A Different View of Gender
Posted: February 24, 2011 Filed under: Gender | Tags: feminism, identity, transgender Comments Off on A Different View of GenderFrom the perspective of a trans-identified individual who also considers themselves a feminist, it seems like there’s one issue that always seems to cut to the heart of the tension between those two groups. How can a group whose very nature stems from gender distinction (transgender individuals), and another whose goals often include dismantling gender, reconcile their viewpoints with one another? I’ve spent a long time thinking this particular question, and this entry is going to be my attempt at an answer.
Does Being Trans Promote a Gender Binary?
Posted: February 1, 2011 Filed under: Gender | Tags: feminism, genderqueer, stereotypes, transgender Comments Off on Does Being Trans Promote a Gender Binary?Read through the vast amount of discussion on both transgender and feminism-devoted websites and eventually, you’re bound to run into the accusation that “transgender individuals promote a binary view of gender.” Oftentimes the story goes that because transgender individuals feel they are the “other” gender, that must require the assumption that there are only two clearly defined genders. In other cases, transgender individuals are portrayed as single-mindedly seeking stereotypical “manly” or “womanly” attributes and thus promoting such stereotypes.
Both of these arguments are problematic. Let’s begin with the former, which is predicated on some faulty assumptions.
I'm a Real Person Too 