"People like you ruin the trans community"
[TW: Antisemitism]
My thought loop of “I-can-be-anything-I-want-to-be” was severed by middle school when I discovered that I was shit at math. I really really really wanted to be a paleontologist when I was 8 years old (thanks Jurassic Park lol). I bragged about the fact that I could spell Paleontology at 8 years old. Probably much to the annoyance of my peers. Paleontology involves a lot of fucking math, so, it ultimately wasn’t meant to be.
My autistic brain then hard-switched toward reading a lot of horror novels (teleported from Goosebumps straight to Stephen King and Anne Rice) as well as writing a lot of love poems. I’m still writing love poems.
[Side note: Stephen King novels are one of many harmful special interests I’ve dropped throughout my lifetime (see also: Glee; Sia’s music; Harry Potter; John Mulaney’s standup comedy; most of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals, etc.), but that’s another conversation.]
Yesterday, I participated in the TikTok trend where you chat with your ancestors.
I’m in my mid-30s and both of my parents have passed; they’re my ancestors now.
Being an adult orphan is very fucking lonely. Doubly so when only one parent, my mom, accepted me as Lucas.
So I thought, why not try to process some of that trans grief.
Better that than give in to my urge to relapse on alcohol, you know?
Then this comment came along…
[Image description: A screenshot of a TikTok video re: Scheelk’s ancestor, their dad; the top comment cropped reads: “People like you ruin the trans community”]
My response to this comment is very white Minnesotan (i.e. passive-aggression; a craft I was too fluent in growing up), but this instance was used for good.
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[Video description: Lucas, a white Jew, standing in their bathroom; they’re reading from “If You Can't Say Anything Nice, Say It in Yiddish: The Book of Yiddish Insults and Curses” (Lita Epstein) in response to: “People like you ruin the trans community”]
Yiddish curse used in the response: A kleyn kind zol noch im heysn!
[trans.: A young child should be named after him!]
For the goys wondering: antisemitism????? where?????
My Magen David is clearly present throughout my TikTok ancestors video. That was enough for that individual to direct that antisemitic comment towards me.
[Side note: the usage of “People like you” is not solely used as a tool of antisemitism (see also: racism; homophobia; Islamophobia; xenophobia; etc.; it’s all connected), but in my particular situation, it was used as a tool of antisemitism]
I don’t have a grandstand lesson of morale attached to this story (sadly, I’m not Professor Frizzle), besides don’t be antisemitic, otherwise I’m going to read more Yiddish curses! LOL!
Especially since TikTok doesn’t consider, “People like you ruin the trans community” to be a hateful comment…
To my fellow Yid, please keep yourself safe!
[Image description: Screenshot of my TikTok report on Feb 19th 2023; within 30 minutes, TikTok reported that they “didn’t find any violations” to the “People like you ruin the trans community” comment]
If you’ve made it to the end, please consider:
signing the petition to request AWP to REQUIRE masks
catching up on Jewitches’ Antisemitism Educational resource
donating to Michael LaBorn’s Making space for Black and Brown authors! petition