Ethics of Trans identities
Many conversations about trans individuals on social media revolve around the ethics of trans identities. Are we cheats, are we groomers, are we the scum of the earth, all with the ethical implications that being trans is somehow to be an Untermensch within the fabric of society. Indeed, anti-trans exclusionary feminism explicitly situates trans women as a direct thread to fragile womanhood, and trans men as victims of some immoral and unethical trans cult. In using ethical frameworks to demonise trans identities transphobes perpetuate age old myths and moral panics, and in doing so reinforce a highly reactionary view of trans identities.
As a trans person myself I will always say that being trans is not an ethical issue, and that any moral panic surrounding us is rooted in pernicious fears whipped up by those who seek to drag women’s rights back to a place of control. I reject that being trans is a matter of bad moral character, indeed I would say that any attempts at using morality to argue against trans folk shows the moral fibre of the accuser. Morality by its very nature is utterly subjective, reliant on our personal influences and shaping of the world, so to condemn trans folk for immorality simply highlights personal prejudice and bias. Of course there are trans folk who commit crimes and acts against society, but transitioning and living an affirmed life is not an immoral or unethical act…
