So some of you may already be aware of this, but yesterday my article "Trans Feminism: There’s No Conundrum About It" appeared on Ms. Magazine's blog. It is my rebuttal to a previous article on trans feminism that they published last month.
If you're interested, you can check out the aforementioned link...enjoy! -j.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
julia update April 2012!
in this julia update:
1) Girl Talk 2012 videos!
2) upcoming San Francisco shows!
.....................
Hi all, here's what's new in my world:
1) Girl Talk 2012 videos!
as promised, we (co-curators of Girl Talk) have made videos of this year's Girl Talk: A Trans & Cis Woman Dialogue show available for all to view! Here is the link to all the videos:
http://vimeo.com/markmcbethprojects/videos/search:girl%20talk/
The videos are not yet tagged, but you can tell which performer it will be based on the picture associated with the link. Here is the link to the video of my two pieces:
http://vimeo.com/39522510
enjoy!
P.S. full video of Girl Talk 2011 is also available on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL6C0BC77CA710AB76
++++
2) upcoming San Francisco shows
--So tomorrow (Thursday, April 19), I will be reading at a benefit for my favorite Bay Area book store, Modern Times. And it will take place at one of my favorite Bay Area venues, El Rio. Here are the details from the Modern Times website:
40 Years of Radical Writing, Rabble Rousing, and Romancing Your Brain
A party with and for Modern Times at El Rio
- Thursday, April 19
- 6-9 PM
- El Rio: 3158 Mission Street
- $5-15, NOTA
We've been moving and shaking since our relocation from Valencia to 24th St. Now that the dust has settled, we want a party, and we want you to join us! Featuring stories of San Francisco by some of our favorite San Franciscans: Daphne Gottlieb, Erick Lyle, Chris Carlsson, Marge Nelson, and more TBA, with drink specials, prizes, food, and surprises. Proceeds go to the development of a new event/teaching space, expanded programming, and community engagement.
--and an advance heads up: on June 14, 15 and 16th I will be participating in a an amazing show called "The Biggest Quake". The show is curated by one of my favorite writers/performers, Kirk Read, and it examines the AIDS epidemic from an intergenerational perspective, both from people who lived through it as adults and people who did not. The cast is amazing - I'll send out all the details as the show draws closer, but I wanted to let people know so they can mark it on their "Pride month" calendars.
That's it for now. And remember, between updates, you can always check out:
my main website:
http://www.juliaserano.com
and I tweet regularly (@juliaserano):
http://twitter.com/#!/Juliaserano
for those interested in what I have to say when I have more than 140 characters to work with, there's my blog:
http://juliaserano.blogspot.com
I also post all my upcoming events and news on my aforementioned blog, and it also all automatically gets forwarded to my Facebook "writer" page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Serano/277728205577201?ref=ts
so I encourage you to follow me (and perhaps "like me") there!
Best wishes, -julia
1) Girl Talk 2012 videos!
2) upcoming San Francisco shows!
.....................
Hi all, here's what's new in my world:
1) Girl Talk 2012 videos!
as promised, we (co-curators of Girl Talk) have made videos of this year's Girl Talk: A Trans & Cis Woman Dialogue show available for all to view! Here is the link to all the videos:
http://vimeo.com/markmcbethprojects/videos/search:girl%20talk/
The videos are not yet tagged, but you can tell which performer it will be based on the picture associated with the link. Here is the link to the video of my two pieces:
http://vimeo.com/39522510
enjoy!
P.S. full video of Girl Talk 2011 is also available on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL6C0BC77CA710AB76
++++
2) upcoming San Francisco shows
--So tomorrow (Thursday, April 19), I will be reading at a benefit for my favorite Bay Area book store, Modern Times. And it will take place at one of my favorite Bay Area venues, El Rio. Here are the details from the Modern Times website:
40 Years of Radical Writing, Rabble Rousing, and Romancing Your Brain
A party with and for Modern Times at El Rio
- Thursday, April 19
- 6-9 PM
- El Rio: 3158 Mission Street
- $5-15, NOTA
We've been moving and shaking since our relocation from Valencia to 24th St. Now that the dust has settled, we want a party, and we want you to join us! Featuring stories of San Francisco by some of our favorite San Franciscans: Daphne Gottlieb, Erick Lyle, Chris Carlsson, Marge Nelson, and more TBA, with drink specials, prizes, food, and surprises. Proceeds go to the development of a new event/teaching space, expanded programming, and community engagement.
