Is Transvestite a dirty word? No, it’s just a drag, and really a travesty.
The meaning of words can be elusive. They are a negotiation between the etymology and history of the word on one hand, and the perceived meaning on the other. There has always been a tendency to edit words out of our vocabulary as they become unacceptable, but in recent years the pace of that editing has gone into overdrive. Transvestite is the latest word to have sideswiped me as it gets pushed to the dustbin of history.
I used the term in the article about Nora Eckert’s memoir Wie Alle Nur Anders, by describing Chez Romy Haag’s famed 1970s Berlin nightspot as a “transvestite club.” I was quickly informed by the local Pride Center, in a pronouncement that “The use of that word is a slur, no different than any other offensive racial, homophobic or religious slur.” My response to that message was “What word should I use instead? Be clear that we are talking about cis men performing in cartoonish “female” costumes for the amusement of straight audiences.”
I got the response I expected: I should call it drag. But really, isn’t it a bit dangerous for them to suggest this word? Who knows when the PC Police will get around to banning it as well and vilifying anyone who uses it? When only perception and not intention and history are used to categorize slur words, there are no guidepost, no guarantees against future prosecution. There are only the whims of a thin skinned new generation and their enablers to govern us.
To be fair, this whole exchange was after the Pride Center informed me that they would share my post about Nora’s book on their Facebook page, saying that they thought it was of great value, so the general tenor of the exchange was very positive. But they felt obliged to add a disclaimer, informing readers that the article is “written from a different cultural perspective and may contain words that carry different connotations.” That seems like a reasonable arrangement and I thank them for that. I just don’t see why there needs to be such a focus on the word itself. If you stop people from using the word transvestite, have you gotten any closer to putting an end to homophobia? To my mind, the danger here is that people will spend so much energy fighting words that they will never get around to fighting the pernicious ideas behind them. Pat yourself on the back for suppressing that awful word, but really what have you accomplish? Nothing. It’s as effective as fighting for social justice by clicking “like” on Facebook posts.
As a linguist, I respect the intent, the history, the etymology, the traditions of a word just as much as (if not more than) the perceptions of the latest generation of word users. By that measure, “transvestite” is not at all a slur on a par with any homophobic slur. I believe that such a judgement would be an insult to the millions of LGBT people who have used the word with no problem for generations. Were we so stupid and self-hating that we need to be re-educated by the youngest among us? As for the etymology of this word, “transvestite” is quite literally “cross-dresser” expressed in more high falutin vocabulary.
Promotional card from Chez Romy Haag, “a Travestie Cabaret.” CMP (clutching my pearls.)
I asked Nora Eckert, the aforementioned author, who worked at Romy Haag’s nightclub, for her thoughts on the topic. Her take on it:
“Chez Romy Haag was called “Travestie Cabaret” and gay and non-gay cis men, a heterosexual cis woman and of course some trans women worked there. The correct job title at the time was travesty artist. Being on stage was, after all, a profession and said nothing about how someone defined themselves in their personal life - most of them weren’t trans, anyway.”
Break out the smelling salt, there it is, a travesty artist.
Dominic Ambrose for Ferrandina Press
