Calperina Addams & Thoughts

Posted on March 28th, 2009 by Huck

First, watch this video. It’s long, but worth it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjqsB1huDxg&hl=en&fs=1]

Interesting how this video is funny in some was, terrible in others, and yet so very accurate. It has kind of stuck with me all day. Thoughts?

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4 Responses to “Calperina Addams & Thoughts”

  1. Caleb, on March 28th, 2009 at 10:52 am Said:

    my thoughts remain the same:

    Why does she ruin such a funny video by being classist and sex-negative?

    Half of it just reads like a privileged trans woman wanting to separate herself in cis people’s minds from those trannies that are making her look bad.

    The other half, of course, is spot-on.

  2. Huck, on March 28th, 2009 at 11:29 am Said:

    Caleb, you make very good points. I briefly thought about the classist/sex-negative things she was saying as I was watching the video, but having come from a place of class privilege I often forget/overlook these aspects. Thanks again for pointing it out.

  3. Theo, on December 19th, 2009 at 11:12 am Said:

    I’m glad a lot of different types of strong identities are asserting themselves and feeling proud of themselves.
    However, there’s a specific identity, or pair of identities, I want to adress specifically, because they are de-voiced. Stealth trans women and stealth trans men.
    It’s part of the stealth identity to want to pass perfectly and to have most people never know, and speaking up about political and social difficulties instantly negates the stealth identity by self-outing the person.

    A few people have had the courage enough to out themselves, or been unlucky enough to have been outed very publically as Calpernia was in the 1990s, losing their own identity as stealth but gaining a voice.

    Some of these people are jerks, some are heroes and some are a bit of both. We who still have our hope for keeping stealth are kind of biting our tongue when we here others speak about our situation. I disagree with points that other transsexuals make about almost everything.

    Personally, I don’t see how Calpernia in this particular video mentions non-transsexual trannies except in the part where she tells the story about someone asking her derisively if she is a “trannie”, and as I interpret the situation, her ire is directed with how the asker seemingly undermines her identity and femininity. Again, I’m privileged in some ways too (but I’ve been through more than my share of bad blood) but I’m happy that some people, like Andrea James and Calpernia Addams, are at least trying to stand up for our community, even if I often disagree with specific opinions and sentiments.

    Remember that Calpernia Addams has a history as a showgirl, as a performer. What’s your thoughts on their short video, Transproofed, about drag vs drab? It seems to be affirming to both camps.

  4. Theo, on December 22nd, 2009 at 8:46 pm Said:

    I’m rewatching it and sure enough, there are a lot of cracks about non-college educated, constructions workers and so on. I see your points about the classism now, and I agree.

    As for the sex-negative: note how her homepage URL flashes when she says those things. She’s been sex-positive so many times.

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