“When social movements engage in legal reform, they often mobilize images of people from their constituent population who most match national norms about what "deserving citizens" are like, and use those people as spokespeople and as lead plaintiffs in legal cases. This strategy requires that people who are experiencing intersectional harm - who are vulnerable through multiple vectors of demonization and marginalization - be further marginalized and disappeared by the advocacy.” PeopleUseSocialCasesMovementCitizensStrategyPopulationHarmVulnerableReformMultipleNormDeservingConstituentsAdvocacyMarginalizedSocial MovementsMarginalizationVectorsSpokespeople Author:Dean Spade
“There are sharply different, competing models of what trans advocacy looks like - those that seek to follow the path laid out by the most visible and well-funded lesbian and gay rights organizations in the US and those that seek to use grassroots strategies, center issues of race and poverty, and aim to dismantle harmful institutions and conditions to redistribute life chances.” WellsLooksDifferentUseChanceRacePovertyPathIssuesRightsConditionsGayModelsOrganizationAimInstitutionsStrategyVisibleCompetingTransGay RightsAdvocacyGrassroots Author:Dean Spade
“As trans advocacy has institutionalized and developed, the context of the undemocratic nature of US non-profits and the ways that white, wealthy individuals can intensely influence the directions of advocacy have increasingly come to the surface for trans activists.” WayIndividualWhiteInfluenceProfitSurfaceWealthyActivistTransAdvocacyNon Profit Author:Dean Spade
“More conservative advocacy work often encourages portrayals of trans people as people who deserve rights. Deservingness, of course, corresponds to national racial, gender and ability norms.” PeopleCoursesAbilityRightsDeserveConservativeGenderNormTransAdvocacyPortrayal Author:Dean Spade
“One particular debate that I have seen play out again and again is whether trans people who have more traditional gender expressions or who "pass" more should be the ones who are represented. A recent advocacy guide focused on advocating around trans health care access produced by the largest trans advocacy organization in the US instructs readers that advocacy will be more successful if the message is delivered by people who pass as non-trans men and women.” PeopleIfsMenShouldPlayCareSuccessfulParticularExpressionReaderMessagesMen And WomenOrganizationGenderFocusedGuidesAccessDebateTraditionalHealth CareAgain And AgainTransAdvocatingAdvocacy Author:Dean Spade
