Discussion "Dispelling the Harmful Belief that Trans Women Grow Up as Men" (shared for the purpose of critique)
Discussion "Dispelling the Harmful Belief that Trans Women Grow Up as Men" (shared for the purpose of critique)
komorebi
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde
164
Jan 8 2025, 5:53 PM
(Sorry in advance for any annoyance reading this may cause. 🤣)
This is an old article—one that made my eyes roll into the back of my head when I first read it. I think it would be good to discuss and present counterarguments as a resource for women who may need them. I vaguely remember reading gender-critical takedowns of this article at the time that it was published, but I can no longer find them. If you happen to have links, please share them!
My contribution:
Quote:In a series of tweets shortly after the interview was broadcast, actress Laverne Cox reflected on her own childhood in Alabama, contesting the novelist’s remarks without directly naming her. “I was talking to my twin brother today about whether he believes I had male privilege growing up,” she wrote. “My gender was constantly policed. I was told I acted like a girl and was bullied and shamed for that. My femininity did not make me feel privileged.” Later, she added, “Class, race, sexuality, ability, immigration status, education all influence the ways in which we experience privilege, so though I was assigned male at birth I would contend that I did not enjoy male privilege prior to my transition.”
His argument seems to boil down to the idea that because he was bullied for being a feminine boy, he doesn't have male privilege, and as an unspoken addendum, he's not actually a man.
But whether your gender is policed or not is unrelated to whether you have male privilege. Both men and women are socially sanctioned for being gender-nonconforming. Men police each other all the time, e.g. calling each other "unmanly" or "sissies" or "soyboys" for perceived feminine behavior. Those men, regardless of whether they are doing the name-calling or whether they are being name-called, still have male privilege. The same goes for Laverne Cox.
Additionally, being told you're "acting like a girl" and being bullied and shamed for it is something that only happens to men: it is a male experience. It doesn't prove that you're a woman, it is actually evidence of the opposite. In contrast, women are bullied and shamed for not "acting like girls."
Because he was bullied for his femininity, he says he "did not feel privileged." In saying this he conflates losing status among other males with a lack of male privilege entirely, but that's incorrect. Male privilege doesn't mean you're privileged among male people; it means you're privileged compared to female people. (Not sure why such a basic distinction was lost on him—male privilege, perhaps? 💀)
Dispelling the Harmful Belief that Trans Women Grow Up as Men (archive link) - Vice, March 16, 2017.
(Sorry in advance for any annoyance reading this may cause. 🤣)
This is an old article—one that made my eyes roll into the back of my head when I first read it. I think it would be good to discuss and present counterarguments as a resource for women who may need them. I vaguely remember reading gender-critical takedowns of this article at the time that it was published, but I can no longer find them. If you happen to have links, please share them!
My contribution:
Quote:In a series of tweets shortly after the interview was broadcast, actress Laverne Cox reflected on her own childhood in Alabama, contesting the novelist’s remarks without directly naming her. “I was talking to my twin brother today about whether he believes I had male privilege growing up,” she wrote. “My gender was constantly policed. I was told I acted like a girl and was bullied and shamed for that. My femininity did not make me feel privileged.” Later, she added, “Class, race, sexuality, ability, immigration status, education all influence the ways in which we experience privilege, so though I was assigned male at birth I would contend that I did not enjoy male privilege prior to my transition.”
His argument seems to boil down to the idea that because he was bullied for being a feminine boy, he doesn't have male privilege, and as an unspoken addendum, he's not actually a man.
But whether your gender is policed or not is unrelated to whether you have male privilege. Both men and women are socially sanctioned for being gender-nonconforming. Men police each other all the time, e.g. calling each other "unmanly" or "sissies" or "soyboys" for perceived feminine behavior. Those men, regardless of whether they are doing the name-calling or whether they are being name-called, still have male privilege. The same goes for Laverne Cox.
Additionally, being told you're "acting like a girl" and being bullied and shamed for it is something that only happens to men: it is a male experience. It doesn't prove that you're a woman, it is actually evidence of the opposite. In contrast, women are bullied and shamed for not "acting like girls."
Because he was bullied for his femininity, he says he "did not feel privileged." In saying this he conflates losing status among other males with a lack of male privilege entirely, but that's incorrect. Male privilege doesn't mean you're privileged among male people; it means you're privileged compared to female people. (Not sure why such a basic distinction was lost on him—male privilege, perhaps? 💀)
