Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman”
In “Amelioration and Inclusion: Gender Identity and the Concept of Woman,” Katharine Jenkins argues that Sally Haslanger’s focal analysis of gender problematically excludes nonpassing trans women from the category “woman.” However, Jenkins does not explain why this exclusion contradicts the feminist...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Western Ontario
2019-03-01
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| Series: | Feminist Philosophy Quarterly |
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/7313 |
| _version_ | 1818949956978868224 |
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| author | Katie L. Kirkland |
| author_facet | Katie L. Kirkland |
| author_sort | Katie L. Kirkland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In “Amelioration and Inclusion: Gender Identity and the Concept of Woman,” Katharine Jenkins argues that Sally Haslanger’s focal analysis of gender problematically excludes nonpassing trans women from the category “woman.” However, Jenkins does not explain why this exclusion contradicts the feminist aims of Haslanger’s account. In this paper, I advance two arguments that suggest that a trans-inclusive account of “woman” is crucial to the aims of feminism. I claim that the aims of feminism are to understand and combat women’s oppression. First, I argue that denial of trans identities reinforces cultural ideas that perpetuate both transphobic violence and sexual violence against women. Consequently, a feminist account of “woman” that fails to respect trans identities indirectly contributes to the oppression of women. Second, I prove that nonpassing trans women are oppressed as women through the internalization of sexual objectification. I then conclude that an account of “woman” that excludes nonpassing trans women cannot successfully advance a complete understanding of women’s oppression. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T09:10:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-63aecd297d0244bb83238d76a439aefa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2371-2570 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T09:10:56Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | University of Western Ontario |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Feminist Philosophy Quarterly |
| spelling | doaj.art-63aecd297d0244bb83238d76a439aefa2022-12-21T19:45:34ZengUniversity of Western OntarioFeminist Philosophy Quarterly2371-25702019-03-015110.5206/fpq/2019.1.7313Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman”Katie L. Kirkland0Arizona State UniversityIn “Amelioration and Inclusion: Gender Identity and the Concept of Woman,” Katharine Jenkins argues that Sally Haslanger’s focal analysis of gender problematically excludes nonpassing trans women from the category “woman.” However, Jenkins does not explain why this exclusion contradicts the feminist aims of Haslanger’s account. In this paper, I advance two arguments that suggest that a trans-inclusive account of “woman” is crucial to the aims of feminism. I claim that the aims of feminism are to understand and combat women’s oppression. First, I argue that denial of trans identities reinforces cultural ideas that perpetuate both transphobic violence and sexual violence against women. Consequently, a feminist account of “woman” that fails to respect trans identities indirectly contributes to the oppression of women. Second, I prove that nonpassing trans women are oppressed as women through the internalization of sexual objectification. I then conclude that an account of “woman” that excludes nonpassing trans women cannot successfully advance a complete understanding of women’s oppression.https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/7313feminism, transfeminism, oppression |
| spellingShingle | Katie L. Kirkland Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman” Feminist Philosophy Quarterly feminism, transfeminism, oppression |
| title | Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman” |
| title_full | Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman” |
| title_fullStr | Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman” |
| title_short | Feminist Aims and a Trans-Inclusive Definition of “Woman” |
| title_sort | feminist aims and a trans inclusive definition of woman |
| topic | feminism, transfeminism, oppression |
| url | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/7313 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katielkirkland feministaimsandatransinclusivedefinitionofwoman |