"Advocates Hope Transgender Identity Is Not a Defining One" »

“But [Ms. Sparks] she is not the only transgender person campaigning for public office this fall. And unlike in years past, when such candidates were often considered mere curiosities, several are within striking distance of historic victories.”

None of the candidates featured in the NYT story identify as transmen.  I wonder if there are any candidates this cycle that do identify as transmen; if so, did the NYT make a decision not to feature their stories, or are the positions they’re vying for not seen as  ‘historic victory’ material?

This reminds me a lot of how Amanda Simpson was being named as the Obama Administration’s first transgender appointee, although the title more accurately belongs to Dylan Orr.

A lot of media coverage on the trans community focuses on transwomen to the exclusion of transmen.  In stories like these, I think there’s a two-fold reason for that.  First of all, society is inherently transfixed and obsessed with the idea of transwomen- both because any deviation from normative ‘male’ sexuality is far more threatening, and because if you conceive of the idea of a gender hierarchy, it makes sense for individuals to want to transition ‘upwards’ towards a male identity, but it doesn’t make sense vice versa.  Secondly, most transwomen have experienced and internalized some form of male privilege.  In a society where cisgender male politicians far outnumber cisgender female politicians, it might make sense for transwomen to be more comfortable with entering the political arena than transmen.