that sounds cool? I’d also suspect he did it because it fit with the song lyrics better?

[Lexicat]

I am not suggesting representation does not matter. For example, the particularities of experiences of transgender folks who do not opt for surgical expressions of biology and or gender deserve representation as do those of experiences of medical expressions of transgender.

But while some categories are useful, all categories are false. While we cannot help but categorize (unless we utterly cease using any and all language), we can accept that the utility of any category is contingent, and be prepared to adapt as new circumstances demand.

And to be extra explicit: “socially constructed” does not mean anything remotely like “is not real” in my book.

[KathyPartdeux]

Indeed - we should have no have no trans or cis characters.

[anon61833566]

whole lotta nope here.

[Snowlark]

‘Nun’s Litany’ (one of Merritt’s absolute best) is the closest he’s come, rhyme-wise, to using the word:

[original lyrics]

I want to be a dominatrix
Which isn’t like me, but I can dream
Learn S, and M, and all those gay tricks
And men will pay me to make them scream

[modified lyrics]

I want to be a dominatrix
Which isn’t like me, but I can dream
I’d crack their sky like an aviatrix
And men would pay me to make them scream

Given Merritt’s playfulness with gender (see: ‘Andrew in Drag’, ‘When My Boy Walks Down the Street’, ‘Papa Was a Rodeo’, ‘The Night You Can’t Remember’—and that’s just off the top of my head) as well as esoteric rhyme, I think the only reason he didn’t use it in this instance is because, well, his version is still better. ‘All those gay tricks’? God, I love that man.

[GulliverFoyle]

@DukeTrout

THIS, x1000. People who imply being a sexual predator is just part of being male are assholes. It’s also a cheap out for the ones who are. Don’t give them that out.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say it’s a tactic on par with ISIL claiming to represent all of Islam is a bid to use Muslims as human shields against the rest of the world for their own evil actions. Nihilists will always try to hide their own choices behind their circumstances and have no qualms about throwing the non-evil majority under the bus to do so, whether it’s Daesh using Islam as cover for war crimes or Kevin Spacey using his sexual orientation as an excuse for sexual assault.

[futnuh]

My graduate supervisor maintained an “open door” policy, in the sense that he’d leave the door wide open when meeting with undergrads. In his case, he did this to help avoid any claims of impropriety.

And while you are no doubt trustworthy, very obviously we can’t simply wish thst everyone “just be” similarly decent. Predators are opportunistic. It’s why, for example, we have a “2 in the room” policy for adults coaching hockey here in Canada. I don’t feel threatened by this because I imagine it helps prevent sexual assault.

[Brainspore]

That policy is sound as long as it’s applied consistently to men and women.

If a powerful politician like Mike Pence takes private meetings with male lobbyists but only “open door” meetings with female lobbyists then you can imagine how that can create an imbalance of power and influence.