Gender101@Bowdoin
RSS![Here is how you play: cross off one box every time you have heard one of the listed stereotypical comments from people attempting to understand transpeople through the lens of feminism. Here is a glossary of a common words and phrases used by the transgender community:
Transgender - “people who [don’t] want to change sexes…or occasionally change to clothing of another sex…but who wanted to change their genders” (Wilchins 58); “anyone who ‘transgressed gender’ including..cross dressers, transexuals…butch women, effeminate men, intersexuals, drag people, and genderqueer youths” (58)
Transsexual - people who are “moving between sexes” (Bernstein) or “want to change sexes” (Wilchins 58)
FtM/FTM - a person who has transitioned from female-to-male
MtF/MTF - a person who has transitioned from male-to-female
Transwoman - a MtF; a man identifies as or has transitioned to being a female
Transman - a FtM; a woman who identifies as or has transitioned to being a man
SRS - sex reassignment surgery
Transvestism - the practice of cross-dressing
Jokes aside, this tongue-in-cheek bingo brings up the problem that Wilchins focuses on in “Deconstructing Trans”, namely that feminism has “turned away from gender as a primary issue” and struggles with how to understand transgender issues (55). Wilchins argues that the reason for this is because the feminist ideology is built on the theory of gender binary, that feminism is about man vs woman and fighting the patriarchy. ”Woman is defined by her opposition to Man, by what she does not have, the Penis, and the one thing she has that Man does not, reproduction and sexuality” (57). If we use this logic, many of the stereotypical comments listed in the bingo above can be understood. The feminism movement believes that a FtM, or a female-to-male person, is betraying the feminism cause by rejecting her womanhood and hating femininity. Mastectomy, even if it’s not for sex reassignment surgery but as a treatment for breast cancer, is perceived as rendering women as not being a “real woman” because of the loss of her breasts. When an FtM gains a penis, he is suddenly considered a man and no longer a woman because he possesses the ultimate symbol of masculinity - a penis. MtFs, male-to-females, are also rejected because they are considered not “real women” and therefore don’t understand the sexism that “real women” suffer though. In other words, FtMs are seen as supporting the patriarchy while MtFs used to be a member of the patriarchy so therefore they have no place in feminist discourse.
How can we and the feminist discourse handle the issues around crossdressing? Does gender expression indicate anything about gender identity or even sexual orientation? Take British comedian Eddie Izzard for instance.
Transvestism, or cross-dressing, was his shtick. At a glance, many people would assume that wearing dresses and putting on make-up would say something about this man’s sexuality, sexual fetishes, or that it was part of his performance. However (at least according to his Wikipedia page), Izzard does not identify as a homosexual (he is attracted to women), transvestism is not a sexual fetish, and he doesn’t perform in dresses in order to attract attention. Cross-dressing, for him, is a way to express his identity, that he desires to wear whatever he wants both on and offstage. The modern day popularly-held feminist discourse would appear to be ill-equipped to understand people like Izzard because he doesn’t fit into any preconceived notions of gender identity, sexual orientation, or gender expression that we understand. This inability to easily categorize transpeople and transvestites thereby makes feminism and the gay rights movement queasy about whether or not people like Izzard should be considered their “ally” or “enemy.”
Things also become very confusing when we bring the objects of sexual desire into the conversation. What do we call a FtM who identifies as a man and is romantically attracted to woman-born women? Gay? Or straight? We like to believe that “sexual orientation and gender are separate” but, as Kennedy’s story illustrates, sexual orientation is still very much rigidly based on gender distinctions (Wilchins 62). The definitions of “gay” and “straight” relies on predetermined notions of gender identity and desire “itself is gendered” (Wilchins 57). Anyone who has any romantic relations with a person of a gender outside of the self-identified sexual orientation is looked down upon with disapproval. In these discussions of objects of sexual desire, sexuality is often thought of in terms of black-and-white, one or the other, instead of a fluid scale or gray area.
Discussion Questions
1) is feminism’s rejection of transpeople well founded and is it still considered feminism? Should the feminist ideology be built upon a gender binary and the distinction between man and woman, or should modern-day feminism be redefined to include equality for all?
2) Do you believe that sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity can truly be separate? If so, what needs to be done to separate them? How do our understandings of the gender binary need to change?
