2/15/14

Facebook Begins Trans Inclusion: A huge step for TransKind.

As most everyone already knows Facebook has changed our options for displaying gender. Now we can pick one, or more, that associates us with who we are.
What I didn't know was how diverse those options are until exploring it today. But who was behind these changes?
Up until a few years ago Facebook was eliminating profiles that didn't match official documentation and scrubbing pictures of post operative transgender males.
Facebook used to engage in "gender cleansing", virtually unheard of until We demanded facebook reinstate Dominic Scaia.

Facebook ended up reactivating Dominic's profile but told him he couldn't re post his picture siting the "Nudity and Pornography" paragraph of their Community Standards.

The trans community had won a partial victory getting Dominic reinstated, but facebook still considered a topless trans man pornographic invalidating his gender.

Our trans agenda moves forward...

Facebook is apparently aware of societies desires as they have left Dominic's current picture intact. Dominic, you are a pioneer thank you.

But could it be perhaps his latest image hasn't been reported, which begs these questions. Will the trans communities new found facebook respect allow us to post selfies with out violating Facebook standards? Is facebook actually going to allow us to validate our unique gender(s) with images?

What if no one had heard about Dominic's deletion? Some in the trans community had never heard of facebook deleting trans people's accounts and said it was simply a contrived story or if it had actually happened, was atypical behaviour on facebooks part.

"[T]ease apart the threads [of the natural world] and the pattern vanishes. The design is in how the cloth-maker arranges the threads: this way and that, as fashion dictates. [...] To say something is meaningful is to say that that is how we arrange it so; how we comprehend it to be, and what is comprehended by you or I may not be by a cat, for example. If a tree falls in a park and there is no-one to hand, it is silent and invisible and nameless. And if we were to vanish, there would be no tree at all; any meaning would vanish along with us. Other than what the cats make of it all, of course." William Fossett 
Not to imply that feline observations are useless, they are, its our ability to understand those observations that should be value rated

Many used to say they were guilty social of T-genocide. So what brought this wonderful change about.

Scrolling down the Facebook Diversity page I see the culprit


The GLAAD staff came to visit us at Headquarters today. GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories

Sarah Kate Ellis and Wilson Cruz from @[186319338839:274:GLAAD] came to Headquarters today for a visit and to meet with some of our employees.  "GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories"
Sarah Kate Ellis and Wilson Cruz from GLAAD came to Headquarters today for a visit and to meet with some of our employees. "GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories"
I'm sure this change with all the gender options has been brought about with considerable effort and skill.  GLAAD with whom we have a love hate relationship with, thank you for helping to bring about this wonderful improvement.

So how do you make these changes. First click the "Edit" button on your profile banner then scroll down to your basic information. You can also edit so you don't accidentally out yourself. This change will bring up some controversy from within the community. Do we need to 'other' ourselves identifying as under the trans umbrella or is it a better choice to let sleeping gender pronouns lay?
Whatever you decide its a personal choice. Its right for you.



1 comment:

Abraxas said...

A huge step forward, both for Facebook and our society as whole! :) I hope this will get people thinking and influence them to become more accepting of transgender people, finally!