Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion
The Reform of the Gender Recognition Act: Government Consultation (2018) catalyzed a heated debate on transgender rights and trans inclusion in the United Kingdom. I start by explaining what the reforms to the U.K. system of gender recognition propose, why gender-critical feminists oppose them, and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2020-05-01
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| Series: | SAGE Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020927029 |
| _version_ | 1818408155709702144 |
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| author | Aleardo Zanghellini |
| author_facet | Aleardo Zanghellini |
| author_sort | Aleardo Zanghellini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Reform of the Gender Recognition Act: Government Consultation (2018) catalyzed a heated debate on transgender rights and trans inclusion in the United Kingdom. I start by explaining what the reforms to the U.K. system of gender recognition propose, why gender-critical feminists oppose them, and how other feminist academics have responded to their arguments. I then offer a more detailed philosophical critique of gender-critical trans-exclusionary feminist arguments. I argue that the gender-critical feminist case against trans women’s access to women-only (or sex-segregated, or single-sex) spaces suffers from a number of fallacies, and introduces modes of argument that are at odds with well-established and sound uses of practical reason. I try to make sense of these problems with gender-critical feminist thought by appealing to the idea of presupposed paranoid structuralism. I also argue that gender-critical feminists’ enthusiastic use of social media and allied online platforms may be implicated in generating some of these problems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:39:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dd86867d1d3d47afa03e8ba84bdd504b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-2440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:39:14Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-dd86867d1d3d47afa03e8ba84bdd504b2022-12-21T23:07:50ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402020-05-011010.1177/2158244020927029Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans InclusionAleardo Zanghellini0University of Reading, UKThe Reform of the Gender Recognition Act: Government Consultation (2018) catalyzed a heated debate on transgender rights and trans inclusion in the United Kingdom. I start by explaining what the reforms to the U.K. system of gender recognition propose, why gender-critical feminists oppose them, and how other feminist academics have responded to their arguments. I then offer a more detailed philosophical critique of gender-critical trans-exclusionary feminist arguments. I argue that the gender-critical feminist case against trans women’s access to women-only (or sex-segregated, or single-sex) spaces suffers from a number of fallacies, and introduces modes of argument that are at odds with well-established and sound uses of practical reason. I try to make sense of these problems with gender-critical feminist thought by appealing to the idea of presupposed paranoid structuralism. I also argue that gender-critical feminists’ enthusiastic use of social media and allied online platforms may be implicated in generating some of these problems.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020927029 |
| spellingShingle | Aleardo Zanghellini Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion SAGE Open |
| title | Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion |
| title_full | Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion |
| title_fullStr | Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion |
| title_short | Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion |
| title_sort | philosophical problems with the gender critical feminist argument against trans inclusion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020927029 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aleardozanghellini philosophicalproblemswiththegendercriticalfeministargumentagainsttransinclusion |