Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in TransFeminism's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
9:39 am [queerunity]	Free Speech Where do We Draw the Line? A few interesting and controversial headlines have popped up in the news and the gay blogosphere that raise some important questions. At what point is gay activism intruding upon free speech and freedom of expression rights? Freedom of speech and expression must be protected even for anti-gay forces, because if we don't have these basic freedoms it becomes a slippery slope and eventually we will not have the right to express our opinions. I write this in light of some stories recently, such as a student who wore a t-shirt to school saying "Be Happy - Not Gay!" at a diversity event, who got in trouble. The courts have since ruled she is entitled to wear the shirt. What about Crystal Dixon's case with the University of Toledo V.P. of Human Resources who outside the university wrote an opinion column denouncing homosexuality, claiming it is a choice. She has been fired under grounds that she mentioned she was a worker at the school and is now suing the school. Finally there was the case at Smith College, where the College Republicans brought in Ryan Sorba who created a book called "The Born Gay Hoax" who spoke about bogus research regarding LGBT people. Students interrupted his anti-gay speech by screaming "We're Here, We're Queer, get used to it" the student protesters overwhelmed the room forcing Mr. Sorba to leave the campus and cancel his speech. Youtube clip of the Smith protest: What do you think about GLBT activism and where do we draw the line to ensure free speech rights, or is it okay to intrude upon the free speech of others when they seek to intrude on our civil liberties and spread falsehoods about our community? http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/05/open-forum-free-speech-where-do-we-draw.html (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, May 9th, 2008
9:27 pm [queerunity]	Hope for Trans Community With New DSM - V? The APA has released a statement to activists who have emailed and called concerning the APA Diagnostic Statistical Manual. Activists have been very concerned over some people appointed to the committee who are very transphobic and who would likely keep the label "Gender Identity Disorder" even though moden research shows transgender people are just as healthy as everyone else in the population and are NOT disordered! The Gender Identity Disorders task force, is chaired by Peggy T. Cohen Kettenis, Ph.D. who is rumored to be TG friendly. This being said our work is not done, Dr. Kenneth Zucker head of the entire Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders committee is very transphobic and believes in "reparative therapy" for transgender children. http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/05/apa-has-released-statement-to-activists.html (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
9:34 pm [queerunity]	Washington U. Set to Honor Anti-Gay Activist Washington University in St. Louis is giving an honorary degree to anti-gay activist Ms. Phylis Schlafly founder of the Eagle Forum a right wing group opposed to LGBT equality and feminism. This woman has fought tirelessly against marriage equality even though her own son is gay, and she has said women should not work and believes they belong in the kitchen. Take action by clicking to email the university on the post below: http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/05/ding-dong-witch-is-getting-honorary.html (Comment on this)
Sunday, May 4th, 2008
10:42 am [auntysarah]	Introducing Transfeminism to a New Audience Myself and a couple of other interested parties are looking at starting a transfeminism discussion group in London (although for the purposes of this post, that location isn't relevant), and our biggest logistical problem at the moment is finding a venue to host our proposed meetings. We think we;ve found the right place, but it seems we need to go and ask for the space at a meeting of its various users, and our application will be considered on its merits. The space in question is aimed at groups working on "radical social change". I'm concerned that they'll have no idea what transfeminism actually is, and I'll need to give a brief overview. With that in mind, I've written a brief overview, which I hope to be able to either read out at the meeting, or perhaps pass round printed copies of. Cutting to the chase, I'd welcome comments on my proposed overview. I don't intend it to be a comprehensive introduction to transfeminism - in the circumstances (limited time, an audience probably unfamiliar with trans issues), it's going to be a somewhat superficial treatment of the concept. I'm mostly concerned with getting a flavour of what transfeminism is about to an audience who don't have their own interest in trans issues, in about 2 minutes. Here's what I have at present: ( My proposed introduction ) Crossposted to transgender to get a bit of a wider audience. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
