“Unquestionability” in Black Trans community
From the minute I stepped into the online realm of Black Trans community, I knew something was wrong...
It was a sea of callout posts, allegations constantly flying back and forth, and an underlying beat of division and tension. It truly was a tense environment, but it didn't take me that long to learn what was going on:
It was some bullshit.
Namely, abuse and DARVO.
What is abuse? Ah...Here we go. This is something I and many others have tried to properly define, especially because there are so many definitions and different ethical standards, even within supposedly "radical" communities.
Here's a list of traits I use to identify abusive behavior:
-the action seeks to control another person without consent; removes autonomy. -the action silences or invalidates the experience of another person via dismissal, manipulation or lying. -the action is manipulative or coercive. -a person does not respond with accountability & active improvement after a harmful behavior. -A harmful pattern that the abuser is either unwilling or unable to stop.
What is DARVO? DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) is a tactic used by abusers to avoid accountability/responsibility for their actions. I wrote the word "used", but this can be intentional or unintentional, meaning an abuser can actively decide to DARVO someone consciously or they can do it unconsciously. Either way, it's abuse, and it can be unimaginably damaging to a victim.
Why is this a Black Trans issue?
Because Black Trans people, just by existing, have a firm at the bottom of the totem pole of who is given basic respect in this world. Add disability, desirability