Escorts & Models: The Great TS debate

[Jhellis978]

I posted the following on another ts forum, but didn't get any responses. This seems to be a more active board, so perhaps there will be more discussion here.

In starting this thread, I am attempting to tackle a "hot button" issue among the transgendered community. Much like the abortion debate in our national community, everyone has a definite opinion on the issue, but many are afraid to voice their thoughts. Those that do, often lack the knowledge and understanding to maintain an intelligent debate and talks soon turn to shouts and nothing is gained. It is my hope that this thread will spur intelligent talk on an issue very real to transsexuals and those who love them.

Allow me to preface this post by saying, I am not the greatest wordsmith, but I hope to compose thoughts in a manner to treat each person with the respect and kindness they deserve as a human being. Inevitably, many of you reading this post have engaged in professions I will adress in my my writing. I do not seek to judge; everyone is equal in my eyes.

With that said, let the debate beign.

Anyone who knows anything about the transgendered community, realizes that, right or wrong, the images on the Internet and on TV talk shows, form the foundation for understanding of the transgendered community among the general population of our nation and planet I realize, as do many on this board, that the images on the Internet and on TV, represent only one small niche of the transgendered community. The question remains, "Who's to blame for this distorted portrayal of the ts community?"

Men?

TS's?

Society in general?

I've had discussions with a couple of lovely ladies on this board about this issue and I've come to the conclusion that it's a combination of all three.

In order to adequately address the issue, we must directly examine the very impetus of the "business." Many ts's who enter the world of adult entertainment, whether it be escorting, "modeling", "film production", do so because they feel they have been shunned by the larger American community, charging employment discrimination. While I agree that many employers discriminate against transgendered individuals, forcing many into escorting, I do believe that it is partly self chosen.

Let's totally remove morality from the equation. We're not going to debate whether or not escorting is right or wrong, rather necessity vs. motivation.

I've never dated nor hired an escort, but I have a few friends in the business. As you might expect, they come from a variety of backgrounds.

One, comes from a wealthy, Caucasion family in the Northeast. She is college educated, ambitious and motivated. Her family has offered her material and emotional support throughout her transition. To her, escorting is a choice--one that she is not proud of, but a choice nonetheless. Like smoking, escorting becomes addictive, with money being the nicotene. Imagine, setting your own hours, not having a boss and pulling in over 2 grand a day.

I have another escort friend from a lower income Hispanic family. She dropped out of school in the 10th grade and all her personal records still show her as male. Obviously, at this point in her life, she is not really an attractive hire to any business except for possibly food service. As the ladies on here will tell you, transition is a very expensive process--one that cannot be supported on a mininum wage salary. To her, escorting is a means to an end.

We live in a free market, captialistic society that runs on the basic principle of supply and demand. In essence, the more demand for a product, the higher the output. Obviously, there are a ton of men throwing money into the business, because everyday a new site or ts escort comes onto the market.

As previously noted, we are not debating the moral implications of the adult entertainment industry. For the record, I have no problem with the business, I've actually bailed one of my escort friends out of jail when she was busted by the cops, but we do need to examine the larger social ramifications engendered by the adult entertainment industry within the transgendered community.

Right or wrong, the American people form their opinions about the transgendered community, based on empirical evidence--what they see, touch and feel, not on an abstract analysis of "why" someone engages in a particular trade. If all they see is big breasted, foul talking, nymphs, they will assume all ts women are like that and put up barriers to accepting them into society (e.g. workplace, school, family circles, etc.).

As you see, it's a large, messy circle, a "damned if you, damned if you don't" type of situation. The question now, how do we change it?

A percentage of the money generated from the transsexual adult entertainment industry should be put back in the community in the form of scholarship funds, legal defense funds, advocacy groups and PAC's (political action commitee). Afterall, if you don't look after one or another, who will look after you?

Imagine, being able to send a young transgendered to college on money gleaned from trassexual movie stars donating money to a scholarship fund. Imagine a political lobbying firm, created by escorts and models uniting, donating a part of their earnings to have a voice in Washington. Imagine, being able to fight back against men like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Rush Limbaugh and the entire Republican Party and conservative movement. It's possible.

Escorts and models are not a problem, they are a solution to the end of ignorance, hate and poltical injustice.

[Ecstatic]

Asking "who's to blame" is the wrong way around; the more salient question is "how do we change the perception of society at large regarding TS women." Given that TS exist at all levels of society (and in virtually every society worldwide), there are many different, valid approaches. Part of that is improving the perception of TS in the adult entertainment world, such that TS are no longer seen as a freakish fetish but as mainstream as any other element, and girls like Allanah, Vicki, Jade, Wendy, Joanna, and others are doing this, each in her own way, elevating the role of TS in the adult or sex industry.

However, as you say, that alone is not enough because the overall effect is to reinforce the image of TS as nothing but escorts and porn stars, when in truth the vast majority of TS are not. Here high profile, non-sex industry TS like Mianne Bagger, Renee Richards and Dana International make a difference. Bagger in particular is a stunning example of someone who has transitioned (to the degree that she no longer considers herself "trans"sexual at all, as the "trans" is past), and has been widely accepted by society at large and by her male-dominated world of golf. More women like these will emerge in the coming years.

In a smaller, more grassroots but maybe ultimately more important way, I think the way we all discuss and interact publically with TS women makes the biggest difference of all. On the first point, I have found over the past couple of years that people are generally far more openminded about TS and simply want to understand what being TS means than I ever would have guessed. I don't discuss my sexual activities with TS with my friends or family (it's none of their business), I often discuss transgender issues with friends and family, and every time I find that they welcome the information and really want to understand something they've heard about on the news or, more likely, on TV but have a distorted image of. Clarifying that image, a light goes on for them, and every time people have thanked me for helping them to understand. This I think is an important step to acceptance, not in the high profile public sense of a Mianne Bagger, but in the everday, man-in-the-street sense.

The second point is how we interact with TS when we are in public. I'm speaking now about anyone who could (forgive the term, I don't like it either) be described as a tranny chaser or TS admirer. If you keep this your dirty little secret and are ashamed to be seen with a TS friend or companion, then you're reinforcing the negative stereotype. But if you're comfortable and even proud to be seen out with a TS friend, then it's a positive. People don't have to know if you and your TS companion are lovers! Simply be together, as naturally as you feel about one another. If she is your lover (not as an escort but as a girlfriend), then by all means show the world--I mean, act the same way you would with a GG lover when you're out. And if you're friends (perhaps as occasional lovers, perhaps only as friends), then act the same in public as you would with a GG friend. I love being out with a TS friend, going to a restaurant, shopping, walking, whatever. Normalcy.

That's my take.

[Jhellis978]

Very good points ecstatic!

I still think more can be done as far social activism.

The reason the Right is so succesful is because they promote activism among their followers. Only 25% of the United States are "evangelicals" or the ever popular "values voters." Yet almost the entire population of that 25% is actively engaged in politics--fund raising, campaigning, voter drives, and just plain voting.

Now, these evangelical nut jobs run our country and are attempting to use the government to force religion on us.

Think of the power we could bring to the Left if we could somehow stir up politcal activism among transsexuals.

I wonder how many people on this board voted in the 2004 presidential election. Obviously, not enough, because Bush got elected.

Imagine tapping into only 30% of the transsexual adult entertainment business, we could have put John Kerry in the White House.