2:52 pm [queerunity]	"Affectional Orientation" Instead of "Sexual Orientation"? I found an interesting new term used to describe our relationships. "Affectional Orientation instead of "Sexual Orientation", because Sexual Orientation is limiting our relationships to sexual means when for some there is so much more. Please check out my post and leave comments with your thoughts. http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/05/open-forum-affectional-orientation.html (Comment on this)
1:55 pm [pandabubblz]	Transfeminist resources? Hi everyone, I am a (college) student writing about transfeminism in the context of the Third Wave. I would love your help with resources on transfeminism, including the intersections and tensions between Third-Wave feminism and the (increasingly visible) trans movement(s). I am looking for authors, books, articles/essays, websites, film/TV references, etc. but also for ideas of events that could be seen as significant in the development of transfeminism (the project includes a written piece, a timeline, and an extensive bibliography). I know this is broad but I would appreciate any starting points you have to offer! Thank you so much. Eva (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
9:00 pm [tinamou]	Resources for Feminist Guys     I'm looking for some good, not too beginner level resources for feminist men. I'm a trans guy, a long- term non-academic feminist, and I've just now gotten to the point in my transition where people regularly perceive me as male. So rather than pondering whether I can, should or ought to think of myself as a feminist,* I'm wondering what the hell to do with all of this (conditional) male privilege I'm not accustomed to having. *After an admittantly cursory google search, most of the things I found were about whether men could/should be feminists, or about the importance of supporting women's issues. All of which is great, but doesn't do as much as I'd like to help me figure out how to confront sexism in my daily life. (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
12:40 pm [queerunity]	Introducing Queers United The activist blog for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Asexual, Intersexual community with activist alerts to help us achieve equality. http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
8:14 pm [foibey]	HRC call the cops on peaceful trans protestors (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 20th, 2008
8:51 pm [splinterjete]	the moral panic of BPA and the feminized 'boy' I can see it now. 2008 will go down as the year that polycarbonate, the durable tough clear plastics we were all nursed on, the little plastic #7, takes the fall as the culprit responsible for emasculating our males for the past half century. more specifically, it seems that everywhere - from blogs to the eco-media to the earnest conversations that happen on play dates around swingsets - talk is fixated on the horrors of BPA (biphesnol-a). BPA is found in polycarbonates as well as in the lining of canned foods (as well as in other non-food goods). i've had this unease about the growing clamour around BPA. now, there are many stories within this story to catalyse unease: the discrepency between publicly and privately funded studies into the health effects of low-dose exposure to BPA; the nonaction by global and national bodies to stem the 7 billion pounds of BPA that's created on an annual basis; the growing body of research highlighting potentially harmful effects on human health at exposure levels far below what's considered 'acceptable'. yes, these are all troubling. i, however, am as much troubled by the panicked response to this chemical as i am by the chemical itself. now, there is steadily mounting, and increasingly irrefutable, evidence linking BPA to breast, and possibly prostate cancer in adults. but a chemical linked to cancer, particularly one that is only marginally linked at the present time, has never been ganged up on like this. then *what*, i've wondered, is driving this unprecedented reaction? what has shifted in the eyes of moms across the continent to suddenly see the innocuous sippy cup as an object that incites panic about the health of their children? i've come to conclude that such a sudden, complete reaction without a definitive health outcome means that concern is going beyond health concerns alone. sippy cups have become an object of moral panic, tweaking deep seated fears that our 'boys' are becoming weaker, more sensitive, and ultimately more feminine. what is important to understand is that BPA is a chemical that mimics the effects of estrogen in the body. this estrogen masquerade it plays is why, in particular, concerns have been raised about long-term BPA exposure (as well as exposure at a young age) and the development of breast cancer - many forms of which are triggered by, and dependent upon, estrogen exposure. BPA