Debating trans inclusion in the reminist movement: A trans-positive analysis

Journal of Lesbian Studies

Volumn 10, Issue 1-2, 2006, Pages 231-248

  Green, Eli R ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

Feminism; Identity of oppression; Identity politics; Janice Raymond; Lesbian communities; Lesbian separatism; Transfeminism

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; ATTITUDE; FEMALE; FEMINISM; HUMAN; LESBIAN; POLITICS; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; SOCIAL CHANGE; TRANSSEXUALISM;

ATTITUDE; FEMALE; FEMINISM; HOMOSEXUALITY, FEMALE; HUMANS; POLITICS; SOCIAL CHANGE; SOCIAL IDENTIFICATION; TRANSSEXUALISM;

EID: 84906397321     PISSN: 10894160     EISSN: 15403548     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1300/J155v10n01_12     Document Type: Article

References (20)

1. Notes on terminology: The term 'trans' in this text denotes a person whose gender identity is not congruent with their biological sex. This term is preferred to 'transgender' or 'transsexual' because it does not inherently assume surgical or hormonal status/desire. It is also a purposeful move to include people whose identities do not necessarily fit within the constraints of the more commonly used terms 'transgender' or 'transsexual' (or who do not feel comfortable with these particular labels). In this piece, the term 'gender diverse' also refers to people whose gender identity is not congruent with their biological sex. This term is purposely chosen, because it is not (currently) affiliated with the terminological border wars within the trans community, and does not necessitate a personal claiming of a trans-specific identity. 'Transpeople' is used to refer to all people who claim a trans identity, regardless of the direction of their transition. Further, the term 'transwoman' is used to respectfully refer to a person who was born biologically male and lives as a woman/feminine person, and the term 'transman' is used to respectfully refer to a person who was born biologically female and lives as a man/masculine person. The term 'cisgendered' is used [instead of the more popular 'gender normative'] to refer to people who do not identify with a gender diverse experience, without enforcing existence of a "normative" gender expression. Also of importance to note is that the text views 'gender' and 'sex' as two distinct and separate terms. Herein, gender refers to a person's felt sense of identity and expression, and sex refers to the biological assignment of male, female (and sometimes intersex) at birth based on anatomy (and/or chromosomal arrangements). For more information on these terms and other trans terminology, see: .
2. The terms 'feminist space' and 'women's space' are used as separate and distinct terms in this text. Feminist space is used to denote a space (physical or metaphorical) that purposely exists based on a presumption of feminist consciousness or activism. Women's space refers to a space (physical or metaphorical) that does not center on feminist consciousness, rather incidentally centering on the existence of woman dominated or exclusive space.
3. Quoted from the homepage of Questioning Transgender.org's Website.
4. For example: "I went to women's lib meetings for a while, one MTF stated in 1971, and was getting really into it until some woman wearing an army uniform walked up to me and said that I should take off my false eyelashes and not expose my breasts so much" (Meyerowitz, 259).
5. This was also true of femme lesbians, who were also viewed as traitors for embracing the feminine.
6. See referenced works by Butler, Califia-Rice, and Cromwell.
7. The specifics of the HBSOC are available online at: .
8. For definitions of these terms, see Green and Peterson, 2004. LGBTQI Terminology Sheet. Available online at: .
9. See the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA.org) for a thorough analysis and intersex perspective on sexual assignment surgeries for intersex "conditions." For a more in depth analysis see Dreger AD (Ed.) (1999). Intersex in the age of ethics. Frederick, MD: University Press Group; and Kessler SA (1998). Lessons from the Intersexed. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
10. and Kessler SA (1998). Lessons from the Intersexed. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
11. A comprehensive listing is beyond the scope of this paper. However, for a sampling refer to Califia, Patrick (2003). Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism, 2nd Ed. San Francisco, CA: Cleis Press;
12. Cromwell, Jason (1999). Transmen and FTMs: Identities, Bodies, Genders, and Sexualities. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press;
13. Diamond, Morty (2004). From the Inside Out: Radical Gender Transformation, FTM and Beyond. San Francisco, CA: Manic D Press;
14. Green, Jamison (2004). Becoming a Visible Man. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press;
15. Prosser, Jay (1998). Second Skins. New York: Columbia University Press;
16. Queen, Carol and Schimmel, Lawrence, eds. (1997). PoMoSexuals: Challenging Assumptions about Gender and Sexuality. San Francisco, CA: Cleis Press.
17. Note that the internal contradictions of the first two statements are those of Janice Raymond, and not this author. As there are trans-positive authors such as Calfia and others who engage directly with the text, textual analysis is not included here.
18. See Gender.org/remember for a complete listing of and details about the exceptionally violent deaths of transpeople who were targeted for gender diverse related hate crimes.
19. See: .
20. Personal verbal correspondence with author in December 2005.