Stop the Harassment of Girlfags!
Lately there has been a flurry of negative posts about girlfags, including attempts from gay and lesbian people at labeling them as fetishists and perverts.
First: “Girlfag” is not a precisely defined term. In practice it covers a wide variety of female bodied persons, from non-transgender women with a fascination for — and identification with — gay male culture, via transgender crossdreamers and crossdressers, to female to male trans men.
The term was made, I believe, because these women (and trans men) are predominantly attracted to males, not women. Because of this it made less sense for them to join the lesbian community, even if they have much in common.
The common theme in the tumblr posts seems to be the idea that this is about fetishization of this or the other. This is, of course, the same arguments used against transgender people, some of whom are girlfags or guydykes.
These are also the same arguments that have been used against gay and lesbians over the ages. Some gay men’s and lesbian butches’ fascination for masculine aesthetics has been used against them all.
I have been reading up on lesbian thinking, lately, believing they may teach me something about crossdreaming (“autogynephilia” to use the toxic languageused by some). I have even read a few collections of lesbian erotica, while at it.
What I have found is that crossdreaming (i.e. getting turned on by the idea of being or presenting as the opposite biological sex) is very common among lesbians.
Indeed, the similarities between some lesbian butches and some crossdreaming/transgender girlfags is striking: There is crossdressing, packing, chest binding and fantasies of sexual dominance galore.
The main difference between them is that the lesbians predominantly want to bed female bodied persons while the girlfag looks for a male bodied one.
In other words: If you look at the same phenomena from another angle (sex identity instead of sexual orientation, for instance) the relationship between the categories or sets change. Suddenly it becomes clear that many girlfags have more in common with lesbians than they have with non-trans heterosexuals.
I think some people are so hung up on sexual orientation as the defining trait, that they are unable to see the other points of view.
Girlfags are not perverts. They are just another variation of this wonderful thing called life. If there are anyone who should understand the importance of this, it is gay and lesbian people!
Maybe the attackers should take some time and actually try to find out who the girl fags are.
I have written some blog posts that might be of help:
The Yaoi Culture and the Female to Male Crossdreamers
The Kama Sutra and the Transgender (on girlfags in Ancient India)
Girls who will be boys; on F2M crossdreamers, autoandrophiliacs and girlfags
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