Are transgender children too young to undergo a gender transition? In my project I aim to discuss the valuable use of our language in order to broaden our understanding on transgender issues in order to help these children in the best way possible.
Tag: transgender
This Project weighs up the positives and negatives of transwomen participating in elite level sport. The essay will be structured logically to allow for an in-depth argument. Firstly, empirically evidence will give an overview with an analysis of scientific research and public opinion. Following with philosophical input to give a moral and feminist stance on the matter. Overall leading to an overarching conclusion, that is, transgender women should be able to participate in elite level rugby.
This piece of writing will look at the concepts of sex and gender according to second and third wave feminists before applying these notions to female only spaces and the issues which may arise from these places. The territory of this essay is looking at what issues the transgender community may face and the more specific object being female only spaces and the issues that transgender women may face when attending such places.
The first part of the essay includes typical views of sex and gender that second and third wave feminists had. It will also explore how the views of second wave feminists could be seen as similar to those of today’s critical feminists or trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs). Within this section is the views of third wave feminist Judith Butler on sex and gender. Her distinctions of sex and gender became helpful in understanding more about the transgender community.
The definition of transgender is presented in this essay as an umbrella term which includes many different aspects. It is understood that the recent growth in acceptance for the trans community has emerged from the media as well as politics. While acceptance has increased recently, there is still a minority that do not accept the transgender community. Some organisations have attempted to exclude trans women from female only spaces and attempt to ensure these spaces only welcome biological women.
Throughout the essay it is clear that, based off their views, second wave feminists would not include transgender women in female only spaces perhaps at all or especially if they only self-identity as a woman as opposed to having had surgery or hormone therapy. Third wave feminists, including Judith Butler, would oppose this view and suggest that all transgender women, whether they self-identify as a woman or have undergone surgery, should be welcomed into female only spaces.
Suggested solutions to these issues which ensure both sides are happy include creating spaces where people who are comfortable around transgender women can go, as well as spaces for people who are not. As well as this, the essay explores the idea that education is key to the acceptance of the transgender community today.
There are two main sides of the debate surrounding the issue of trans-gender athletes competing in sport – The first considers that everyone is entitled to participate in sport. The second deems it unfair and unsafe to allow trans-athletes to compete.
I offer to resolve this debate by proposing two methods that would change how competition is distributed. Moving away from the current system that sees competition based on sex, I will use Judith Butler to see if competition could be based on self-identification and John Rawls to see if competition could be based on what I will term as ‘micro-biology’.
‘Transphobia and Feminist Existentialism’ is an Exploration of Feminist Transphobic rhetoric’s use of Existentialist language and ideas, using Judith Butler’s ‘Gender Trouble.’
In Gender Trouble, Butler theorised that Gender is constructed, rather than natural and therefore performed. Biological sex is also analysed to be a construct, emerging from ideas of gender. Feminist Transphobic rhetoric, or ‘Gender Critical’ or ‘TERF’ ideology puts forward that gender is oppressive to the female sex, and should be abandoned, leaving only biological sex. Butler’s ‘Gender Trouble’ is used to demonstrate why this is impossible.
The examination of these ideas will unfold in the following way: first examing the emergence of these Feminist Transphobic ideas, then an analysis of the Feminist Transphobic rhetoric. Next will follow an explanation of Butler’s ‘Gender Trouble’. This basic examination will allow an exploration of Butler’s perfomativity theory, applied to a critique of ‘Gender Critical’ ideas, including updating ‘Gender Trouble’ with current understandings of Gender variance, and providing an analysis and criticism of Feminist Transphobia with this updated understanding of ‘Gender Trouble.’ This updated understanding of ‘Gender Trouble’ will reveal how gender in the modern era can progress and expand in a way that allows emancipation from harmful stereotypes surrounding gender.