• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • transfeminism: a collection • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Featuring: The Transfeminist Manifesto An Open Letter to Alix Dobkin Whose Feminism is it Anyway? • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Written & Compiled by Emi Koyama <[email protected]> http://eminism.org/ * Putting the Emi back in Feminism since 1975. The Feminist Conspiracy Press, PO Box 40570, Portland OR 97240 Index The Transfeminist Manifesto 3 Reprinted from The Transfeminist Manifesto and Other Essays on Transfeminism, March 2000. An Open Letter to Alix Dobkin 12 Reprinted from An Open Letter to Alix Dobkin, April 2000. Whose Feminism is it Anyway? The Unspoken Racism of the Trans Inclusion Debate 19 Reprinted from Whose Feminism is it Anyway?, October 2000. About Eminism.org 27 © 2000-2001 Emi Koyama / The Feminist Conspiracy Press PO Box 40570, Portland OR 97240 Get more of Emi – visit www.eminism.org email: [email protected] 2 By Emi Koyama [email protected] Originally Published: October 1999 The Last Edited: July 2001 Transfeminist Manifesto Introduction less as women despite their birth sex assignment to the contrary. “Trans men,” likewise, is used to The latter half of the twentieth century describe those who identify, present, or live as witnessed an unprecedented broadening of men despite the fact that they were perceived American feminist movement as a result of otherwise at birth. While this operational the participation of diverse groups of women. definition leaves out many trans people who When a group of women who had previously do not conform to the male/female dichotomy been marginalized within the mainstream of or those who are transgendered in other ways, the feminist movement broke their silence, it is our hope that they will recognize enough demanding their rightful place within it, they similarities between issues that we all face and were first accused of fragmenting feminism find our analysis somewhat useful in their own with trivial matters, and then were eventually struggles as well. accepted and welcomed as a valuable part of the Transfeminism is primarily a movement by and feminist thought. We have become increasingly for trans women who view their liberation to be aware that the diversity is our strength, not intrinsically linked to the liberation of all women weakness. No temporary fragmentation or and beyond. It is also open to other queers, polarization is too severe to nullify the ultimate intersex people, trans men, non-trans women, virtues of inclusive coalition politics. non-trans men and others who are sympathetic Every time a group of women previously toward needs of trans women and consider their silenced begins to speak out, other feminists are alliance with trans women to be essential for challenged to rethink their idea of whom they their own liberation. Historically, trans men have represent and what they stand for. While this made greater contribution to feminism than process sometimes leads to a painful realization trans women. We believe that it is imperative of our own biases and internalized oppressions that more trans women start participating in as feminists, it eventually benefits the movement the feminist movement alongside others for our by widening our perspectives and constituency. liberation. It is under this understanding that we declare Transfeminism is not about taking over that the time has come for trans women to existing feminist institutions. Instead, it extends openly take part in the feminist revolution, and advances feminism as a whole through further expanding the scope of the movement. our own liberation and coalition work with all “Trans” is often used as an inclusive others. It stands up for trans and non-trans term encompassing a wide range of gender women alike, and asks non-trans women to stand norm violations that involve some discontinuity up for trans women in return. Transfeminism between one’s sex assigned at birth to her or embodies feminist coalition politics in which his gender identity and/or expression. For the women from different backgrounds stand up for purpose of this manifesto, however, the phrase each other, because if we do not stand for each “trans women” is at times used to refer to those other, nobody will. individuals who identify, present or live more or 3 Primary Principles we find ourselves constantly having to negotiate our need for safety and comfort against our Primary principles of transfeminism are simple. feminist principles. Transfeminism challenges all First, it is our belief that each individual has women, including trans women, to examine the right to define her or his own identities how we all internalize heterosexist and and to expect society to respect them. This also patriarchal mandates of genders and what global includes the right to express our gender without implications our actions entail; at the same fear of discrimination or violence. Second, we time, we make it clear that it is not the hold that we have the sole right to make responsibility of a feminist to rid herself of decisions regarding our own bodies, and that every resemblance to the patriarchal definition no political, medical or religious authority shall of femininity. Women should not be accused violate the integrity of our bodies against our of reinforcing gender stereotypes for making will or impede our decisions regarding what we personal decisions, even if these decisions do with them. appear to comply with certain gender roles; such However, no one is completely free from a purity test is disempowering to women because the existing social and cultural dynamics of the it denies our agency, and it will only alienate a institutionalized gender system. When we make majority of women, trans or not, from taking any decisions regarding our gender identity or part in the feminist movement. expression, we cannot escape the fact that Transfeminism believes in the notion that we do so in the context there are as many ways of the patriarchal binary Transfeminism holds of being a woman as gender system. Trans there are women, that women in particular are that nobody shall be we should be free to encouraged and coerced into or out make our own decisions sometimes required to without guilt. To this adopt the traditional of personal decisions end, transfeminism definition of femininity regarding her or his confronts social and in order to be accepted political institutions that and legitimatized by the gender identity or inhibit or narrow our medical community, individual choices, while which has appointed expression to qualify refusing to blame itself as the arbiter of as a “real” feminist. individual women for who is genuinely woman making whatever enough and who is not. Trans women often find personal decisions. It is unnecessary -- in fact themselves having to “prove” their womanhood oppressive -- to require women to abandon by internalizing gender stereotypes in order their freedom to make personal choices to be to be acknowledged as women or to receive considered a true feminist, for it will only hormonal and surgical interventions. This replace the rigid patriarchal construct of ideal practice is oppressive to trans and non-trans femininity with a slightly modified feminist women alike, as it denies uniqueness of each version that is just as rigid. Transfeminism woman. believes in fostering an environment where Transfeminism holds that nobody shall women’s individual choices are honored, while be coerced into or out of personal decisions scrutinizing and challenging institutions that regarding her or his gender identity or limit the range of choices available to them. expression in order to be a “real” woman or a “real” man. We also believe that nobody The Question of Male Privilege should be coerced into or out of these personal decisions in order to qualify as a “real” feminist. Some feminists, particularly radical lesbian As trans women, we have learned that our feminists, have accused trans women and men of safety is often dependent on how well we can benefiting from male privilege. Male-to-female “pass” as “normal” women; as transfeminists, transsexuals, they argue, are socialized as boys 4 and thus given male privilege; female-to-male assert that our experiences represent a dynamic transsexuals on the other hand are characterized interaction between male privilege and the as traitors who have abandoned their sisters in disadvantage of being trans. a pathetic attempt to acquire male privilege. Any person who has a gender identity and/or Transfeminism must respond to this criticism, an inclination toward a gender expression that because it has been used to justify discrimination match the sex attributed to her or him has a against trans women and men within some privilege of being non-trans. This privilege, like feminist circles. other privileges, is invisible to those who possess When confronted with such an argument, it. And like all other privileges, those who lack a natural initial response of trans women is to the privilege intuitively know how severely they deny ever having any male privilege whatsoever suffer due to its absence. A trans woman may in their lives. It is easy to see how they would have limited access to male privilege depending come to believe that being born male was on how early she transitioned and how fully she more of a burden than a privilege: many of lives as a woman, but at the same time she them despised having male bodies and being experiences vast emotional, social, and financial treated as boys as they grew up. They recall disadvantages for being trans. The suggestion how uncomfortable it felt to be pressured to that trans women are inherently more privileged act tough and manly. Many have experienced than other women is as ignorant as claiming bullying and ridicule by other boys because they that gay male couples are more privileged than did not act appropriately heterosexual couples as boys.