(static buzzes)
- Policies like this only exist
to terrorize transgender employees.
They only exist to terrorize people
who are gender non-conforming
or simply don't dress the way that they want them to.
One of the things that I thought when I was looking at this
is I know so many women who are very transphobic
who sharply reject typical feminine gender presentation
and expression, and those people are going to be told
to put a dress on, to start acting a certain way,
to start emulating certain stereotypes
of the way that women should be.
The kind of situation that they encouraged,
the sort of bed that they made
is ultimately going to smother them.
(static buzzes)
Before we get into this video, I wanted to let you guys know
that it's sponsored by my Patreon.
Patreon is where I upload a ton of my personal vlogs
and other things that I don't post publicly to YouTube.
And if you're interested in that sort of thing,
definitely check out my Patreon.
If you've followed my side channel, you know already
that I have pushed all of my content
from my side channel to my Patreon
and will continue to upload
that type of content onto my Patreon.
Right now you can see these videos if you are curious,
and yeah, I'm excited to expand,
and Patreon is exactly how I do that.
So if you enjoy my content,
consider supporting me on Patreon.
(static buzzes)
Hey guys, it's Kat, and we are here to talk
about some really annoying transphobia.
Before I start this video, I wanted to say that I am indeed
trying to get away from making content like this
because I have been making content like this
for a really long time.
I've been talking about this stuff for almost two decades,
18 years of my life.
That's most of my life, and frankly, I'm tired.
I know that a lot of these conversations
are becoming more relevant now,
but I've been talking about them for a really long time
and I would like to as we move
into a more scary time for transgender people
start to really pursue
the content that I'm passionate about,
the things that I really enjoy talking about.
Don't expect for this to be a trend.
Don't expect for me to talk about this
every single time something like this comes up.
I wanted to talk about this
because I think it relates to a lot of other things
and I wanted to share my perspective
on this particular thing
as laws like this become more common.
And yeah, so hopefully you guys understand
where I'm coming from and will respect
that this is not going to be a trend on my channel.
So, (graphic whooshes)
"Texas Agriculture Department's new dress code
"is based on biological gender."
Now, before I read this and tell you guys about this,
there are a lot of anti-drag legislations
across the country right now.
And by the way, these are all forwarded
by the same exact group of people
called the The Heritage Foundation.
They are forwarding a lot of laws
like this that are trying to make it
so that you have to essentially assimilate into gender.
You gotta do this, you gotta do that
or there will be legal consequences.
And we've had a lot of examples of people
trying to defy it in Tennessee,
where a law like this was passed.
We saw Lizzo and a bunch of other celebrities
bringing on drag queens for their performances.
I wanna say that for me, that is incredibly punk rock.
I love the fact that people are doing that,
that they are risking themselves
to show their support for gender diverse people
and I am just very thankful for people like that
who are willing to stick their neck out like that,
people who are not trans but definitely understand
the implications of this.
And of course, when drag bills came up,
there was a whole conversation about how,
no, this is just about drag queens, right?
But I wanna make it very clear, that's just a smoke screen.
These people know exactly what they're doing,
and if you read really closely how these rules
are actually expressed,
you'll see that that's indeed what it's about
and it's about that.
And it's definitely about pushing people
towards gender assimilation.
So, I wanted to read this article on NPR
and then go into my thoughts about it
because I think that a lot of stuff like this
has larger implications
than I think some people are currently able to process,
so let's get into it.
"The Texas Department of Agriculture
"is ordering its employees to comply with a new dress code,
"mandating they abide by it
"in a 'manner consistent with their biological gender.'
"An ACLU attorney says that it violates federal law
"that bans employment discrimination
"based on one's sexual orientation or gender identity.
"In a copy of the April 13 memo
"first obtained by The Texas Observer,
"the new dress code handed down by Sid Miller,
"the state's agriculture commissioner,
"is required by all employees
"as part of a dress code and grooming policy.
"'Employees are expected to comply with this dress code
"in a manner consistent with their biological gender,'
"the new policy said.
"The new dress code restrictions for employees
"will replace the previous one
"outlined by the state's agency's employee handbook.
"The Observer reported the original dress code
"made no reference to 'biological gender.'
"The new dress code policy will apply to all employees
"of the department, including interns and contractors,
"according to the policy.
"Those who violate the mandated dress code
"may face severe consequences
"and may be asked to leave the premises to change clothes
"that comply with the policy.
"If problems with an employee's dress continue,
"employees can face 'remedies to and including termination,'
"the memo says.
"It's unclear whether the decision
"to change the dress code began within Miller's office
"or as a result of a mandate higher up
"within the state's government.
"The Texas Department of Agriculture
"did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comments
"about the new dress code."
So in summary, you have to dress
according to your biological gender,
which of course is based on stereotypes
of the way that men are supposed to dress
and the way that women are supposed to dress
and you've got to assimilate into gender
because that's what this person's saying
or you risk losing your job.
