People are always looking for ways to tear down and discriminate against transgender people. It is actually quite disgusting. They are already such a tiny, tiny percentage of the population, but some bigots act like they are invading and taking over the culture, country, planet, and beyond. Like everyone else, trans people just want to live their lives and be their authentic selves. One such person is Dylan Mulvaney. She became known to hateful douchebags everywhere when she partnered with Bud Light for a March Madness Instagram ad. Conservatives lost their ever-loving minds! They were buying Bud Light, pouring it down the drain, shooting up 6-packs with machine guns, and generally acting unhinged. And now people are angry again because … nothing else is happening in the world?!
A few days ago, Attitude magazine named Dylan Mulvaney their Woman of the Year for using her platform and positivity to uplift trans women. This sounds like a good thing to me. I think people should love who they are. I know this is a very controversial take, though. And social media warriors had a TON to say about this decision. Let me start off by saying that Attitude is an LGBTQ magazine. On their website, they note that they are the best-selling gay magazine in the UK and Europe. They launched in 1994 and have done major interviews with people like George Michael, Sir Elton John, and Prince William. They are a reputable LGBTQ source, so it makes sense that their Woman of the Year would be a part of the LGBTQ community. I think the transgender part just really made people go over the edge.
I know a lot of people say don’t read the comments, and that is a good point if you want to try and be a sane person. However, I think it can help give us some insight into those who think differently. So I scrolled through X to see some of the reactions to Attitude‘s announcement. The hate was abundant! One woman posted an annoying video calling Mulvaney a parody and caricature of a woman. She complained that the magazine was belittling “real” women and girls. Let me respond. First, Dylan has been deeply entrenched in the lifestyle and has been living as a woman. She is a woman. And what is a real woman or girl? Many of these people have no problem with their savior Donald Trump making fun of Megyn Kelly’s period or for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll. What about women in those cases? The concepts of gender and womanhood have changed a LOT over time and vary by culture. Trans women are women, but many people refuse to accept this.
I see many comments talking about biology and that you can’t change what a woman is. Except that we can and we have. The origins of “woman” and “women” are quite interesting. The word “woman” can be traced back to the combination of two Old English words meaning “wife-man.” Sounds horrible right? But this origin goes back to over a thousand years ago when it didn’t necessarily mean a married female. It basically meant a female. It has changed from things like “head of household” to “married female” to other stuff. The word “woman” basically can mean whatever society wants it to mean. Biology doesn’t tell the full story. This is just a simplistic aspect that some use to try and invalidate transgender people and their experiences.
The point is, that there are so many real issues going on. From the war in Gaza to people suffering from mental illness without help, to those who live on the streets or in tents, to the planet being on fire, the number of issues plaguing our world is plentiful. Yet people continue to unleash hatred against a marginalized, vulnerable minority. I just don’t get it. Even if you individually do not agree with Mulvaney winning this award, you can opt to keep that to yourself. The world needs less negativity, not more. Cisgender women are still able to be uplifted whether transgender folks win awards or not.
(featured image: Rob Kim/Getty Images)
