look, not to be a downer, but... why are we making omegaverse jokes about this.
this article is about how Ron DeSantis is leveraging people's hatred for trans men to fundraise for his presidential campaign:
DeSantis has leaned heavily into the culture war issues — which have become central to his campaign — such as the repeated emails mocking the idea of men getting pregnant. Some transgender men do become pregnant. DeSantis also sent more emails mentioning “woke” than any other candidate.
I know people love "haha omegaverse" jokes but. I REALLY need people to realize that its a microagression against trans men. Pregnant men can face extreme amounts of transphobia, and are in a highly vulnerable situation, and they are being used as a symbol of wokeness by Florida's fascist wannabe. And it makes me upset to see other trans people seeming to not take this seriously.
Like. ask yourselves why "pregnant men" immediately conjures jokes and absurdity to you, instead of real people that exist and who Ron DeSantis hates? When you see "pregnant man" and your first thoughts are omegaverse porn and "cis men getting pregnant," you are also mocking the idea of men getting pregnant. And you do so while erasing trans men from the conversation. You make male pregnancy into an absurdist joke about cis men instead of a reality for trans men.
There doesn't seem to be a single person in the notes of this post who has mentioned trans men. Its just jokes about heat suppressants. People acted shocked and bewildered by the idea of a pregnant man. On "the trans website." That fucking hurts.
A pregnant trans man was very recently on the cover of a magazine & received a ton of backlash. Pregnant men are accused of child abuse & child molestation for simply being a trans father, and I've seen many people specifically say that trans fathers who have been/are on T will "poison" their children. Ignorance about men being pregnant can have real fatal consequences. Transphobia make it a traumatizing process. Pregnant trans men face workplace discrimination. Trans men who are pregnant are in heavy contact with the transphobic medical system which leaves them extremely vulnerable to abuse. This doesn't even get into trans men and abortion access. There are already people who think pregnant trans men need to have their children taken away. Ron DeSantis is using them specifically to foster hatred and get money. This is serious.
I cannot feel safe around people for whom "pregnant man" is nothing but an absurdist punchline. It hurts to see other trans people erasing transmascs from the discussion, especially when this article is SPECIFICALLY about how DeSantis is emailing people to say "hey, don't you think pregnant "men" are delusional and a threat to American society? Me too! Give me money so I can terrorize them via the government!" This is not the first time I've seen people do this with pregnant men (immediately jumping to "haha pregnant cis men!! omegaverse!!" jokes without even mentioning trans men at all. Even though we are men that can and do get pregnant. In real life. And are abused for it) but its the first time I've seen it done in response to a very clear act of targeted anti-transmasculinity, and this. Hurts.
I don't know how y'all think you can combat transphobia if you can't take seriously the issue of male pregnancy. Because transphobes are clearly very interesting in using pregnant men as a weapon, and I would hope y'all would step up for them. We have to acknowledge that the "haha thats so weird and absurd and gross!!!" response to male pregnancy is transphobic and it hurts trans men a lot.
kenruu