Charles ☭ is now tooting from queer.party
I clicked on a perfectly well meaning and well written thing about how I should "know my rights" and now I feel incredibly anxious.
May 21, 2025 at 6:25pmWeb
Show threadCharles ☭ is now tooting from queer.partyMay 21, 2025

Look, I can "know my rights" in say, airports to opt out of body scanners that tend to cause problems for trans people.

But, being honest, this is not remotely a good experience. In fact, it has on occasion been dire enough that I exercised my right to wrote a complaint letter.

Yay my rights.

And, indeed, by the time one has to know their rights, a violation has already taken place. The rights are already contingent on whiteness, passability, the mood of the person exercising power over me. Knowing ones rights is a situation of fascism - the rights are at best under threat and at worst fully suspended.

As a middle aged white bloke, I get to do this on easy mode and its still just fucking awful.

Show threadAnother Angry WomanMay 21, 2025
@celesteh I honestly believe this is where cis and white allies can help the most: by creating noise and disruption, being the ones to normalise refusing scans, complaining like fuck, etc - basically being the bulk of the "problem" where trans people are a tiny fraction of the requests and complaints
Show threadCharles ☭ is now tooting from queer.partyMay 21, 2025

@stavvers Yeah, this is part of why I do opt out of scans. This no longer impacts me, but I get to normalise it on 'easy mode'. And it still sucks, but I haven't missed a flight over it yet.

And I haven't been groped since my documentation got updated... 🙃

Show threadMontessori Space Programme 🛸May 21, 2025
@celesteh
"I know my rights,
But thanks for explainin'
The day they're enough
Will be the day it starts rainin'"
Show threadMichael T. RichterMay 22, 2025
@celesteh It's easy to keep track of your rights. You only have three:

1. You have the right not to be killed. Murder is a crime. Unless it was done by a policeman or an aristocrat.

2. You have the right to food money. Providing of course you don't mind a little investigation, humiliation and if you cross your fingers rehabilitation.

3. You have the right to free speech. As long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it.

Joe Strummer listed these for us DECADES ago!