NOTE: The opinions and statements in this article are only a summary of the views stated in the two videos below. This article has absolutely no relationship to my own views on the subject.
“Trans men aren’t really men.”
Transgender men are tired of hearing that.
Recently, two transgender men – Ryan Sallans and Sky – sat down with vlogger Arielle Scarcella to talk about their experiences with lesbians. They answered two questions: If a transgender man transitions to male while in a relationship with a lesbian, what should the lesbian do? And is a lesbian who says she “only dates women and trans men” really a lesbian?
Question 1. I’m a lesbian and my partner transitions. What do I do?
This is tricky. When your partner transitions, standing by his side isn’t always easy – he will experience physical, emotional and personality changes, for example. And if your female partner becomes biologically male, then you suddenly have to wrestle with your identity.
If you loved him as a biological woman, shouldn’t you love him as a biological man? Are you transphobic if you leave?
“It depends,” says Sallans.
According to Sallans, it comes down to the reasoning behind your decisions. If you leave your transitioning partner because his transition is straining the relationship and you’re not emotionally equipped to handle his changes, then that’s okay. However, Sallans believes that if you leave the relationship automatically without even considering attempting to date your partner in his new body, then that’s transphobic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwQ3cz3AqBg
Question 2. I’m a lesbian who dates trans men. Am I a lesbian?
Perhaps you’re a lesbian whose partner suddenly transitioned from female to male, and you find yourself dating a man for the first time. Or perhaps you’re a lesbian who only feels comfortable dating women and transgender men. Either way, can you call yourself a lesbian?
“Call yourself whatever you want,” says Sky. “Labels are for community, not for defining love.” In other words, it doesn’t matter what you call yourself as long as you treat your partners with respect.
However, Sky reminds lesbians who date trans men that calling themselves lesbians belittles the transgender man’s identity – it implies that you don’t see him as a “real” man, since you don’t want to date cisgender (read: “real”) men.
You could have a lot of reasons for not changing your label. Coming out again is hard. Wrestling with yourself is hard. But Sky believes that if you date a trans man, then it’s worth wondering whether your lesbian label negates his male one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=87&v=9kZgduudq3k
For more, read “How to Tell Your Girlfriend You’re Transgender” and “What to Do If Your Partner Comes Out as Trans.”