This isn’t a big deal to Joss Whedon, because it is just a cute little throw-a-way joke that likely made him smirk briefly before forgetting all about it. There definitely isn’t an obvious intent to be transphobic. But his intention isn’t the problem.
“This kind of joke doesn’t register on most people’s radar, and when it does – it is taken literally. Made at trans women’s expense, these jokes are cheap and perfunctory, utilizing harmful transphobic slurs and stereotypes (tr*nny, shemale, heshe).
They sensationalize trans women as they negate their agency and, like any other caricature, the success of the joke relies on the audience’s bigotry and ignorance, affirming the idea that trans women don’t exist as women but as things and, of course, as men.” – Written by Diana Tourjee – on this website:
The problem is this casual engagement in transphobia perpetuates an erasure of trans identity by offhanded comments that are often too insignificant to call out, but too devastating in sum to ignore. It is the collection of all these offhanded, casually transphobic jibes and observation, that go into creating the cultural perception of gender and by extension trans people in society at large.
Most people never actually interact with a trans person and many don’t seek out transgender blogs or advocate sites. What they get is the narrative produced by the mainstream. And while most would be weary of guys like Keith Ablow, did you know liberally progressive people like Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert contribute to this erasure and undermining of gender fluidity in society by offhanded jokes?
And it is easy to defend them, it is easy to defend Joss Whedon, because it simply is that casual. Get over it! It doesn’t matter! Stop being so sensitive! Others go so far as feeling the victim themselves (which is wrong.) And if it really was isolated it would not be an issue.
If one movie ended with the final twist being the love interest had naturally brown hair, so what? But what if you noticed in every movie or television show that the people with brown hair were always deceitful or jokes and usually played by blondes? That where in one scene two people seem to really connect, but in the next scene a friend points out the brown roots and we see how disgusted they are by the revelation, as they laugh “you almost went home with a shithead!”
No. If it was uncommon we wouldn’t have an issue. But it is common. Even in safe places. Even in the LGBT community as demonstrated by Julia Serano in her book aptly named excluded. (If you seriously want to know everything about trans-issues just stop reading this and get a copy of Whipping Girl.) But what’s the real problem here? Where do all these off handed comments lead? Well, when you reduce either gender to genitals, even in jest, you’re hurting everyone. Something beautifully deconstructed by here by Aoifeschatology
And if we don’t say anything, if we treat it as an insignificant offhanded joke, then this perception continues and so too does that status quo of discrimination and ignorance that no doubt contributes to suicide rates several times higher than the general population. And if we get angry we’re told to settle down, in effect we are told how we should perceive something. We are told we shouldn’t be bothered by something that so directly affects us. The evidence for this is in any comment section about any transgender issue ever.
Our identities and feelings become either unheard from standing back or overwritten by people who think they know how trans people should feel above and beyond how trans people feel themselves. Do you not see the problem yet? This isn’t a debate. We have been and continue to be hurt and this doesn’t change despite anyone’s rationalize or reduction.
I can’t speak for everyone, but as a trans woman I don’t ask for much. I don’t ask that people censor themselves completely into a political correct world of eggshells. I only ask that you stop perpetuating sexist tropes devoid of originality or humor. I ask that you be better, more interesting and more creative, not only for us, but for yourselves and the world. Because it will always be more interesting creating new observation rather than regurgitating viral cultural memes.
Spiritual Humanism 