Jordan
Facebook
I read a lot about the struggle for what is known as "same sex marriage" or "gay marriage". I am bombarded by these words by television, and that got me to thinking, isn't the term "same sex marriage" trans-exclusive? Would it be better known as "Gender Neutral Marriage"?
Think about this, I am a transwomyn. I was assigned male at birth, but am female. I haven't had sexual reassignment surgery and am undecided on whether I would do so. I haven't gone on hormones yet. Yet, if I wanted to marry a male, I would only be able to do so in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, and the District of Columbia. The thing is, even though on paper and the government's myopic view of sex/gender, we would be a same sex couple (unless of course, I "completely transitioned", which many people don't), the truth is that we would not be truly a same sex couple. There are simply too many dynamics as to sex/gender and relationships to have a debate over just same-sex couples and opposite sex couples getting equal
We have done something right by framing the issue as "marriage equality" or "civil marriage". But the term "same sex marriage" simply creates a binary of cisgender male marries cisgender female, cisgender male marries cisgender male, or cisgender female marries cigender female.
And while the structure of civil marriage equality laws provides for trans-inclusiveness (ie: partner and partner rather than "man and woman"), by referring to marriage equality as the fight for "same sex marriage", unfortunately, it creates an air of exclusion for the gender variant, as if they are not part of this fight. Language is very important, and to bring attention to the fact that partner and partner would apply to all colors of the sex/gender rainbow will make the movement stronger.
I've love to have a debate on this issue.
-Jordan Gwendolyn Davis
