The feminist frontier: on trans and feminism

Abstract

Against a back-drop of ongoing hostility between sections of feminism towards trans communities, and particularly feminist antagonism towards trans women, this paper explores the relationship between feminism and transgender. Through the use of original case study material, gathered by virtual methods, the paper explores events that have occurred since the millennium that are used to highlight particular epistemological and political tensions between feminism and trans. Central themes running through the case studies include the constitution of ‘woman’, the policing of feminist identities and spaces, and questions of bodily autonomy. In conclusion, the paper stresses the importance of rejecting trans-exclusionary feminism and of foregrounding the links between feminism and transgender as a key social justice project of our time.

Keywords:

• Transgender
• feminism
• TERF
• social media

Notes

1. The term ‘transgender’ is used in this paper to address a range of gender diverse identities and practices including, though not limited to, trans men, trans women and non-binary people.

2. The term ‘trans’ is used as shorthand for ‘transgender’ and covers a range of gender identities under this umbrella.

3. I use this term in relation to feminist politics from 1960s–1990s, though I recognize the problematic of using the metaphor of waves to discuss feminism – see Hemmings, 2011.

4. Though Jeffrey’s (1997) feminist critique of transgender includes trans men, in the main, feminist critiques have addressed trans women.

5. The term ‘cis’ is short for ‘cisgender’, a term that describes people whose gender corresponds with the sex that they were assigned at birth. People who do not identify as trans are cis.

6. A ‘meme’ is a catchphrase, concept or idea which spreads from person to person on the internet.

7. Since 2012 four people in the UK have been convicted of sexual assault under the Sexual Offences Act (2013) in relation to cases of ‘gender fraud’.

8. ‘Pride London’ is the UKs largest annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender gathering.

9. In 2004, The UK ‘Gender Recognition Act’ (GRA) enabled some trans people to change their birth certificates and to marry in their acquired gender. A ‘Gender Recognition Certificate’ (GRC) is granted to people who are successfully approved by a ‘Gender Recognition Panel’ (GRP). The current process has been subject to much critique from trans organizations (See Author, 2013) and is under-review.

10. Known as ‘misgendering’.

11. ‘LGBT’ is the acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.

12. To ‘misgender’ is use incorrect gendered pronouns.

13. Since the publication of Rose’s (2016) essay, letters of reply to LRB have been published by leading feminist writers and activists that reinstate an anti-transgender position of denying the identities of trans women as women – and so the chain of controversy begins anew.