"Identification Unnecessary in Political Realm"

This article seems very generalized, unclear, and rude. I totally disagree with the suggestion that “we should be more accepting of the people who aren’t as comfortable with working with people who identify as transgender.” This makes absolutely no sense, because instead of working towards creating a more accepting community, we will be moving backwards by allowing people’s perceptions of others overshadow people’s perceptions of themselves. Also, Salama doesn’t even specify what she means when she says “an individuals preferred sexual orientation or identity.” If she’s assuming that sexual orientation is the only thing that constitutes one’s identity, then she is clearly transphobic.

Yes, there is a fine line between imposing and accepting. However, how can people ever accept difference unless the acceptance is imposed? There are so many transgender individuals who have to deal with refusal from doctors and employers for healthcare decisions and job opportunities. A good representation of this can be seen in the movie, Transamerica, where the main character, who is transgender, meets with her psychologist, who claims that “gender diaspora” is a disorder. Salama clearly acknowledges that “not everybody is willing to accept the classification.” Well, why not try to solve this problem and understand why that is, instead of claiming that “its just reality.” If everyone thought this way, then we would definitely not get anywhere near Salama’s so-called “ideal world.”

I think that Salama should really read Butler’s article, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” to realize that she’s speaking in the past and that the notion of “coming out” as a solution to gender discrimination does nothing but reaffirms hetero-normativity and the classifications society has created for people.

As I was reading some of the comments posted after the article, someone said that they hoped this article is a satire. I hope so too, because it seems way too illogical and ignorant, especially coming from a USC student.