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the thing that bothers me the most abt the lesbian masterdoc is its authoritative stance on things that are fundamentally non-authoritative --> which is a problem rooted in its gaze.
trans lesbians and cis lesbians have v. different relationships with lesbianism
trans lesbians and cis lesbians have v. different relationships with lesbianism
tbh "compulsive heterosexuality" is something that cis lesbians & AFAB lesbians generally struggle with, whereas trans lesbians struggle a lot more with fears of being the "predatory lesbian" or the "undesirable lesbian," something the lesbian masterdoc skimps out on
different relationships with gender, sexuality, and sex mean different experiences coming out as a lesbian. the lesbian masterdoc generally treats cis women as the default and makes a few exceptions for trans lesbians, which is nice, but ultimately implies "cis les = default les"
That's not to say the lesbian masterdoc isn't useful or it doesn't have helpful tidbits. But a person's gaze informs the guides they write, and the lesbian masterdoc reflects a gaze that is not inherently inclusive of trans lesbians and far more concerned with AFAB lesbians
A problem, btw, that would be much less of a problem if it was not written to be authoritative.
More importantly, being a lesbian isn't cut and dry, there are many different kinds of lesbians, and "lesbian" itself is an identity that has gone through different definitions
More importantly, being a lesbian isn't cut and dry, there are many different kinds of lesbians, and "lesbian" itself is an identity that has gone through different definitions
The longer I've spent as an out trans lesbian, the less I feel the need to strictly define what the phrase "lesbian" or "trans lesbian" means. These words are better left open-ended, vague, and a little more inclusive than exclusive. They are umbrellas and spectrums, not bricks
No two people can identically point out how they realized they were a lesbian because no two people have the exact same journey. When we try to authoritatively and definitively claim how to "prove" lesbian identity, we ultimately leave certain groups out
