The other thing is that if a trans woman goes through puberty “normally” without puberty blockers, then her voice breaks. Which makes it harder to be received as just another woman. Which puts her in danger (what with all the violence trans people get). Not to mention all the other stuff that occurs that then needs to be undone. And vice versa for trans men – eg breasts grow which then need to be removed by surgery.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but “normal” puberties are outright damaging for trans people.

If the person says otherwise, then ok. Some trans people experience their lives that way, and it's important to respect however they want to narrativise it. But if someone gendered me male when talking about the past, I'd be royally pissed. Because I never was *really* male.

Also, just fyi a note on language. Generally speaking, it's kinda insulting to use the person's assigned name – “Jake (nee Julia)”. In a perfect world, sure ok show the evolution. But we live in a world where trans people's genders are negated at the slightest whim, and constantly suggested to be pretense, performance. Showing the birth name means reminding people of who we “really” are (ie what gender we're assigned at birth). Seriously, I've had people who've start screaming at me cos I wouldn't tell them my “real” name.

Also, small language note: FtM and MtF are slightly outdated terms. Julia Serano suggests that both are objectifying, that all we really need for respectful terms is trans men and trans women. Where “trans” is an adjective, not a modifier on how we're not really our identified genders. It's where you arrive at, not the journey that matters.

Anyway. Glad you're reading and thinking.

Those changes can be averted, however, if a child has access to medications called puberty blockers that can stop the changes from happening in the first place. These blockers essentially take the pressure off a teenager, giving them time to come to an informed decision on whether or not to continue with hormone therapy without the threat of having their voice drop or growing breasts hanging over their head.

My organization, TransActive, has a website has a whole host of information on this topic – I recommend checking it out if you want to learn more, particularly when it comes to children between the ages of 4 and 18.

http://www.transactiveonline.org

We also have a video called Out of the Shadows posted on Youtube that does an excellent job of summarizing the issue in a few minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2EV3w2QxII

And that's all we ask for Twanna. I'm willing along with other transpeople to openly talk about our lives and provide that 'ejumacation' if my cisgender brothers and sisters will open their hearts and minds and listen..

The point is we transpeople have always been a part of the AA community, and we didn't forfeit our Blackness when we transitioned.

All we want is to be able to contribute our talents to uplift the race and peacefully live our own lives free from harassment .

I don't think that's too much to ask.

Yeah, ENDA and the debacle that ensued/ensues shows America in general kind of sort of isn't extremely well versed on these issues.

I definitely don't pretend I'm an expert on the topic, though I'm always open to learn more.

It's great that you and other cisgender Black women bloggers are starting to talk about these issues as well. Transpeople and their transitions not only affect themselves personally, but the ripple effects also impact family, friends and how we interact with society as well.

Unfortunately Black America has not been as well versed on these issues as it should be, and needs to do a better job addressing the human rights aspects of transpeople in our midst.

And, yeah, language is complex and deserves full consideration. After I published this post, I noticed Racialicious ran two relevant pieces: “The Divine Nine And Transpeeps – A Long Road Of Understanding Still To Travel” and “Open Thread: On Language and Terms.” Both are worth the read. Not unrelated, I also recommend Pam Spaulding's beautiful quote about respecting diversity of opinion.

By the way, GREAT observation about sex distinctions in language!! I usually avoid the phrase “his or her” or “himself and herself” altogether by simply saying “their” and “themselves.” Haven't found an easy way to get rid of “he” and “she” yet.

Gah, I wish our language would just get over the idea of making sex distinctions with every reference to a person–just use 'it' or make another word like 'it' which can be used for living creatures. She/he and her/him and hers/his are just archaic holdovers, as are gender-specific names and Mr & Ms (although Ms is far better than Miss and Mrs). I mean, could you imagine if there were different pronouns depending on the person's skin colour or sexual orientation? Are any of these things really the first thing you need to know about someone?