Where were You when We Starved?

 It is unquestionable that the nation-states of the world are forcing trans women into conditions which are not conducive to life. I have explained this now in thousands of words across several works. Trans women cannot engage with public life; trans women cannot access employment; trans women cannot access surgery; trans girls cannot access female puberties. These truths are painful to know; so painful, in fact, that the more fortunate members of the trans community are unable to accept them. The pain of transfeminine deprivation is instead chalked up to matters of personal responsibility: deprived trans women are not working hard enough; deprived trans women have made too many mistakes in life; deprived trans women are not experiencing legitimate pain that can be resolved with medical treatment; deprived trans women are hysterical; deprived trans women should stop talking about their deprivation.

There is another fact that, to me, seems beyond question: it will get better for us. One day, it will be possible to get all of the surgeries we need. One day, it will be almost unheard of for a trans woman to be forced through male puberty. One day, it will be unthinkable to say that trans women are male, to say that we should be segregated from other women, to say that our medical care should be paid for out of our own pockets. When that day comes, our sworn enemies will go quiet. Everybody will pretend that they always agreed with the new order of things.

The oppressed have long memories, however. It will not be easy for trans women to forget that, once upon a time, we were forced to exist in bodies that tortured us, and were told to shut up whenever we spoke out about our pain. We will not forget your hate. We will not forget your silence, either.

It will take much more than universal healthcare to undo the harm that has been done to trans women. Even if (through novel medical technology) the harm of male puberty can one day be fully reversed, the time that was taken away from us will never be given back. The time that we have remaining must therefore be elevated to a quality far beyond that of cis people and postdiluvian trans people. Our survivorship shall render us living deities; even as we die from old age, we shall die as martyrs.

I therefore write about our oppression not merely to galvanise my sisters and allies, but to also document how life was for trans women in the before-times. I write everything on paper in addition to publishing online; nothing shall escape my record. Humanity must never forget what happened to us, and those who stayed silent must always be reminded of their inaction.