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Transgender and the Feminist Perspective. By: Alexandra Berard. Introduction . The question of weather an individual’s gender identity lies in biology or culture has fueled much debate. The “radical feminists” in particular is one contingency that finds this concept unsettling.
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Transgender and the Feminist Perspective By: Alexandra Berard
Introduction • The question of weather an individual’s gender identity lies in biology or culture has fueled much debate. • The “radical feminists” in particular is one contingency that finds this concept unsettling. • The idea that “gender stereotypical behaviors could well be “natural” rather than as the result of social pressures and male oppression brings a great deal concern to the feminist ideology.”
Clearly Defined Sex=“Normal” Gender Idenity People who do not identify with any of these three factors have to contend gender identity issues. • 1)“Their genetic or biological sex: Every cell in a person’s body contains sex chromosomes that determine a person’s genetic sex. In almost all cases, these are XX chromosomes for females, and XY for males.” • 2) “Their gender identity: This involves their “internal sense of being either male or female.” • 3) “Their physiological gender: The genitalia of the vast majority of newborns are clearly either male or female, and remain so throughout life. Their appearance generally determines the sex that they are assigned at birth.”
Terminology • Transgenderis a broad word to describe a variety of people who suffer from gender identity issues. The terms vary. • transsexuals, transvestites, drag queens/kings, male-to-female transitioning (MTF), female-to-male transitioning (FTM), cross dressers and gender blenders. • Most who are labeled with these terms do not want to live as the opposite sex and most do not believe they’ve been born in the wrong body. • A person who is born with both male and female biological characteristics is considered to be intersex. • Transsexuals identify with a physical sex opposite to their biological sex. They identify with the statement, “I feel like I am living in the wrong body.”
Harry Benjamin1885-1986 • One of the most notable advocates of Gender Reassignment Surgery and the leading authority on transsexuals. • He published The Transsexual Phenomenon in 1966, which met with opposition and criticism. • His groundbreaking work got notoriety when one of his patients went public with her plight.
Christine Jorgensen1926- 1989 • 1953,Jorgensen was the first male-to-female transsexual in the United States. • Her story made the headlines on the front page of the New York Daily News Paper • The scientific community disagreed over whether transsexuality was a psychological or physical condition.
RESEARCH • Vincent Harley PhD, a professor at Prince Henry’s Institute in Australia, along with his team uncovered results that confirm the concept that there is a biological basis for gender confusion. • Harley and his associates have “demonstrated a significant association between variable polymorphism lengths in the androgen receptor gene and male-to-female transsexualism when compared to non-transsexual male controls.” • They are the first to “identify a small difference in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, located on the X-chromosome, which is more prevalent among transsexuals.” • Further studies have shown significant differences in the brain's of those born with normal genitalia compared to those with ambiguous genitalia.
Radical Femimist vs. Transgender Women • For decades, transsexual women have had a troubled and rocky relationship with the feminist movement and their ideology. • There has been a great deal of debate and animosity by transphobic feminist over whether or not to include transsexuals as part of the feminist movement. • Radical feminist take a tough stance against trans gendered women and in doing so, mirror patriarchal oppression of women • They view gender based solely on biological sex taking into account only a persons genitalia. • Radical feminists see themselves as superior when they refuse to acknowledge transwomen’s identity.
Janice Raymond • Janice Raymond, a self-proclaimed radical feminist and author of The Transsexual Empire, isone of the more outspoken feminists against the inclusion of transsexuals as part of the women’s movement. • Raymond’s animosity is crystal clear when she says, “All transsexuals rape women’s bodies by reducing the real female form to an artifact, appropriating this body for themselves…. Transsexuals merely cut off the most obvious means of invading women so that they seem non-invasive…. Rape, although it is usually done by force, can also be accomplished by deception.” • This is an inflammatory statement that has no merit, there is not any data to support the claim that male to female transsexuals are rapists.
Janice Raymond continued • In a 1994 reissue of The Transsexual Empire, Raymond reinforces her position on transgender. • She sights that John Hopkins Hospital discontinued Gender Reassignment Surgery shortly after her book was published. • According to Raymond, Jon Meyer, a psychiatrist and director of the John Hopkins sexual consultation program “found that there was no difference in long term adjustment for individual who undergo the surgery and those who do not.” • Meyer concluded that the surgery served as a calming measure but it does not cure what is essentially a psychiatric disturbance.” • “Raymond is led to see the medicalization of gender variance and the gender identity clinics as nothing but vehicles to further secure sexist sex roles.” • She believes a sexist society is the first cause of transsexuality.”