3) What is the source of the need to adopt of gender-neutral pronouns, such as ‘ze’ and ‘hir’? What about using gender-neutral words, such as ‘first-year’ instead of ‘freshman’, ‘chairperson’ instead of ‘chairman’, or ‘to oversee’ instead of ‘to man something’? Is it because of a need to simplify English grammar, or is it an extension of the transgender or gender-equality movement? What is the difference between being gender-neutral and non-sexist?](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvgohcHVvY1r2dx5vo1_1280.jpg)
Here is how you play: cross off one box every time you have heard one of the listed stereotypical comments from people attempting to understand transpeople through the lens of feminism. Here is a glossary of a common words and phrases used by the transgender community:
Transgender - “people who [don’t] want to change sexes…or occasionally change to clothing of another sex…but who wanted to change their genders” (Wilchins 58); “anyone who ‘transgressed gender’ including..cross dressers, transexuals…butch women, effeminate men, intersexuals, drag people, and genderqueer youths” (58)
Transsexual - people who are “moving between sexes” (Bernstein) or “want to change sexes” (Wilchins 58)
FtM/FTM - a person who has transitioned from female-to-male
MtF/MTF - a person who has transitioned from male-to-female
Transwoman - a MtF; a man identifies as or has transitioned to being a female
Transman - a FtM; a woman who identifies as or has transitioned to being a man
SRS - sex reassignment surgery
Transvestism - the practice of cross-dressing
Jokes aside, this tongue-in-cheek bingo brings up the problem that Wilchins focuses on in “Deconstructing Trans”, namely that feminism has “turned away from gender as a primary issue” and struggles with how to understand transgender issues (55). Wilchins argues that the reason for this is because the feminist ideology is built on the theory of gender binary, that feminism is about man vs woman and fighting the patriarchy. ”Woman is defined by her opposition to Man, by what she does not have, the Penis, and the one thing she has that Man does not, reproduction and sexuality” (57). If we use this logic, many of the stereotypical comments listed in the bingo above can be understood. The feminism movement believes that a FtM, or a female-to-male person, is betraying the feminism cause by rejecting her womanhood and hating femininity. Mastectomy, even if it’s not for sex reassignment surgery but as a treatment for breast cancer, is perceived as rendering women as not being a “real woman” because of the loss of her breasts. When an FtM gains a penis, he is suddenly considered a man and no longer a woman because he possesses the ultimate symbol of masculinity - a penis. MtFs, male-to-females, are also rejected because they are considered not “real women” and therefore don’t understand the sexism that “real women” suffer though. In other words, FtMs are seen as supporting the patriarchy while MtFs used to be a member of the patriarchy so therefore they have no place in feminist discourse.
How can we and the feminist discourse handle the issues around crossdressing? Does gender expression indicate anything about gender identity or even sexual orientation? Take British comedian Eddie Izzard for instance.
Transvestism, or cross-dressing, was his shtick. At a glance, many people would assume that wearing dresses and putting on make-up would say something about this man’s sexuality, sexual fetishes, or that it was part of his performance. However (at least according to his Wikipedia page), Izzard does not identify as a homosexual (he is attracted to women), transvestism is not a sexual fetish, and he doesn’t perform in dresses in order to attract attention. Cross-dressing, for him, is a way to express his identity, that he desires to wear whatever he wants both on and offstage. The modern day popularly-held feminist discourse would appear to be ill-equipped to understand people like Izzard because he doesn’t fit into any preconceived notions of gender identity, sexual orientation, or gender expression that we understand. This inability to easily categorize transpeople and transvestites thereby makes feminism and the gay rights movement queasy about whether or not people like Izzard should be considered their “ally” or “enemy.”
Things also become very confusing when we bring the objects of sexual desire into the conversation. What do we call a FtM who identifies as a man and is romantically attracted to woman-born women? Gay? Or straight? We like to believe that “sexual orientation and gender are separate” but, as Kennedy’s story illustrates, sexual orientation is still very much rigidly based on gender distinctions (Wilchins 62). The definitions of “gay” and “straight” relies on predetermined notions of gender identity and desire “itself is gendered” (Wilchins 57). Anyone who has any romantic relations with a person of a gender outside of the self-identified sexual orientation is looked down upon with disapproval. In these discussions of objects of sexual desire, sexuality is often thought of in terms of black-and-white, one or the other, instead of a fluid scale or gray area.
Discussion Questions
1) is feminism’s rejection of transpeople well founded and is it still considered feminism? Should the feminist ideology be built upon a gender binary and the distinction between man and woman, or should modern-day feminism be redefined to include equality for all?
2) Do you believe that sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity can truly be separate? If so, what needs to be done to separate them? How do our understandings of the gender binary need to change?
3) What is the source of the need to adopt of gender-neutral pronouns, such as ‘ze’ and ‘hir’? What about using gender-neutral words, such as ‘first-year’ instead of ‘freshman’, ‘chairperson’ instead of ‘chairman’, or ‘to oversee’ instead of ‘to man something’? Is it because of a need to simplify English grammar, or is it an extension of the transgender or gender-equality movement? What is the difference between being gender-neutral and non-sexist?
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