The Cotton Ceiling
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The Cotton Ceiling is a phrase that was coined by Drew DeVeaux, referring to the difficulty that trans identified males (or 'transwomen') have in finding sexual and romantic partners in the lesbian community. The name refers to the phenomenon of the glass ceiling, with ‘cotton’ being a reference to underwear.
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Not Respecting BoundariesIn 2012 Planned Parenthood featured a workshop run by Morgan Page, a trans identified male who has since been hired by Stonewall, entitled “Overcoming the Cotton Ceiling: Breaking Down Sexual Barriers for Queer Trans Women.”
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This workshop's goals were to help the participants (trans males) “identify barriers” and “strategize ways to overcome them.” The barriers spoken of are the boundaries and sexual orientation of lesbians, who by very definition are not attracted to males; the “ways to overcome them” being strategies to break down the boundaries and resilience of young lesbians by socially pressuring and coercing them to consider males that identify as trans as sexual partners.
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Coercion TacticsA large piece of this coercion is the terminology used consisting of “genital preferences” “genital fetishist” “bioessentialism” “gynophile” “examine your biases” etc. This terminology, paired with shaming (“bigot” “transphobe” “terf”), can sometimes successfully convince lesbians that they are bad human beings simply for having a sexual orientation that does not include males.
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Get The L Out
Get The L Out has worked to document some of the abuse lesbians face within the Cotton Ceiling. Check out more about them below.
We are an advocacy and social group for lesbians.
We started the LRAA in 2018 after we noticed lesbians falling through the gaps of mainstream LGBT organizations. Our mahi is by lesbians and for lesbians. After all, if we don’t stand up for ourselves, then who will?
We aim to:
We assert our right to be an exclusively female, exclusively lesbian organization under Section 19 of the Bill of Rights Act 1990.
Note: We use the term lesbian to mean exclusively same-sex attracted females. Some of us may use the word takatāpui to describe that experience. We prefer not to be known as ‘female homosexuals’.
We started the LRAA in 2018 after we noticed lesbians falling through the gaps of mainstream LGBT organizations. Our mahi is by lesbians and for lesbians. After all, if we don’t stand up for ourselves, then who will?
We aim to:
- support lesbian health and wellbeing,
- end anti-lesbian stigma and discrimination,
- secure and maintain lesbian legal and human rights in New Zealand and
- improve lesbian representation and visibility.
We assert our right to be an exclusively female, exclusively lesbian organization under Section 19 of the Bill of Rights Act 1990.
Note: We use the term lesbian to mean exclusively same-sex attracted females. Some of us may use the word takatāpui to describe that experience. We prefer not to be known as ‘female homosexuals’.
TERF Is A Slur
TERFIsASlur.com has done similar work in documenting the abuse lesbians have faced within the Cotton Ceiling.
"Documenting the abuse, harassment and misogyny of transgender identity politics."
