#TransLivesMatter, #BlackLivesMatter and Feminism

I’ve seen some internet dustups over the use of the #translivesmatter hashtag over the past few months. A subreddit asks if it’s okay to use the tag and produces discourse typical of what I’ve observed. Today, I witnessed a rancorous debate on a google group about this issue.

Here are some facts about phrasing something as XYZ lives matter:

Using twitter’s advanced search, #translivesmatter (12/2011) predates #blacklivesmatter (4/2012). Back in 2012, there were just 3 tweets with #blacklivesmatter and just 3 tweets with #translivesmatter. It’s worth noting that Planned Parenthood was using #womenslivesmatter back in 5/2011 – predating both #translivesmatter and #blacklivesmatter – which makes sense because feminists were phrasing that their lives mattered for a while.