THREAD: The everpresent *affirmative* comparisons of Blackface to drag & transgender males pretending to be females are not only offensive, but reflect whites’ well-documented, callous disregard for the humanity and dignity of Black people. There are many 1/21

flaws with the Blackface-drag/transgenderism analogy, which I will address shortly. But first let's discuss what underlies these comparisons.

At the core of these substantive comparisons which are almost exclusively invoked by white women, is resentment and envy that 2/21

Blackface & incidences like Rachel Dolezal's are routinely met with swift public opprobrium/backlash, while drag & male transgenderism are not.

Another item which underlies these comparisons is white women’s attempt to enshrine sexism atop the gold medal podium in the 3/21

Oppression Olympics to try & downplay their white privilege, as well as elevate the discrimination axis that they inhabit.

Both are demonstrations of racist entitlement, & are baseless given two key flaws with the comparisons: Blackface history/reaction of the relevant grp. 4/21

1. US BLACKFACE HISTORY. Blackface’s sole basis for creation was the degradation and dehumanization of enslaved Black ppl. Period. It grew into a significant & widespread national, cultural phenomenon, & at one point was *the dominant theater act* across the country. 5/21

It played a substantial role in entrenching particular stereotypes of Black ppl into the national consciousness; specifically that Blks were violent, stupid, rapists, lascivious, & content/happy with being enslaved/controlled by white ppl. This, unsurprisingly, assisted 6/21

in facilitating our murder, lynching, rape, & denial of basic human rights, especially following the Civil War. A popular Blackface character was “Jim Crow,” played by Thomas Dartmouth Rice, for whom the infamous federal/state/local racial segregation system was named. 7/21

Nothing is remotely comparable, including drag/transgenderism. The legion of men who murder, rape, kill women are not influenced by…drag shows. Drag has a niche popularity, various bases of origin, & was never a dominant act across this country.  

And while on the surface 8/21

drag/Blackface mock/caricature an oppressed group, the purpose of creation; degree of local/state/federal integration/cultural influence; & Blackface’s *encouragement/facilitation of slavery/murder/lynching/ degradation* make them night & day.  

Another item that is 9/21

night and day, & a substantial factor in the way each is received, is the reaction of those being mocked/appropriated.

2. REACTION. Black Americans overwhelmingly vehemently object to and protest depictions of Blackface. Any instance of non-Blacks artificially darkening 10/21

their skin to appear Black invokes the painful & racist history of Blackface for most of us *regardless of the perpetrator’s alleged intention.*  Governor of Virginia or Alabama decades ago caricaturing Black people? No. Make-up tutorial on looking like a Black person? No. 11/21

Gucci Blackface sweater? No. Prime Minister of Canada donning Blackface in the 90s? No. Black person Halloween costume? No. The reaction by Black people is swift, unrelenting, and unequivocal.

Similarly, in 2015 when Rachel Dolezal tried her “trans Black” fuckery, 12/21

Black ppl shut her down *immediately.* With few exceptions, we collectively rejected her offensive appropriation & reduction of Black ppl to stereotypes/mimicry of our physical characteristics.

This spawned one of the greatest hashtags in Black Twitter history #askrachel 13/21

where we as Black ppl bonded over series of cultural questions signifying our Blackness & mocking Rachel. I wasn’t even on Twitter in 2015, but had heard of this. We were having none of it.

Contrast that to women & the reaction drag/transgenderism. 14/21

First, there is virtually zero outrage by women regarding the existence/performance of drag shows. With the exception of a few articles/texts, there is very little criticism of them, & scant demands by women that these shows cease immediately.  Also, thousands of women 15/21

attend drag shows in any given year. RuPaul Andre Charles has had a cable drag program for 10 years. Where are the protests/calls to the producers/campaigns to boycott sponsors of the show from women? Where are the hashtags? To say nothing of the many women regularly/ 16/21

prominently featured in the show’s production, & who voted to give the show its several Emmy awards.
 
Same w/ transgenderism. Women are amongst the *most staunch & rabid* supporters of transgender ideology. And not just randos on Twitter or blue-haired college students. 17/21

Prominent/influential female politicians, celebrities, feminists, academics, scientists, women’s organizations, etc fully support this virulently misogynistic ideology. Women introduce/support/advance legislation/policies which center males & erase our sex-based rights. 18/21

White women’s resentment that drag/gender identity do not receive the same outrage as Blackface/Dolezal loses all credibility when they fail to address that a significant portion of the very people being appropriated—women--are *fiercely supporting the appropriation.*19/21

This is especially so given that white women make up *the majority* of this pro-trans support. Another contrast in this regard is how many everyday, non-Blue check Black women approach transgenderism as per the linked thread. Hint: not having it. 20/21   https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/laverne-cox-black-cis-women-are-to-blame-because-black-straight-men-dont-want-to-date-trans-women.2537928/.

It seems white women who make this comparison wld be better served collecting their own, not coming for Black ppl or exploiting our pain/suffering to advance this argument.

This thread is Part I of II on this issue. Part II will be analysis of a recent article on opic. 21/21

*on the topic