and cancer: here the link is inconclusive but strong enough to warrant serious attention. what has happened though is that BPAs estrogenic properties have triggered a fear that goes far beyond this. buoyed by studies in rats, such as this, many in both mainstream media, as well as in progressive ecological publications, are selling magazines and papers by stoking fears that BPA may be closing the gap between the genders by altering the gender-normative behaviour of 'boys' and 'girls'. now, before i go further, i want to say that I certainly would not dispute that limiting exposure to is a positive effort. we certainly should not wait for final and conclusive evidence linking BPA to breast cancer and other health outcomes, we should act now. what i worry about though is what fears are we reenforcing by playing up on enduring cultural fears of feminized boys (and, to a lesser degree masculanized girls)? selling science stories is hard. and it appears that scientists have, perhaps unwittingly, found an effective route to catalyse change around BPA. media outlets are keenly are of this: mothers worry less about their own health and more about the health of their children; in particular, they worry about the social health and status their child will have. thus, even raising suspicions that they could be unwittingly poisoning their 'boys' by exposing them to estrogens has proven, in the case of BPA, to be the 'story that sells'. what is somewhat ironic is that mothers of appear to be *more* distraught about their 'sons' BPA exposure than their 'daughters'. this is despite the much stronger evidence showing that BPA is going to affect the health and cancer risk of females more than males. this inversion of concern appears to be (yet another) irrational fear of the feminized male. articles are promoting that BPA may not just alter behaviour but the bodies of 'boys'. two days ago, the widely-read journal Discover chose to focus an article less on the links of BPA to cancer than on the effect that BPA and similar chemicals have on the size of baby 'boys' penises, on the distance between their anus and genitals (a sexually dimorphic trait, i.e. it's longer in males than in females), and on suppression of testosterone within these 'boys'. in its conclusions, the article *does* strongly highlight the mounting research linking BPA to cancer. but, by this point the reader has been whipped into a panic having images of micro-penises and fey little boys burned into their minds, the cancer data is icing on the cake. scientists and media are thus seemingly eschewing evidence in favour of tapping into deep fears of femininity, specifically as its expressed in males, as a way to means to an end: to ban BPA. with sensationalist images like those in the Discover article, it's not surprising mothers are tossing their lattes and reaching for protest signs in support of a ban on BPA. and the results from this recent change of tactic are dramatic. the canadian government has recently (and the first country in the world) declared BPA as potentially harmful to human health. not waiting for government regulation, stores that sell themselves on being ecologically aware have pulled products with BPA off their shelves in many other Western countries. it seems that the fear of possibly emasculating the males of our nations overrides the drive for corporate profit. who knew? the question that remains is ubiquitous: does the end (that being a partial or complete ban on BPA) justify the means we've used to get there? the fear, perhaps even abject horror, affixed to feminization is a prevailing and shameful cultural cornerstone. it stands at the root of phobic outlashes against many queer men and trans women. trans men (and many cis men as well) who may not match up to external markers of masculinity can also experience bashing because of a perceived insufficiency of masculinity . 'gender-variant' 'boys' are referred at a rate of 20:1 to the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health's Gender Identity Clinic - highlighting a broader cultural belief that being a feminine boy is *such* a problem that we have to treat it, nip it in the bud. and, of course, we all know the fate of a 'boy' choosing to wear a dress to school. taken more broadly, our prioritization of masculine traits over feminine ones has helped to create a society where power, aggression, and authority are the currencies of power. women are perenially kept out of power and, like men who don't match up to masculine norms, are subjected to violence and socio-economic penalties. being feminine is a handicap in the Western world, there is no disputing this. the public reaction to BPA is a story about panic. and, while awakening to the health consequences of BPA are without-a-doubt important, it is also important to challenge our cultural prioritization of the masculine over the feminine and to address the panic that is instilled in us when our boys express femininity. the backlash against BPA has given