Janice Raymond Julie Bindel Is joined by Radical Feminist
Julie Bindel • Bindel, a British feminist and journalist, “argued that sex reassignment surgery is an “unnecessary mutilation.” • Bindel has been labeled transphobic because of her outspoken and often seemingly hateful remarks about transgendered women. • One of her more inflammatory articles, Gender Bender, Beware attacks Kimberly Nixon, a male-to-female transsexual. Nixon was denied the right, by the Vancouver Rape Relief Center, to be trained as a rape counselor to women who have been violated. • The Human Rights Tribunal of Vancouver found in Nixon’s favor and awarded her a cash settlement for “injury to her dignity.” The Supreme Court overturned this decision which Bindel saw as a battle won by the feminists. • She believes that gender roles are made up. They are not real. We play at them. We develop traditional masculine or feminine traits by being taught, not because we are biologically programmed to behave in those way.” • Her reasoning for taking a stance against the biological theory for transgender is summed up when she says, “Transsexualism, by its nature promotes the idea that it is “natural” for boys to play with guns and girls to play with Barbie dolls.” • Bindel points out that feminists have always opposed traditional gender roles because they benefit men and oppress women. She believes that by buy into the idea that gender roles are biologically determined rather than socially constructed then you are completely opposing feminist ideology.
Feminist Perspective “Many feminists believe that the behaviors and feelings which are considered typically masculine or typically feminine are purely socially conditione.” Raymond and Bindel have shared similar analogies to clarify their position on transgender. One analogy which holds some merit is, if a white person were to say, “I’m really black, I was born in the wrong skin.” They would not be accepted as such even if they managed to dye themselves black. They would be told they hadn’t had the life experiences of being black and fighting racism. Being white, they have no point of reference with which to relate to the blacks that have suffered discrimination their entire life. When considered from this perspective it makes for excellent argument why trans women should not be part of the women’s movement.
Transgender Discrimination • An event in 1991 sparked the feud between transgendered women and radical feminist and brought the plight of transsexual women into the media. • Because she was a transsexual, Nancy Jean Burkholder was expelled from the “Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival,” the worlds largest annual women-only event. • By continuing with the “womyn-born-womyn” only policy, the “Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival,” is actively discriminating against and aiding in the oppression of transgendered women.
The transgender movement contingency opposed this decision vehemently, which propelled the community to organize “Camp Trans.” • This event is inclusive drawing people from the feminist, trans, and gay communities. • This event also happens to takes place at the same time and just down the street from the “Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival,” each year. • Women who are transsexual suffer sexual discrimination both in the straight community to which they were born and by the feminist who will not see them as real women. • When the radical feminist oppose the acceptance of transgender women into female organizations they dismiss everything the women’s movement has stood for, equality, choice and autonomy.
Further Research & Legal Issues • The next step for research on this topic would warrant examination into the legal ramification of Gender Reassignment Surgery. • It would probably generate greater interest in the biological theory of transgender because people’s pocketbooks would be affected. • Gender Reassignment Surgery is politically a hot topic for debate because it opens a whole can of worms legally and financially. (What should Insurance companies pay for?) • In order to make the transformation complete a transgender person needs identification to match their chosen sex. • There are both public and private agencies, whose benefits differ based on gender. • a change on the birth certificate would force consideration of the policies, laws, and practices that distinguished women and men. • This is where studies such as the one done by Prince Henry Institute become vitally important. Because in our society a persons gender has historically been associated with benefits or lack of benefits.
Conclusion • It would be in the best interest of both transsexual women and feminist to work together because they really want the same thing. • Radical feminist want to dispel the notion of “gender essentialism” which perpetuates the notion that there is such a thing as a male brain and a female brain. • People are not born preconditioned. Feminists want to get rid of the notion of gender, which would level the playing field and everyone would be equal. Surgery shouldn’t be the key that allows people to be themselves. • The facts as they stand right now are people with gender identity issues are often ostracized from society. • Being transgender is not a life style choice, but rather a life style sentence. • The researchers of Prince Henry Institute intend to expand their studies, which will continue support that biological conditions are the basis for transgender issues. • Perhaps these findings will enlighten society to be more accepting and less judgmental.
