Mount Saint Vincent University Department of Women and Gender Studies A Discipline in Transition: Trans Inclusion in Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada by Julien Davis A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies September, 2009 Halifax, Nova Scotia © Julien Davis, 2009 Mount Saint Vincent University Department of Women and Gender Studies A Discipline in Transition: Trans Inclusion in Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada by Julien Davis Approved: _________________________________________________________________ Marnina Gonick, Ph.D. Thesis Supervisor Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies, Mount Saint Vincent University _________________________________________________________________ Susan Walsh, Ph.D. Second Reader Associate Professor of Education, Mount Saint Vincent University _________________________________________________________________ Marion Brown, Ph.D. External Examiner Assistant Professor of Social Work, Dalhousie University ii To Sandra Tziporah Bornemann, with all my love. iii ABSTRACT A Discipline in Transition: Trans Inclusion in Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada has always been a discipline in transition, with trans inclusion being the most recent development to the field. As both a Gender and Women’s Studies student and a trans man, I explored the possibilities of trans inclusion from a positive framework within the discipline. Six faculty members in Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada were interviewed on the topic of trans inclusion in their discipline. This research explored the reasons why trans topics and theories were included in Gender and Women’s Studies, how they were included and reactions from fellow colleagues, students and administration. Findings of this research support my personal experiences of encountering resistance to trans inclusion within Gender and Women’s Studies. However, all of the faculty interviewed reported much optimism for the future of trans inclusion within Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada and for the possibilities of a transfeminism. iv Acknowledgements I want to thank my participants for your interest and involvement in this research project. Your candour throughout the interviews contributed to what I believe is a thesis full of rich data, interesting quotes and some really useful information about trans inclusion in Gender and Women’s Studies. Many thanks to all of you for this and for all that you do for trans students inside and outside of your classrooms. I also want to thank my many committee members throughout the process, including Dr. Katherine Side for supporting this research from the very beginning, along with your mentorship throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I also want to thank Dr. Steven Bruhm and Dr. Val Marie Johnson for your valuable contributions along the way with this project. I want to express thanks to Dr. Susan Walsh and Dr. Marion Brown for your generosity and patience in your respective roles as second reader and external examiner for my thesis. Finally, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Marnina Gonick, my thesis supervisor, for your wisdom, support and guidance, and for ultimately helping me see this thesis through to completion. No words can thank you enough for that! Finally, I also want to say many thanks to my family and friends. You have listened to me talk about this thesis for far too long, provided much support and are also probably just as happy as me to see this finally come to an end. My love goes out to all of you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE - A DISCIPLINE IN TRANSITION: AN INTRODUCTION... 1 Purpose........................................................................................................ 2 Locating This Study and the Researcher .................................................... 4 Key Concepts and Terms ............................................................................ 8 CHAPTER TWO – TRANSECTING THE LITERATURE: A REVIEW ............ 10 Gender and Women’s Studies as a Discipline in Transition....................... 10 Overall Increase in Trans Awareness in Academia .................................... 14 Tensions Between Trans Communities and Feminism............................... 20 Trans Inclusion in Gender and Women’s Studies and Transfeminism....... 26 CHAPTER THREE – TRANSPARENCY IN RESEARCH: A DISCUSSION OF METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 29 Sample......................................................................................................... 30 Theoretical Framework............................................................................... 32 Feminist Qualitative Research .................................................................... 35 Power and Reflexivity................................................................................. 36 Confidentiality ............................................................................................ 39 Interviews.................................................................................................... 41 Transcription and Analysis ......................................................................... 42 Limitations .................................................................................................. 43 CHAPTER FOUR – TRANSLATING THE DATA: AN ANALYSIS ................. 46 Overall Increase of Trans Inclusion in Academia....................................... 46 Reasons for Including Trans Topics and Theories within Gender and vi Women’s Studies ........................................................................................ 48 Trans Topics and Theories a Fundamental Part of Gender and Women’s Studies ............................................................................ 49 Trans Students in Gender and Women’s Studies............................ 51 Academic Freedom ......................................................................... 51 Teaching Methods for Trans Inclusion ....................................................... 52 Debates............................................................................................ 52 Lived Experiences........................................................................... 55 Theory ............................................................................................. 57 Multiple Methods and Theories ...................................................... 59 Connections Between Trans Topics and Theories and Gender and Women’s Studies ........................................................................................ 60 Influence of Trans Politics and Theorizing on Gender and Women’s Studies......................................................................................................... 63 New Ways of Conceptualizing Gender........................................... 63 Relevancy........................................................................................ 64 Influence of Gender and Women’s Studies/Feminism on Trans Politics and Theorizing ............................................................................... 65 Feminist Origins of Trans Theorizing............................................. 65 Reflections on Masculinities and Sexism ....................................... 66 Intersectional Analysis.................................................................... 67 Reactions From and Reflections on Students ............................................. 69 Student Responses to Trans Inclusion ............................................ 69 Broad Range of Knowledge on Trans Issues.................................. 71 Reflections on other Faculty and Administration ....................................... 73 vii Support............................................................................................ 73 Ignorance......................................................................................... 74 Resistance ....................................................................................... 75 Reflections on Participants’ Own Trans Knowledge.................................. 77 Trans Advocacy by Faculty ........................................................................ 78 Advocacy for Accessible Washrooms and Other Gendered Spaces ............................................................................................. 79 Safe-Space Programmes ................................................................. 79 CHAPTER FIVE – TRANSFORMING THE DISCIPLINE: HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF GENDER AND WOMEN’S STUDIES IN CANADA ................... 81 Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 89 Appendices.............................................................................................................. 98 viii LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A: Participant Informed Consent Form.................................................. 98 Appendix B: Interview Schedule ............................................................................ 100 Appendix C: Terms and Definitions ....................................................................... 101 ix CHAPTER 1 A DISCIPLINE IN TRANSITION: AN INTRODUCTION Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada is a young discipline that is constantly evolving, with the inclusion of trans issues being one of the most recent changes in