strength and legitimacy to that panic. it may even catalyse a new wave of trying to (re)masculanize 'boys' that may have supposedly been 'exposed'. this whole ordeal may *even* trigger the medicalization of femininity. perhaps this is why i feel great unease. *N.B. I have used quotes around 'boys' and 'girls' to call attention to the cisnormative way that male and female children are raised in our society. given that approximately 1 in 1000 of these boys will go on to be girls, and women, one day (and vice versa) i wish to stress that these labels are applied without first allowing the child to form and name their gender identity, and thus, these labels of 'boy' and 'girl' are both assumptive and transient. (23 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
9:12 am [cinnazimt]	Queer & A I'm a genderqueer student getting an MA in Women's Spirituality.  I often identify as a woman but I don't find feminist thea/ology completely liberating.... So I started a blog called Queer & A, where I interrogate feminist thea/ology from a trans & queer perspective (and sometimes critique queer theory from a feminist perspective).  Since my project is so closely related to this community, I thought I would ask for comments on my blog and join the transfeminism lj community!  Thanks! Current Mood: cheerful (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
12:21 pm [addicted2dreams]	FTM Podcast Now Available on iTunes for Free! WTFTM, the first podcast of it's kind for FTM folks is now up on iTunes for free! The link for it is at the bottom of this post. "WTFTM" is FTM news, culture and commentary. WTFTM is produced in New York and includes content from folks around the US and planet Earth. Our first program hit the streets last night, is available (for free) via iTunes and on our website, wtftm.com. We are planning to produce new podcasts bi-weekly with a possibility of moving to a weekly format if we have the content and demand. We take a lot of inspiration from NPR style programming, but without all the membership drives. Here is the link for Episode 001 of WTFTM Beginnings and Endings: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=277565496 If you do not have iTunes, you can go to this link to listen: www.wtftm.com/podcasts/wtftm.xml If you are interested in getting involved (i.e producing a segment, sound editing) and have outstanding writing skills, send an email to core@wtftm.com. (Comment on this)
Friday, March 28th, 2008
11:20 pm [auntysarah]	On Transfemale Exclusion and Invisibility Crossposted to transfeminismuk I've been rereading Whipping Girl, and thinking quite a bit about the issue of transfemale invisibility and exclusion within queer, women's and feminist spaces (especially after a very productive discussion here in London last night about trans women's inclusion in women's space), and I think there are two key traits that Serano identifies that allow the issue to be described very succinctly: Cissexism - the idea that the genders of transsexual people are inferior to, or less authentic than the genders of cissexual people. The idea that we are "not really women" is hugely problematic because if that idea is present in a women's space, it instantly puts trans women on the defensive in that space - we feel as though our gender identity is "on trial". Cissexism is also what gives rise to the transphobic and transmisogynist idea of "women-born-women". Subversivism - the idea that subversive gender identities are to be valued over non-subversive gender identities. Whilst there are transsexual women with subversive gender identities, it seems fair to say that most of us claim the non-subversive identity of "woman". Rather than respecting each individual's identity as their own, and the most valid identity for them, subversivism within queer spaces discourages the participation of trans people who do identify with a binary gender-identity. Most gender-subversive people are female-assigned (male-assigned gender subversive identities are much rarer). Subversivism often seems like a given in much queer discourse (e.g. the assumption that all "good" transpeople want to "subvert the binary"), and coupled with the previous point, this ensures that trans-participation in queer spaces is dominated by FTM spectrum people, cissexual female-assigned genderqueers, and their lesbian allies/partners. Trans women feel largely excluded and those who arguably constitute the largest single group under the transgender umbrella - male-to-female crossdressers, are totally excluded. As Serano points out, the irony is that subversivism does not "subvert the binary" at all - it merely replaces the old male(good)/female(bad) binary with a new subversive(good)/conforming(bad) binary. I think my own view is that challenging both cissexism and subversivism is absolutely key to tackling the issue of transfemale exclusion. I should, however, clarify that confronting subversivism does not mean devaluing subversive gender identities - merely challenging the idea that subversive identities are more valuable and valid than non-subversive identities. Thoughts? (8 Comments |Comment on this)
