“LGB without the T!” “Gay not queer!” “The Trans lobby is using gay people for its own ends!” the transphobes cry. Though the vast majority of these people are not gay, they still try to speak for the LGBTQ Community. When confronted with the fact that most LGB people like the TQ, the response is always the same: this is forced-teaming. But what exactly does that mean? Is forced-teaming a real phenomenon? More importantly, why is there an emphasis on dividing the LGBTQ Community?
Forced-teaming as a concept is simple. It states that one group of radical people are claiming support or acceptance from a less radical group of people in order to normalize a more radical agenda and create support where there is none. Its origins are actually in self-help circles as a way to recognize and escape abuse. It first appeared in the 1997 book The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker. Self-defense website The Dragon Society explains it as, “It is simply making an implied connection between two parties when there, in reality, is none.” The term stems from interpersonal interactions, but has been broadened in recent years to include many different contexts. An actual example of this in the realm of politics is antisemitic groups trying to use the protests of the Gaza war to legitimize anti-Semitism. The goal is to tie the two together. Pro-Palestine protesters have nothing in common with Neo-Nazis besides dislike of Israel, but for their own political goals Neo-Nazis try to claim they do as a way to gain legitimacy.
So, is the Trans Community co-opting the gay community to try and artificially inflate support for trans people? No. All data and polling shows gay people overwhelmingly support trans people. The highest support comes from the very community that’s been focused on the most in this discourse: lesbians. A recent survey by Just Like Us found as such. If there is no ‘forced-teaming’ occurring here, what is happening then? What other processes could be occurring here to explain LGB support for Trans people? This brings up the fatal flaw in the forced-teaming accusations: the concept of solidarity.
Solidarity is the philosophical principle of disparate groups recognizing and supporting the struggles of other groups. One group might be suffering, and the other may not be, but due to factors such as a past history or oppression or a sense of empathy, they stand together. It is why gay people support Palestine. Even though many Arabs in Palestine might be homophobic, the brutality of the Israeli regime has echoed the brutality of many other homophobic regimes, thus eliciting sympathy from the gay community. Fools will argue that the gay community is going against their own interests by supporting homophobes, but recognizing the humanity of others even if they don’t recognize yours is exactly in the interest of the LGBTQ Community. It is the moral thing to do, and it also means that more Arabs are more likely to support gay people in the future because gay people supported them.
Solidarity is what the LGBT Community is based around. The reason why the acronym is spelled LGBT is in honor of lesbians who showed solidarity and supported gay men throughout the AIDS crisis. Gay, bisexual, and lesbian people stuck together because of common values, and this is no different than trans people. Intersex people are also members of the LGBTQ Community not due to forced-teaming, but due to the overlap in medical principles that the trans community is fighting for, namely bodily autonomy. The forced-teaming narrative falls apart precisely because the teaming is voluntary, not forced. Solidarity should not be confused with forced-teaming.
If forced-teaming is not happening, why is this rhetoric being employed? As with a lot of transphobic rhetoric, it’s a thinly-veiled attempt to drive a wedge through an otherwise tight-knit community. Divide and conquer. It’s easy to bully one Trans kid, it’s harder to harass a hundred gay and Trans kids. Isolating Trans people is key to destroying trans rights, it is why this tactic is being used so much. Astroturf groups like Gays Against Groomers and the LGB Alliance exist and receive funding precisely to push the forced-teaming narrative. Thankfully, most gay people aren’t stupid. Correctly, many have seen through this ruse and have shown their support for their Trans kin. They know that should trans people be placed on the chopping block, they are next. The LGB Alliance is actually quite explicit about this, advocating against gay marriage on several occasions. Still, the main audience for this rhetoric is not gay people themselves, but liberals.
One of the many weaknesses of liberals is their propensity for respectability politics. For the liberal, image is everything. So long as one vaguely gestures towards platitudes and principles, it does not matter what they believe or what actions they take. The ‘LGB without the T’ movement caters precisely to this weakness. Transphobic liberals can now support bigotry without supporting unsightly organizations. They can say they’re fighting for gay rights while actively harming the LGBTQ Community. They can be transphobic and feel good about it. They have a veneer of moral superiority. The violence and moral depravity of eliminationist organizations tends to drive liberals away, but if those organizations make fronts to launder their reputation, liberals will eat it up. The success of the ‘LGB without the T’ movement has been driven by straight liberals, not the few gay bigots it attracts. Thus, it is important to recognize this in order to combat it.
How do we fight against this rhetoric? A good strategy is to wash away the patina of respectability these organizations have. All the leaders of these orgs are reprehensible people, and the more their image is tarnished by stating what they actually believe, the less likely their views are to spread. A calm, informed and intelligent approach is best here. Remember: it’s all about image with liberals. If you look sane and rational, you have already won. In a just world, none of these people should be respected or approached in good-faith. This is not a perfect world. Optics is important, and many of the leaders of ‘LGB without the T’ can’t help themselves from saying something repugnant. Have them hoist themselves by their own petard. Calmly wear them down and frustrate them. They will slip up eventually. When arguing with these people, remember that it is not about convincing them if your argument, but convincing liberals. Though these people definitely deserve every insult in the book, on most occasions it’s unhelpful given that you will be seen as unreasonable. It’s annoying, but in order to win you have to play the game and play it well. Don’t let transphobes divide our community. Fight back.