The Cotton Ceiling

I’ve written a much better piece about The Cotton Ceiling here Girl Dick, The Cotton Ceiling and the Cultural War on Lesbians and Women

“Cotton Ceiling” is about TRANS women & OUR sexual exclusion b/c cis ppl believe we are not “real”! via @TransActivisty http://t.co/HHWlNVfm

— Drew DeVeaux (@drewdeveaux)

March 24, 2012

What is ‘the Cotton Ceiling’?

“The term “Cotton Ceiling” was originally coined by the intensely awesome Canadian trans-activist and porn star Drew DeVeaux, in which she referred (quite specifically) to the tendency within feminist and queer women’s spaces for trans women to be, while nominally accepted as women and supported in their pursuit for rights and equality, regarded and treated as essentially de-sexed, unfuckable, and sometimes a bit repulsive, with this becoming highly politicized in regards to its implications for things like what a lesbian sexuality really means, how much of sexuality is “orientation” and something we can’t be held accountable for and how much is mediated by our perceptions, how sexuality can reveal that biases and lack of respecting gender identity continue to exist on visceral levels despite being intellectually (or superficially) rejected, etc.

The “cotton” refers to underwear. The idea being here that no matter how much basic, nominal acceptance a trans woman can receive in feminist or queer or women’s spaces, we’re still always ultimately rejected when it comes to breaking the sexual barrier, and being accepted as women to such a full extent that we are accepted sexually as women.”

Natalie Reed – note he is not the originator of the term

The cotton ceiling is a red herring. The problem lies not with women refusing to accept transwomen as partners, it lies with men who will, generally, fuck pretty much anything (women, transwomen, goats, cars, mattresses…)

Transwomen find no difficulty getting a man to accept them for sexual purposes, even as far as discrete dates (usually very discrete, what with being a dirty little secret an’ all) but they will never, ever introduce their transwoman partner to their friends or around for dinner with their mum.

This is ‘The Plastic Pocket Protector’ – until men as a class accept it’s all right, it’s acceptable, to have a partner who is a transwoman, the validly of transwomen as people deserving of having a loving, equal and sustainable relationship is negated.

Here is the battle to be fought by transwomen: a battle to be accepted as something other than fetishised sexual objects, a shame, a hidden vice to be used and discarded at will.

Our battle is not against women or lesbians, our battle is against our dehumanisation, objectification and misuse by men.

6 Replies to “The Cotton Ceiling”

  1. That is highly rude towards men. I, for one, do have standards as to who I am attracted to, and would not just screw anyone. No need to stereotype us all.

  2. Gay men are attracted to men. Gay women are attracted to women. It would appear that a lot of gay men don’t see trans women as men. Similarly, it does not appear but there are a lot of gay women who see trans men as women.
    .
    Sexual attraction is not political. Remember the Bonnie raitt song I can’t Make You Love me

  3. But it’s not all right. Gay is OK. Let a man suck a dick. Let a woman lick a clit. None of the gays and lesbians are mutilating their genitals and expecting normal people to say that it’s all right. It is most assuredly not all right. Lily Cade was right!

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