Trans women and Michfest: An ethnophenomenology of attendees' experiences

ABSTRACT

The rise of queer and transgender studies has greatly contributed to feminist and lesbian understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality and also has resulted in rifts, tensions, and border wars. One such tension is around the inclusion of trans women in women-only space, such as the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (Michfest). In this ethnophenomenological study, we interviewed and surveyed 43 cisgender women who attended Michfest in 2013. Participants had a variety of perspectives on trans inclusion and on the dialogue surrounding it, and these paralleled intersections, frictions, and tensions between feminism, queer theory, and transgender studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Feminism
• transgender
• cisgender
• lesbian separatism
• queer theory
• Michigan Womyn's Music Festival

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth A. McConnell, M.A., is a clinical-community psychology doctoral student at DePaul University in Chicago. Her research focuses on the relationship between aspects of identity and social-contextual influences on health and well-being, including the well-being of LGBTQ communities, racial disparities in HIV, and the engagement of White people in anti-racist and social justice work.

Charlynn A. Odahl-Ruan, M.A., is a clinical-community psychology doctoral student at DePaul University in Chicago; she received a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from DePaul and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from New York University. Her research focuses on the empowerment and well-being of women, including the impact of gender role ideology, the effect of spirituality and gender norms on women's identity formation, and gender-based economic disparities. She also studies the impact of self-care strategies on vicarious trauma of advocates and therapists working with trauma survivors.

Christine Kozlowski, M.A.A.T., M.Div., is an art therapist and educator who currently works with special needs children at a therapeutic day school in the Chicagoland area. She received a Master of Arts degree in art therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, and a Bachelor of Science degree in art therapy from the College of New Rochelle, NY.

Mona Shattell, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., is Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development in the College of Science and Health, and Professor in the School of Nursing at DePaul University in Chicago. She received a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, a Master of Science degree in nursing from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, also from Syracuse University. Dr. Shattell is Associate Editor of Advances in Nursing Science and Issues in Mental Health Nursing, a regular blogger for The Huffington Post, and the author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters.

Nathan R. Todd, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research examines contextual factors that influence individual and group engagement with social justice. He focuses on how religious settings (i.e., congregations) and Whiteness influence engagement in social justice with specific attention to multiple levels of analysis.