30/08/2017 20:02:20 ¶ ●

zaxal:

> “passing privilege” is not a real thing.

> the term ‘passing’ was, iirc, used to describe african americans whose skin and facial features were light enough that they could escape from slavery to somewhere else and live in a state of constant fear of being found out.

> people who could ‘pass’ did not have any sort of privilege; they simply lived out their oppression in different ways. they still suffered at the hands of the system that had been built to subjugate them.

> arguing that anyone who is oppressed has ‘passing privilege’ is fundamentally misunderstanding what passing is and how dangerous it is.

> a trans woman who ‘passes’ for a cis woman is in as much danger of being a victim of violence, of being murdered, as her non-passing sisters, especially if a cis man feels ‘tricked’ into finding a ‘man’ attractive.

> a bisexual man who ‘passes’ for heterosexual is more likely to be abused by hetero and homosexual partners, who will then blame his sexuality for dissatisfaction in the relationship.

> a ‘high functioning’ neurodivergent person will suffer the same lack of accommodations as a ‘lower functioning’ person with the same disability, but will be expected to achieve more because they aren’t ‘really’ affected by it.

> passing means having your struggles erased or considered ‘lesser’ because there’s a chance that you could be seen as ‘normal’ in the eyes of passersby.

> this is not a privilege. it’s living your life in terror of being found out. it’s being denied access to the community and services that claim to support you.

> it’s oppression in its most insidious form; it pretends that you have gained something positive through the way you experience oppression.