Description
Book SynopsisHow do I know I am trans? Is trans feminism real feminism? What is there to say about trans women's male privilege?
This collection of insightful, pithy and passionately argued think pieces from a trans-feminist perspective explores issues surrounding gender, feminism and philosophy and challenges misconceptions about trans identities. The book confronts contentious debates in gender studies to alleviate ongoing tension between feminism and trans women. Split into six sections, this collection covers wider issues, as well as autobiographical experiences, designed to stimulate the reader and encourage them to actively participate.
Trade ReviewWilliams's terrific work breaking down academic concepts into understandable language and clear, concrete ideas will be a boon to both newbies to and veterans of the trans experience and issues. * Publishers Weekly *
Taking unerring aim at the patriarchal transphobia that saturates our lives, Williams' piercing insights and vivid personal accounts capture the heartbreak and the hope of existing in this world as a transgender human being. -- Zinnia Jones, creator of Gender Analysis
Rachel Williams'
Transgressive should be required reading for human beings. Her skillful interweaving of autobiography and theory not only radically improves our understanding of sex and gender, but also manifests kindness and wisdom on every page. I have never been as entertained by something so fundamentally helpful. -- Jon Cogburn, Louisiana State University Department of Philosophy, author of Garcian Meditations and (with Mark Silcox) Philosophy Through Video Games
Williams writes with exceptional clarity and candor about some intellectually and emotionally difficult subjects, and somehow she manages to do so in a voice that is equal parts confident and modest. It would be hard to exaggerate how much I learned from this remarkable collection of essays. -- Christopher Heath Wellman, Professor of Philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis
Table of ContentsPART I. Transfeminine Blues; 1. Trans porn, Trans women, and the Fetishization of "tgurls"; 2. There Is Nothing Universal to Say About Trans Women and Male Privilege; 3. Trannies, Traps, and the Third Gender; 4. Becoming the Woman I Never Was; 5. Embracing Ambiguity; 6. On Being an Angry Tranny; PART II. Intersectional Feminism; 7. Trans Feminism Is Real Feminism; 8. The Paradoxical Duality of Cat-calling; 9. Dysphoria as a Symptom of Modernity; 10. Turned On by Intelligence but Turned Off by Ableism: a Critique of Sapiosexualism; 11. Why I Was Not Born in the Wrong Body; 12. The Inherent Superiority of Softness; 13. Nobody Is Trans Enough; PART III. Life in Transition; 14. Let Trans Women Grow; 15. Early Days of Transition: a Phenomenology of Change; 16. Learning to say "Fuck it" to Passing; 17. Hyper-vigilance in the Gender Machine; PART IV. Gender & Politics; 18. Monster Politics: On-being-an-assemblage; 19. Is the Very Concept of "Passing" Problematic?; 20. Is Dysphoria Necessary for Being Trans? The "Truscum" Debate; 21. Radical Feminism, Essentialism, and Normality; 22. Autogynephilia, the Gift That Keeps on Giving; 23. Transgender Ideology in America: Gender Hacking, Bio-sex, and the New Identity Politics; 24. A Plea for Agnosticism in an Age of Ardor; 25. There I Go Again, Thinking I Have a Basic Right to Exist in Society; PART V. Metaphysics & Epistemology; 26. Against the Sex/Gender Distinction; 27. Trans Without Transition? A Critique of Gender Identity; 28. How Do I Know I Am Trans?; 29. Gender Identity as a Brain-in-a-Vat; 30. Gender Agnosticism; 31. The Promise and Failure of Gender Nihilism; PART IV. Autobiography; 32. Giving Up My Male Privilege; 33. Why I Left Academic Philosophy; 34. U-hauling, Radical Vulnerability, and the Existential Feels of Queer, Poly Love; 35. "That's so crazy!": Ableism, Madness, and the Politics of Perfect Language; 36. Queering Personal Finance; 37. t4t
