Misogyny, Allyship, and Trans Joy- AN Interview With Lavender Jane GarTlan

I Saw The TV Glow. Source: Rough Cut

Golden light filters through the quad as I settle across from the SU President and struggle to start the voice recording. Usually, blunders leave me edgy, worried about seeming unprofessional. Lavender waves off my apologies, and with them, my fears. Chatting and laughing, she exudes a sense of comfort that puts me at ease. The interview begins with a giggle and a brief history of the lady herself.  

Lavender Jane Gartlan, IADTSU President. Source: IADTSU Website

Lavender Jane came to IADT in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lectures were still held online. She was the class rep in her first year. 

By Second Year, they were back on site, giving her the chance to engage in campus life. She tells me about joining societies, attending meet-ups, and desperately trying to find a community. The conversation leads towards the theme of our article as she discusses her struggle to feel at ease, explaining the feeling of disconnect that came with navigating college life as a transgender woman. 

“It was really nice. I really liked it, but I never felt fully integrated or, like, connected with people. And it was because I'm trans, and when I met cis people, there was always this weird disconnect of like..”

Rights Protest. Source: “Them” Magazine

The turning point came in her third year, when she became president of the LGBT society.

Her main goal was to help students meet each other and build a community post-COVID. It worked, and by her fourth year, she was elected LGBT Rights officer. Lavender then ran for SU President, a role which lasts two years.

She tells me that this is her last year as IADTSU president. Considering the amount of work involved in the role, I’m expecting to hear a sigh of relief. But it never comes. Instead, an expression of gratitude so genuine that I have to stop myself from reaching out to hug her. 

“I'm so thankful and so grateful to everyone. Even having a trans woman president in the student union is such a monumental thing. Last year, we saw, I think, five/ six trans women officers across the country in student unions, and we had two trans women presidents- myself and Jenny McGuire. I have a lot of moments where I kind of step back, and I go… Wow. That feeling was amplified when a student here told me, "Oh, when I see you as an SU president, it makes me feel safe. Like, I feel safe when I'm on campus, and I know if something happened to me, you would look out for me”.

“When I left Trinity and came here, I didn’t have a clue. I had no fucking clue about how much this would take over my life and how grateful I would be for these opportunities.”

I’m smiling while she speaks, trying to remain professional despite the softness of the moment. 

Transgender Day of Visibility. Source: PBS

I falter on my next question, nervous that I’m souring the mood. I needn't have worried. Lavender gets to our next topic first, and I get the feeling she’s had the conversation enough times that it's become second nature.  She describes the barriers you face as a trans person, and the transphobia that lingers around each corner, with a familiarity that makes the struggle seem as routine as the commute.  Ever understanding, she notes that most of the abuse directed towards the transgender community is a feature of fear, ignorance and misplaced anger. As the light fades in the quad, she asks me if she can get personal. Watching the day turn to dusk, and smokers retire from the benches, she tells me of her experience with assault. She’s candid and open as she discusses a traumatic event from her first college experience and an incident at a nightclub. 

“I was, you know, I was so young, and my life was like, right in front of me, and I had so many hopes and dreams, and I met this guy, and I thought he was nice…”

As she describes herself as naive, and the fear that perhaps she was at fault, I want to shake the thought from her brain. Again, Lavender gets there first. She iterates the internalised misogyny that causes these thoughts, these fears that perhaps you were “asking for it”, and from there, we trace the intersection between these feelings and the misogyny inherent in transphobia. 

“It's really heartbreaking to see cisgender women talk about trans women as predators and feed into the transphobic rhetoric because it's like- the same things that happen to you happen to us.”

I Saw The TV Glow. Source: The Washington Post

We laugh at the absurdity of inspecting genitals at the bathroom door, but there's a sombre undertone. The restrictive binaries of transphobic rhetoric are the same ones which kept cis women under the patriarchal thumb for aeons. I'm nodding fervently as Lavender continues. 

“There are so many bigger things that we need to be fighting about. One in three women in Ireland has experienced sexual violence. Like, who's standing up to put an end to that? Because do you know how we put an end to that? We teach men about consent, and we teach people about safety, and we make sure that there are the appropriate safety precautions.”

Misogyny impacts everyone, and Lavender is keen to acknowledge its effects on cis men, too. 

“[Think of the] male suicide rate. And the concept of loneliness, you know? By boxing in women, you are directly failing men because you're telling them they have to act a certain way to be men. “

The sun has all but faded when I ask Lavender about allyship. 

“Trans allyship isn't you holding the hand of a trans person and bringing them to a gender specialist to get a diagnosis. That's not what anyone is looking for. Like, great if you have the kindness in your heart to help someone in that way, but that's not what people are looking for. “

“If you do mess up, if you do make a mistake, that's okay, mistakes happen. Things break, you get them fixed. Trans allyship is just about making sure everyone is included. That they're getting the dignity and respect that they deserve as a person, not because they're trans, not special treatment because they're trans, just because they're a person. “

Rally for Gender Affirming Care. Source: Advocacy

She tells me that this year, Transgender Awareness Week is about positivity, joy, and getting people together. 

“I would just love people to be engaged, just show up to things. “

“We want people to be able to go out and enjoy society, enjoy life, enjoy their life, and have others appreciate how beautiful being trans is because it's fucking cool. Yeah. Like, it's really fucking cool.”

“You don't have to be involved; you can sit in the back, meet trans people, and talk to trans people. I think sometimes when you don't know about someone's background, and maybe it's visible by their expression, like gender, sexuality, skin colour, ethnicity, and you don't know, you pull back. It's just what we do 'cause we're animals. But we are humans who can communicate. I think it's really important not to pull back and educate yourself instead…”

A week after IADT Trans Awareness Week, having seen the brilliant engagement with and enjoyment of all the activities, I think we can move forward with her words in our ears. Don't pull back, educate yourself, stick up for each other (no matter the circumstance), and enjoy the community that accompanies compassion.

Resources and Supports

Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI)

Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre

Insight Matters Counselling

MyMind. Org Counselling

IADTSU has binders and tucking underwear available for students