Exploring trans identity in Trans/forming Feminisms: Trans-Feminist Voices Speak Out
Thu, 2007-02-01 15:25
#1
Exploring trans identity in Trans/forming Feminisms: Trans-Feminist Voices Speak Out
Thu, 2007-02-01 15:25
#2
The book Trans/forming Feminisms: Trans-Feminist Voices Speak Out is reviewed in rabble's book lounge and looks to be a much needed addition to feminist work on gender identity.
An example of the personal narratives making up the book is provided in an excerpt from "Where's the beef?" which (from the introduction) "addresses the accusation that female-to-male (FTM) transsexuals are in part seeking to escape their oppression as women and access male privilege."
From the excerpt written by Kyle Scanlon:
quote:
In my opinion, there isn’t an FTM in the world who could spend a whole life in a female body, experience oppression because of it, proceed through transition and suddenly begin to experience a few moments of privilege without any question at all. We’re outright stunned, in fact. And many of us do not accept the privileges when offered. But even more fundamentally, how much male privilege does a trans man actually have if he is forced to burn his old pictures, avoid old friends and make up a new history to avoid anyone discovering the truth about him?
The complete review:
[url=http://www.rabble.ca/reviews/review.shtml?x=56948]http://www.rabble.ca/r...
Thu, 2007-02-01 22:15
#3
Before I respond to the excerpt, I have to say something.
Sumach, please get a new design for your book covers. Bright gradients, '80s style font and layered rectangles is just nasty.
Now, to the excerpt [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img]
The author brings up some great points. Getting kicked out of a women's shelter or lesbian group because you were born with certain anatomy exposes what the author calls "biocentrism" in our society and in our feminist movement.
It is time that we feminists do some re-thinking of our groups and our values to come closer to our goals of equality and self-determination.
Even calling something "women's" can be excluding -- because a trans person could never know whether women's means it is open to her or not. I personally like the current trend to replacing "women's" with "gender" in titles or organizations.
That said, I'm not a huge fan of the end of the excerpt:
quote:
Instead of focusing on how much privilege comes with being accepted as a man in society, female-born feminists and lesbians could instead be critically considering their own privilege and power as women-born- / women-identified women in a world of binary gender systems.
I hate oppression contests.
Is the author so insecure that he must tell feminists to stop focusing on their oppression to look at that of others? Why not both?
Do we have to make a hierarchy out of everything?
I think it's great to see this critical view of feminism and the oppressive role it can play against trans people. But, don't devalue the experiences of patriarchy by women just to get your point across.
Sat, 2007-02-10 17:12
#4
Maysie
Babbling_Jenn, great comment about Sumach's covers, although I have to say I find it sweet and a bit of a "branding" even though I'm not sure they intended that.
Re. "male privilege" and transmen. Last year I took Trans 101, with the Trans Inclusion project at the 519. (Great training, btw, incredibly educational) and "male privilege" is a common assumption made by those of us who have not had issues with our gender identity. I count myself among those. Without having read Kyle's entire piece, the point that I get from his quoted words is that women who have never questioned our gender identity have community, have a sense of who we are that is reflected in the mainstream. Even though most feminists reject the "beauty ideal" etc in the media, a notion of (complex) female identity is out there for us to access. Not so for FTMs or MTFs. I think that's all he was trying to say, not that transmen have it worse than women.
Sat, 2007-02-10 20:44
#5
quote:
Before I respond to the excerpt, I have to say something.Sumach, please get a new design for your book covers. Bright gradients, '80s style font and layered rectangles is just nasty.
heh.