Third Wave Feminism Ends Trans Discrimination

Third Wave Feminism Ends Trans Discrimination

             Before I had any education on the subject I viewed feminism ignorantly, as many people do.  The stereotype I associated feminism with was power-hungry women who hated all men and refused to properly shave themselves to conform to the societal standard.  My first women’s studies class enlightened me greatly on the true purpose of feminism.  I learned that feminism is a three wave social movement concerned with fighting for women’s rights and empowerment.  Beyond fighting for just the power of women, the third wave of feminism encompasses protecting rights for all people, including transgender individuals.

Unfortunately, before the early 1990s, when the third wave of feminism was passed, transgendered individuals were completely excluded from the feminist movement.  In the first and second waves of feminism, transgender issues were seen as “personal problems”.  Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History, points out that, “most feminists back then were critical of transgender practices such as cross-dressing, taking hormones to change the gendered appearance of the body, having genital or chest surgery, or living as a member of a gender other than one’s birth-assigned gender” (2).  They saw transgendered individuals transforming from female to male as cowardly and “trying to escape the poor pay (or no pay) of ‘women’s work’ or to move more safely in a world that was hostile to women” (Stryker 2).  Trans individuals crossing from male to female were looked at as “sissies” and not considered  “normal” or “real” women.

Julia Serano, a transgendered American writer, also investigates the exclusion of transgender people from feminism in her book, Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and Scapegoating of Femininity.  Serano highlights some feminists’ attempts to dismiss transgender individuals from feminism indefinitely.  Trans women are ridiculed for any masculine tendencies they have even though feminism preaches, “women can do anything men can.”  Serano points out that feminists “claim that it is misogynistic when men create standards and expectations for women to meet, then they dismiss [transgender individuals] for not meeting their standard of ‘woman’” (17).  Essentially, Serano is critiquing the feminist movement, which is meant to eliminate discrimination and promote equal rights, but instead is discriminating and excluding trans individuals.  

Though some feminists never welcomed trans individuals into their movement, it is apparent that feminism is extremely relevant to trans people and their experiences.  Serano explains that, “in a male-centered gender hierarchy, where it is assumed that men are better than women and that masculinity is superior to femininity, there is no greater perceived threat than the existence of trans women, who despite being born male and inheriting male privilege ‘choose’ to be female instead” (15).  How would society be able to prove male superiority and continue giving male privilege if there were men choosing to become females?  Our culture attempts to dismiss these individual threats by over-sexualizing trans individuals in the media and portraying them as overemphasized and exaggerated freaks.  

Traditional sexism adds additional anti-trans discrimination, so it is not enough for trans individuals to challenge the gender binary, but it is also important for them to challenge the idea that masculinity is superior to femininity.  In other words, Serano explains, “trans activism must be at its core a feminist movement” (16). With the rise of the third-wave of feminism, transgendered individuals were more readily welcomed into the feminist movement.

Susan Stryker’s piece “Transgender Feminism” makes a tangible point that women are not the only minority that is oppressed by the gender notions deeply embedded in male-dominated cultures.  She introduces the term “transgendered feminism” and suggests we rethink feminism as a whole and consider allowing acceptance to this different group that could be beneficial to the feminist movement.  Transgender and transsexual people challenge repressive gender norms just like women do, and their beliefs are fully compatible with the goal feminism because of their refusal to conform to society’s preconceived notions of gender.

It was realized that transgendered individuals can be disabled by social oppression in the workforce and, much like women, they are not given equal opportunities for advancement as men and rarely enjoy an equal rate of pay.  Transgendered people are automatically identified by their bodies and their transgender appearance, much like females can sometimes be consumed by their gender status and the way in which others perceive them. Stryker points out that, “gender as a form of social control is not limited to the control of bodies defined as “women’s bodies,” or the control of female reproductive capacities” (64). 

Although trans individuals were not welcome at first, the third wave of feminism made it a lot easier for trans men and women to join the movement.  Many feminist leaders realized that, although trans individuals do not identify with every feminist ideal exactly, there is still a lot of commonalities and each group can draw from each other and build a stronger more unified movement.

The blog "Trans Feminism: What is it? Is it Necessary?" from the website "The Powder Room" has been very helpful for me personally as I dug deeper into transgender issues and the merging of the trans and feminist movement.


Works Cited

Serano, Julia. "Trans Woman Manifesto." Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of   

                 Feminunity. Emeryville, CA: Seal, 2007. N. pag. Print.

Stryker, Susan. Transgender History. Berkeley, CA: Seal, 2008. Print.
Richardson, Laurel, Verta A. Taylor, and Nancy Whittier. Feminist Frontiers. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.