Now, what's so interesting to me about stuff like this
is I remember when I was still in my early days
of trying to find work, I was on the receiving end
of a lot of employment discrimination.
And if you guys have followed my story,
you know that I was applying for work
before employment discrimination laws
were written in California to protect transgender people.
And so I had a lot of experiences when I was younger
of being laughed out of offices
because of my paperwork saying this
but me looking like this.
I had a lot of issues
with finding trans accepting employees.
I had a hard time finding employment as a trans person,
and of course that meant that I struggled quite a bit,
which is part of why those of you guys
who follow me on Patreon already know this,
but I moved into this nice apartment
and it was a really kind of monumentous moment for me
because I never thought that I would be able to afford this.
I didn't think I'd be able to pay for my own stuff.
I thought that I would always be struggling,
and being in a place right now
where I'm an open trans person,
I can pay my own bills, I can pay my own rent,
I live pretty comfortably, that was pretty shocking to me.
But of course the trade off for me personally
is that I make YouTube videos where I talk
about really upsetting stuff quite frequently,
and so I guess it's a trade off.
But anyway, stuff like this is so interesting to me
because obviously it's gonna be targeting
a very small minority of people
who are working in the Texas Agriculture Department
who are gender nonconforming,
trans, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
And obviously this is gonna create hurdles for employment,
and it's something that I think a lot of people don't get,
or maybe they do.
Actually, lemme walk that back.
They do get it. They do get it.
They know what they're doing.
Most transgender people are just trying to survive.
Most transgender people are just trying
to make ends meet the way that you are.
And when you see people like this,
now, of course this is different than like a law or whatever
but people are gonna copy this, right?
People who simply do not want to have transgender people
in the office are going to make policies like this
to discourage transgender people from applying for work
or discourage transgender employees from being employed.
Policies like this only exist
to terrorize transgender employees.
They only exist to terrorize people
who are gender nonconforming
or simply don't dress the way that they want them to.
And it's really sad to see stuff like this
become more common
because it's going to create even more hurdles
for people who want secure work.
And I don't think that we can just dismiss this as something
happening at one department, agency, or whatever.
It has much larger implications,
and the implication is very clear.
Assimilate into a gender or you have no access to capital.
And that of course places your need to survive
above your need to be yourself.
I think one thing that a lot of cis people take for granted
is that the clothes that they wear,
the clothes that they feel the most connected to,
that fit their body the most are not alienating
to them, right? (mouse clicks)
I at this point in my life can wear whatever
and feel pretty indifferent about it,
but I remember when I was younger
and I was applying for work,
the idea of dressing in a masculine way
gave me a lot of stress.
And it is really upsetting to see stuff like this creep up.
It is Texas, so I'm not so surprised about it,
but I know that just because it's happening
in one department in Texas
doesn't mean that other people will follow suit.
And it's a way for them to of course
get around those anti-discrimination laws.
It is a way for them to deliberately and boldly
discriminate against transgender people,
and not just transgender people,
but also people who don't particularly assimilate
into one particular type of gender expression.
One of the things that I thought when I was looking at this
is I know so many people who are cis women
who are very transphobic who sharply reject
typical feminine gender presentation and expression.
And those people are going to be told to put a dress on,
to start acting a certain way,
to start emulating certain stereotypes
of the way that women should be.
And that is really heartbreaking to know,
that the kind of situation that they encouraged,
the sort of bed that they made
is ultimately going to smother them.
And I'd feel bad about it,
but I don't know what you thought was gonna happen.
I don't know what you thought could possibly have happened
when you started to side with the religious right,
with the far right,
with organizations like the Heritage Foundation
that are pushing stuff like this.
Of course they want you to assimilate into gender
because all of this is just part of a much larger goal
of instilling fascism and Christian nationalism.
That's what this is all about.
And we can't live in a Christian nationalist society
where people are not assimilating to gender.
The gender binary and these ideas of men are here,
women are here and these are two distinct categories,
the patriarchy is a very large part of fascism.
It is.
They basically go hand-in-hand.
So they need gender assimilation,
they need for people to be like this or like that.
You can't have people in between mixing it up.
You can't have the freedom of gender expression
because obviously that would make the structure
they're trying to instill less strong.
And so it's disappointing and I wanted to bring this to you.
I feel really sorry for the people right now
who are in Texas and other states like this
where things like this are being passed in companies
or even legally, because it's just creating a situation
where people are probably gonna have to run away
and go somewhere else.
And unfortunately, what I've learned
is that's part of the strategy.
They want for left-leaning people to leave these states
so that they no longer have to deal with being outnumbered.
They no longer have to deal with people
moving against what they want.
And easier said than done,
but I hope that there are still people
who are willing to stay there and stick it out,
but I definitely wouldn't blame them for leaving.
I think at the end of the day,
you gotta do what's good for you
and if that means coming to California,
that means coming to California.