1:51 pm [herglacialspeed]	ATTN: MIDWEST TRANS-WOMEN Transgender and Transsexual Women Needed for Research on Thoughts About Sexual Reassignment Surgery My M.A. research* involves interviewing transgender and transsexual women on their opinions on sexual reassignment surgery. Identities will remain confidential. Please contribute to the sociological understanding of transgender and transsexual experience. If you can not be involved in this study, please pass the flyer on to others who may be interested. Participants must: • Be between the ages 18 to 39 years old • Have not yet had or do not plan on having sexual reassignment surgery (pre-operative) • Be willing to be interviewed FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please Contact: Maria McKinney Department of Sociology University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Email: mariaam2@uwm.edu Cell: (414) 531-7517 *This research is supervised by Professor Stacey Oliker Department of Sociology, UWM This research has been approved by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Institutional Review Board (#08.209) on March 13, 2008 (Comment on this)
Monday, March 24th, 2008
4:33 pm [sophiaserpentia]	"privilege checklist" as accusation The "privilege checklist" is the product which results when someone "unpacks their invisible backpack" - the privilege they carry around which is not usually spoken of or culturally acknowledged, but which items each bear examination as a form of actual interpersonal privilege. The "Male Privilege Checklist" was written by a man (cartoonist Barry Deutsch). The "White Prilivege Checklist" was written by a white person. And so on. They are thus not accusations of privilege, but rather are the product of introspection and social analysis. After hearing a few whispers about the existence thereof, i finally today saw it online - the so-called "Trans Activist Privilege Checklist." Only, it wasn't written by a trans*activist. So this "checklist" is presented not as an exercise in invisible-backpack-unpacking, it is an elaborate accusation. (And while the person posting this claims she doesn't mean it to refer to all transwomen, she applies to any and all transwomen who show up to defend themselves in an online dispute, so, it effectively refers to any transwoman who isn't yet cowed into silence. Also, it doesn't seem to be aimed at FTM activists.) ( Read more... ) So. At the end of all this we see that the alleged "privileges" of trans activists (by which was really meant, transwomen who dare to express their opinions in online forums) are all really (1) "privileges" which are not specific to transwomen at all but are things which anyone is capable of doing, (2) "privileges" which do not actually translate into real world power or influence, meaning they are not privilege at all in any sense, (3) strawmen of various types, or (4) the characterization of transwomen as deluded and mentally ill and therefore untrustworthy. (44 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, March 21st, 2008
5:55 pm [jessie_c]	Vancouver BC: Happy Tranny Day! Hi All: Set your callendars for April 13th! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
5:59 pm [firepie]	call for papers: Transgender Studies and Feminism: Theory, Politics, and Gendered Realities http://www.msu.edu/~hypatia/ Call For Papers: For a Special Issue of Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy Transgender Studies and Feminism: Theory, Politics, and Gendered Realities Edited by Talia Mae Bettcher and Ann Garry The recent publication of The Transgender Studies Reader (ed. Susan Stryker and Stephen Whittle, New York: Routledge, 2006) marks a watershed in the development of trans studies. Arising in the early nineties in close relation to queer theory, trans studies is characterized by the coming-to-voice of trans people, long the theorized and researched objects of sexology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and even feminist theory. Sandy Stone’s groundbreaking “The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto” sought the end of monolithic accounts of trans people (authored by non-trans) to reveal a multiplicity of trans narratives told by trans people themselves. By recognizing trans people as flesh and blood human beings with particular access to experiences of “transness” and transphobic oppression, as its starting point, trans studies opens up a way of theorizing “transgender”--for trans and non-trans people alike--that ideally resists, rather than reinforces, mechanisms of transphobia. This raises important questions in feminist theory and politics. How can feminist theory best understand transphobia and trans resistance? Where do feminist and trans politics meet? Where are the overlaps and gaps, the points of connection and disconnection? Hypatia invites submissions to a special issue on transgender