No, the allegations against Ava Tyson aren’t a “problem for the trans community”

Content Note: discusses misconduct towards minors, sexual coercion, use of sexualised imagery depicting minors

Starting in June and cascading through July there has been a significant buzz around allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour by Ava Kris Tyson, a trans woman who’s work with extremely popular Youtuber Mr Beast has given her a profile that has made her a subject of public controversy ever since she came out as trans a year ago. During this time a number of significant internet influencers have chosen to turn her case (and the ongoing investigations around her behaviours) into an inquest on the moral character of trans people generally, and a number of online trans advocates have seemingly accepted that her alleged behaviour has “set our community back”. The problem is that both of these narratives, for and against do nothing to protect either survivors or the trans community and really risk fostering a climate of agreement between trans people and transphobes that if an abuser is outed within our community this will be an opportunity for transphobes to punish us collectively. For trans survivors of sexual violence by other trans people, this can have a silencing effect — if you out your abuser you may be subject to a growing global climate of transphobic demonisation of trans people as…