03. Male Lesbians, Girldick and The Cotton Ceiling

This links back to 02. Autogynephilia (AGP). Heterosexual men developing a sexual image of themselves as women. If they’re a “woman” who is sexually attracted to other women, then they develop an idea that they are lesbians. Wrong, because lesbians are female.

“Cotton Ceiling” is from a workshop about “breaking down sexual barriers”

Morgan Page ran a workshop for Planned Parenthood in Toronto called "Overcoming the Cotton Ceiling: Breaking Down Sexual Barriers for Queer Trans Women", the 'barriers' in question being lesbians' sexual boundaries. Participants will "strategize ways to overcome them" 4/ pic.twitter.com/WWiNFlQ72c

— TransgenderTrend (@Transgendertrd) December 23, 2018

Reframing lesbians saying “NO” as oppression

The “cotton ceiling” is an attempt to compare men coercing lesbians into sex with women’s struggle to break into the upper echelons of the corporate world (the “glass ceiling”). This justifies anger at women who “exclude” men from their dating pools e.g. lesbians.

Lesbians Ejected from #PrideCymru2022

These women were ejected from the Pride march for objecting to the cotton ceiling and saying they don’t like penises

http://gettheloutuk.com/

Angela C Wild (Get The L Out) explains how she experiences “the cotton ceiling” as a lesbian woman:

'We were surrounded by both the police and by trans activists, who were becoming more and more hostile towards us.'

Lesbian Activist Angela C. Wilde describes her experience of police instructing lesbians to leave a Gay Pride march in Cardiff. pic.twitter.com/1Hp2YxqOAV

— GB News (@GBNEWS) August 28, 2022

Gaslighting

Girldick

Having a penis is reframed as a “choice” that a “lesbian” might make. We are told that a “woman”, even a “lesbian” can have a dick.

Girl dick, lady stick, clit, clit-asaurus rex… anything to pretend that a penis is NOT a penis.

“Strapless”

You’ll often hear “lesbians use a strap-on” before hearing “trans women have a strapless”.

The HRC use the word ‘front hole’ to refer to vaginas, and ‘vagina’ to refer to a post-operative neo-vagina.

Genital Preferences – “some women have penises”

Marie Stopes lays out these plasticine models of disembodied “women’s genitals” like a tasting plate. One is a penis. This is a visual representation of the idea of “genital preferences”.

Magdalen Berns responds to Riley J Dennis on the the “Cotton Ceiling” and “Genital Preferences”.

Not disclosing is sexual coercion

You might be a transbian if … you’re a man who likes women

A list of stereotypes and frequent references to liking girls.

Yes, there’s a female version of this

Australian website, GRUNT.org.au is a guide for trans-identified females (trans men) in pursuing sex with gay men. The site features sexually explicit photographs.

Just like the cotton ceiling, it advises that it is option to disclose your sex to the person you’re having sex with.

If you’re fisting or blowing someone, it may not be a thing worth mentioning. Don’t assume that he won’t be ok with it.

GRUNT.org.au

GRUNT was devised by a number of women, including ACON director of Trans Health Equity Teddy Cook.

Further reading

• Girl Dick, the Cotton Ceiling and the Cultural War on Lesbians and Women – Miranda Yardley (a trans-identified male)
• Overcoming the Cotton Ceiling (Annotated)
• https://www.lglf.org/the-cotton-ceiling.html#/

Examples

• Brazen: Trans Women’s Safer Sex Guide by Morgan M Page
• https://medium.com/@transphilosophr/what-is-girldick-9363515e0bfd
• https://www.allure.com/story/guide-to-sex-with-trans-women-for-cis-women