On Dianics and Cis Women's Space

Pictured: Not Dianics. [Im Cr ShahMai Network]

So I don't know if any of you heard, but there's this conference called PantheaCon which is a huge conference for Pagans and people of similar religious paths, and this year there was a huge controversy which I guess was new to some people but not to me.  There was a "Lilith Ritual" put on by some Dianics and, surprise surprise, trans women were asked to leave at the door.  Some may be shocked by this, but honestly I can't be.  When I hear the word "Dianic" my body fills with heebie jeebies because I pretty much associate it with transphobic bile.  I'm also a men's mysteries spiritualist which adds an opposite-but-similar twinge to this.  So honestly, this issue makes me burn like Hell.

The thing is, though, that it's not because they insist on space for cis women*.  I know that plenty of people will very strongly disagree with me and they're welcome to write their own opinion on the subject, but Dianics can have some passably good reasons for only allowing cis women.  When it comes to gender and biological sex, the dynamics of privilege and needs are somewhat wacky, and although I would not be so stupid as to deny that these women have privilege up to their necks for being cis, they do have a right to their own spiritual space and I simply do not argue that they must allow trans women in.  One could argue that trans women and cis women have sufficiently different mysteries (although I wouldn't personally argue that, again, being a men's mysteries practitioner who is also trans).  We can't create their faith for them.

What I am appalled by is that they time and time again insist on... can I not sugar-coat this for a minute?  These people are fucking assholes to trans women.  And trans men, too, actually, but the majority of their ire is directed toward trans women for having the utter gall to want actual dignity.  And that is not okay.

It is not okay to refer to trans women as "men made women on an operating table."  It is not okay to refer to trans men as "mutilated lesbians."  It is not okay to make things up specifically to exclude trans women when you find out that your rules apply to some cis women.  It is not okay to refer to trans women as men.  It is not okay to refer to us as "trannies" and "transies," it is not okay to refer to something as "women's space" and then turn away women who don't look like your narrow vision of what a woman should look like because you assume they are trans.

The fact that Dianics and other cis women only groups continue to pretend not to be transphobic while doing every single damned one of these things is spiritually disgusting.  Exclusion brings up several problems, but it is not the problem.  The problem is an utter lack of respect for other human beings.

Personally, until enough of them can get their act together, I can only be ashamed that a group like this is under the same spiritual umbrella as mine.  And that's unfortunate, because not all Dianics are transphobic assholes.  When will more of those people speak up?

* Usually people in these groups prefer "women-born-women," but because this phrase was invented as a way to attack trans women I do not feel justified in using it and won't until they stop referring to trans women using disgusting and offensive terminology.