Mykki Blanco Speaks Out on Trans Male Issues: “This Is a Form of Cultural Misogyny”

The recent spotlight on transgender icons like Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, and Andreja Pejic in pop culture has led some to say we’re living in a “transgender moment.” But for rapper and performance artist Mykki Blanco, this new wave of trans visibility is lacking something crucial: the inclusion of transgender men.

In a note posted yesterday on Facebook, Blanco expanded on an earlier comment stating that “people still don’t want to recognize the female to male trans narrative.” “For the most part the current wave of transgender activism and visibility only examines the narratives of male to female transgender persons,” Blanco explained, noting that both the media and public have focused on an “ugly duckling to beautiful swan” narrative that subscribes to gender stereotypes of how women are supposed to be. This ends up silencing or ignoring the voices of trans men, says Blanco, whose narratives are less easily marketed to cis straight society.

“We are publicly ‘learning’ the male to female trans narrative in it’s varied forms while the female to male trans narrative remains niche, fringe to queer visibility and cis straight identity,” Blanco concludes. “This is a form of cultural misogyny in my opinion however unpurposed it may be.” Read Blanco’s statement in full here, and look out for the rapper’s C-ORE compilation on new label Dogfood on September 18.

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