studies and feminism, which recognizes the emergence of trans studies. We welcome articles that investigate the relations between feminism and transgender studies. Articles exploring the intersections of multiple oppressions are especially welcome, as are submissions that come from subject-positions outside the United States (and North America more generally). We seek a collection of papers that is international in scope. We also welcome articles that focus on issues specific to trans studies, trans politics, and trans people. This includes (but is hardly limited to) the following: medical regulations of trans bodies; transphobic violence; transphobia in housing, employment, education, medical treatment, and the like; sexual violence against trans people; critiques and concerns about various views within trans studies or politics, tensions between queer theory and trans studies. ( Read more ) The deadline for submissions is 15 April, 2008. Papers should be submitted by electronic attachment in Word to Ann Garry at agarry@calstatela.edu. Submissions should follow Hypatia guidelines (see http://www.msu.edu/~hypatia/). Please address all correspondence, questions and suggestions to Ann Garry or Talia Bettcher at tbettch@calstatela.edu. We look forward to hearing from you. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 16th, 2008
3:53 am [shantidove]	answering questions to my son Today my son (age 10)said that he has been tempted to think that women are better than men because historically some men have done some awful nasty sexist things. I told him that no gender or sex is better than any other and that there are good and bad people of all types. But, I also homeschool and I'm committed to teaching him as much of the truth of human history as I can. I'm trying to be balanced, but I know my politics do influence him. (He's already virulently against the Chinese occupation of Tibet and any form of sexual orientation based discrimination) Sometimes I just don't know for sure how to answer his questions in a way that fits his age. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 13th, 2008
4:52 pm [nectarine_words]	feminist mental heath blog, call for contributors Hey I just started a UK based/focused group blog for feminists who have mental health issues. http://feministmentalhealthuk.wordpress.com/ I think it would be really good to get transwomens perspective on how mental health issues and transgender issues intersect. is any one interested? You can blog with us if: you live in the UK you are female (obv this is trans inclusive) you identify as a feminist you have now or have had mental health issues and experiences with the mental heath system. If you want to be a regular contributor you need a wordpress account and you need to join: this yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feministmentalhealthblog/ If you want to do occasional pieces email them to us with the name you want us to use for them and a link to your own blog if you like or specify if you want them to be anonymous. if you are interested can you email us on feministmhuk@googlemail.com ? (Comment on this)
Monday, February 25th, 2008
9:51 pm [aesmael]	Topic du jour I despise arguments for acceptance on the basis that the person concerned holds no choice in being who they are. Common examples being homosexuality and, at the moment, transsexuality. Specifically the discussion - arguments - concerning people who see being transsexual as a birth defect, that their body and brain sex are mismatched and all they need is to have their bodies modified so they can live as normative members of society. The problem is, such appeals work because it is currently possible to cosmetically alter the rest of the body to match the person's claimed brain sex and it is not currently possible to alter the brain so it conforms to the body. I do not believe this will always be the case. If, in the future, it becomes possible to alter a person's gender (or sexuality) "I can't help it" will no longer be a tenable excuse. If you wish to have the freedom to live your life as you would prefer, you will have to find a new argument. One that will persuade the greater public it is wrong to deny you this freedom, or right to allow it. To say people should be accepted on the basis of their not having a choice about who they are - to say "this trait is inborn and cannot be altered, and therefore you should not discriminate against me because of it" - implicitly suggests that people who cannot make the same claim are less deserving of acceptance and that someone who does have a choice should choose otherwise. If this argument is the condition on which people allow your existence, then as soon as it does become possible you will be expected to make the choice to become acceptable. If you have a medical condition, then as technology improves you will be expected to be fully cured. Cross-posted: aesmael, genderqueer, transfeminism, transgender Current Mood: excited (10 Comments |Comment on this)