So anyway, I wanted to share with you guys
how I felt about this.
Stuff like this is only be going to become more common.
I'm gonna need for people who are not transgender
to start making a little bit more noise.
I will leave you with this, though.
This is a really touching TikTok video that I saw
that has something to do with this
and I wanted to show it to you guys to show that,
yeah, people can change their mind.
- If this law passes on April 1st,
public drag will now be criminalized.
- [Crowd Member] What?
- Is this true?
I live in Tennessee.
I'm a Tennesseean.
I have questions.
I just looked up the Bill, Tennessee Senate Bill 3, SB 3,
and I read it.
And before I read it, I just thought maybe
they were trying to say it's illegal for a performer
to have a overtly sexual show like a strip tease
or a hardcore burlesque show
in a place where children are present.
On some level that made sense to me.
Then I actually read the Bill,
and those types of performers are in the list
but also in the list is something they refer to
as a male or female impersonator performer.
What is a male or female impersonator and how do you discern
if someone is one of those in a public place?
I don't know, Tennessee, it kind of sounds like
if you're at a grocery store and you see someone
who based on an article of clothing they're wearing
and some lipstick and whether they have a physical attribute
such as stubble, for example,
that they could be in violation of the law
and could go to jail, and that sounds suspiciously
like they're trying to make certain types of clothing
on certain types of people illegal,
and that sounds suspiciously like a serious infringement
on someone's First Amendment rights.
I don't like that.
I'm a big fan of the First Amendment.
Actually pretty much everybody I've ever met
is a big fan of the First Amendment.
So yeah, after actually reading the Bill,
it sounds like they intend to come for drag performers,
or they could.
Sorry, I just got one more question.
What is drag?
So if old Hemsworth here, you know, shows up in Tennessee
in a public place somewhere
with a single fingernail painted,
if this Bill's passed into law,
would he be breaking the law?
Alright, Halloween,
what if I dress like this for Halloween?
Because that's a skirt.
How about this one?
What about Harry?
If this became law and he performed in this state,
would he be arrested?
I met my first ever drag queen in Austin, Texas
when I was a kid.
There was a Halloween parade downtown
and there was a drag queen in the parade.
And I've never actually known what pronouns
to use for drag queens so I'm just gonna use them.
And this drag queen, I remember when we saw them,
they were ripped, you know, 6'4, big muscles,
you know, a face full of makeup, wig,
six-inch heels, you know, sparkly dress.
And we were laughing at them, not in a nice way.
They came over to us and they said real nice,
they said, "Y'all look great in your Halloween costumes.
"I hope y'all have a good night."
And we were kind of taken aback
by them coming over to talk to us
and just kind of said, "Well, yeah,
"you look pretty wild yourself."
And they weren't fazed at all.
They said, "Thanks.
"I sure am having a great time and I feel beautiful."
And they did a little twirl and then they handed us a candy,
a big handful of Tootsie rolls and Sugar Daddies. (laughs)
That's kind of funny, actually.
And we weren't laughing at them anymore after that.
We kind of sobered up a little and said,
"Well, I'm glad you're having a good time.
"Could we get a picture with you?"
And I don't know where this picture is.
It's on one of my friend's phones from 18 years ago,
so I don't have the picture, I'm sorry.
But the drag queen leaned over,
grabbed us in a big bear hug, took a group photo with us.
They said their name was Crystal Rain.
(street sweeper buzzes)
Sorry about the noise. I got the street sweeper out.
Anyway, and then Crystal Rain waltzed off
and rejoined the parade,
and I've never forgotten that memory.
And when I read about all this stuff going on
with the anti-drag bills,
it kind of brought that memory up again.
And now as an adult, thinking back,
there was nothing about that drag queen
that was sexual or creepy in any way.
You know, honest to God, they were kind of wearing
the same type of clothes Dolly Parton wears
when she performs, wig, glitter, tassels.
And they were just nice to us.
They were just playful and happy.
The only people in the scenario
that were putting sexualization onto that drag queen was us
because we decided to treat them like they were creepy
because they had an Adams apple and were wearing lipstick,
and we had issues with it,
but not for any reason other than the arbitrary bullshit
that we were raised with that now I deeply regret.
Crystal Rain stayed with me,
and I hope that wherever they are, they are happy
and still wearing those six-inch heels
and spreading all the joy that they were
at that Halloween parade.
- So anyway, on that note, I'm gonna talk to you guys later.
If you guys enjoy what I do on here,
support me over on Patreon.
Like I said, I'm going to be soon
focusing on creating certain types of content.
I'm gonna be shifting into more of a film direction.
I'm pretty excited about that.
I've got some really fun things,
some things that involve drag queens actually coming up,
so I'm really excited to share those projects with you guys,
and I'll see you guys next time.
On that note, I want you to always remember
and to never forget
that you're beautiful and you are loved.
Bye.