Tiffany Tumbles (video)

***Tiffany Tumbles*** is a video by ContraPoints that was uploaded to YouTube on 2 June 2018.

It focuses on the concept of internalised transphobia through the eponymous Tiffany Tumbles.

## Content

The video begins with one of Tiffany's beauty tutorials. She explains that she also expresses political opinions on her channel, and that she supports President Donald Trump as she "refuses to be a victim." She wears a MAGA hat and says "make traps gay again."

The episode then pans to an episode of the Freedom Report by Jackie Jackson who is hosting a debate between Tiffany and Adria Finley, host of the YouTube channel "Intersectional AF." Adria's supposedly intersectional beliefs go over the top as a video is shown of her questioning whether transphobia is racist. Tiffany is also introduced. Jackie recalls when Tiffany debated Abigail Cockbane in "TERFs". Tiffany laments the fact that she was once a "non-binary SJW." She explains that she changed to being a social conservative after the trans community disparaged her on Twitter for believing in only two genders and having transmedicalist beliefs. After being labelled a TERF and a traitor, Tiffany decided to leave the "culture of shame" due to being treated like trash just after beginning her transition.

Jackie's supposed centrism is shown to lean to the right once more when she agrees with Tiffany and notes the value of rational, free thinkers against the authoritarian left. More of Tiffany's prejudiced beliefs are shown when she interjects an Islamophobic remark in one of her beauty tutorials. After a small dispute about Islamophobia and racism between Tiffany, Adria and Jackie, Jackie focuses them back to the main question of the debate: "are traps gay?"

Adria attempts to deconstruct the question by explaining the fallacies present in it: she explains that there is no definition of "traps" aside from a harmful term directed at trans women who are "tricking" men and derives from English-speaking anime fan communities but is used as a slur against trans women to justify their murders. Tiffany rebuts Adria by saying she identifies as a trap, though Adria says this reinforces transphobic ways of thinking among cis people.

Tiffany attacks Adria by saying that no man will be "trapped" by her due to her appearance. Adria explains that this is meaningless: she is a lesbian; though Jackie misunderstands how she can be trans and a lesbian. When Adria complains about transphobia on Jackie's show, Jackie defends herself by saying she's hosting two trans women and has a gay man as a close friend. When Jackie says that Tiffany is a "good trans", Tiffany explains to Adria that she is aiming to garner acceptance by being patient and looking the part as well as not pointing out transphobia. Adria explains that Tiffany is only doing this by not challenging the status quo and is not going to gain acceptance for anyone other than herself.

Jackie moves past the "trap" terminology and explains that the debate is really about whether men attracted to trans women are gay. Tiffany says that all the men she's dated have been straight but to be attracted to her is not conventionally heterosexual. Jackie says she has a point as Tiffany has XY chromosomes but Adria is confused as to how people are typically attracted to karyotypes. Jackie then says that pre-op or non-op trans women still have penises and therefore being attracted to them is gay. Adria rebuts the argument then again by saying this line of thinking just reinforces the stigma against dating trans women among straight men. She also explains that one can be attracted to women and individuals with penises as she explains she, as a trans lesbian, is attracted to trans women with penises and explains how hormones change the anatomy of the penis to be feminine.

Tiffany is visibly embarrassed about Adria's explanations and her references to nerd culture. When Jackie asks how trans lesbians are different from heterosexuals, Adria explains that her girlfriend Tabby is also trans. A humorous moment follows when Jackie attempts to parse this out accompanied by mathematical equations. She comes to the conclusion that Adria is gay, but in "the opposite way." Tiffany cuts them off to explain that due to Jackie's confusion, the world isn't ready to hear about trans lesbians and people like Tiffany who are "normal" need to really represent the trans community. Tiffany talks about her goals for facial feminisation which prompts Jackie to believe her nose is mannish and causes her to break down. She concludes the debate saying that they may never know whether traps are gay but it was important to discuss it.

After the debate, Tiffany emotionally confides to Adria that she feels like her gender presentation and her beliefs undo what Tiffany has done to present as a woman. Adria threatens Tiffany and she walks home. She watches Adria's videos on her laptop and expresses her distaste, getting drunk as she does so. When she looks at the YouTube video of her debate, she looks at YouTube comments that call her manly and mentally ill. She gets increasingly upset and attempts to justify her actions and thinks that all the insults will go away after she has surgery. She breaks down crying, wishing to be a woman and believing that her surgeries are "disgusting self-mutilations." She shatters her glass, cries on the floor, and drinks milk from the fridge.

Tiffany is seen doing her make-up and hair and welcomes her viewers to her "world." Ominous music lingers before the video pans to the credits.

## References and Trivia

* Tiffany uses a lot of lingo associated with drag culture, such as "yass," "byee," "fishy realness", etc.
* Tiffany can be seen as an allegory for Blaire White, a conservative trans YouTuber whom Natalie Wynn has debated. Tiffany's appearance is likened to Blaire and Jackie wants to get Blaire on to debate Adria instead of Tiffany.
* Candace Owens is a conservative pundit referenced by Jackie.
* Adria says she doesn't like "man-dick" as it's course, rough, irritating and comes everywhere. This is a reference to Star Wars Episode II where Anakin Skywalker says a similar line about sand.
* Adria's line about "girldick" has become a fan favourite and a meme among ContraPoints fans, especially her noting the "mouthfeel" of the feminine penis.
* Tiffany calls Adria a "hon." As explained in Incels, this is a term used against trans women whom others believe will never be able to pass as a woman.

## Cast

* Tiffany Tumbles
* Jackie Jackson
* Adria Finley