--and an advance heads up: on June 14, 15 and 16th I will be participating in a an amazing show called "The Biggest Quake". The show is curated by one of my favorite writers/performers, Kirk Read, and it examines the AIDS epidemic from an intergenerational perspective, both from people who lived through it as adults and people who did not. The cast is amazing - I'll send out all the details as the show draws closer, but I wanted to let people know so they can mark it on their "Pride month" calendars.
That's it for now. And remember, between updates, you can always check out:
my main website:
http://www.juliaserano.com
and I tweet regularly (@juliaserano):
http://twitter.com/#!/Juliaserano
for those interested in what I have to say when I have more than 140 characters to work with, there's my blog:
http://juliaserano.blogspot.com
I also post all my upcoming events and news on my aforementioned blog, and it also all automatically gets forwarded to my Facebook "writer" page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Serano/277728205577201?ref=ts
so I encourage you to follow me (and perhaps "like me") there!
Best wishes, -julia
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Trans-misogyny primer
I am often asked to explain trans-misogyny to people. While I've written extensively about trans-misogyny in Whipping Girl and other places, I sometimes find it difficult to sum up the concept in a few short words. This is especially true when explaining the concept to people who are relatively unaware about trans issues and experiences. Such people are often stuck in the mindset of viewing trans women as "men", and as a result, they have a hard time wrapping their brains around how misogyny might impact trans women's lives.
So these days, when people ask me about trans-misogyny, I often forward them a primer on the subject that I wrote for the 2009 Women, Action, & the Media (WAM) conference (specifically for a panel called "In/Out of Focus, Broadening a Feminist Lens: Gender, Non-Conformity and the Media"). It is a one-page handout that provides a brief introduction to trans-misogyny. It is far from complete, mind you - while it highlights the ways misogyny exacerbates transphobia, it does not delve into how transphobia can exacerbate misogyny, nor does it discuss how transphobia and misogyny also intersect with other forms of oppression. But, it is decent intro to the topic.
Since I have found this primer to be useful for novice audiences and individuals, I have decided to make it publicly available for others who may be interested:
Trans-misogyny primer. by Julia Serano (PDF format)
If others wish to use this primer for their workshops/classes/activism/etc., I am fine with that, provided that they do not alter it in any way, and that I am properly credited.
For those who are interested in this trans-misogyny primer, but do not wish to download the PDF, the text of the primer can be found below.
Hope people find this helpful! -julia
+++++++++++++++++
Trans-misogyny primer
by Julia Serano
The words transgender and gender-variant are typically used as catch-all terms to denote all people who defy cultural ideals, expectations, assumptions, and norms regarding gender. While all people who fall under the transgender umbrella potentially face social stigma for transgressing gender norms, those on the male-to-female (MTF) or trans female/feminine (TF) spectrum generally receive the overwhelming majority of societal fascination, consternation and demonization. In contrast, those on the female-to-male (FTM) or trans male/masculine (TM) spectrum have until very recently remained largely invisible and under-theorized. This disparity in attention suggests that individuals on the trans female/feminine spectrum are culturally marked, not for failing to conform to gender norms per se, but because of the specific direction of their gender transgression - that is, because of their feminine gender expression and/or their female gender identities. Thus, the marginalization of trans female/feminine spectrum people is not merely a result of transphobia, but is better described as trans-misogyny.
Trans-misogyny is steeped in the assumption that femaleness and femininity are inferior to, and exist primarily for the benefit of, maleness and masculinity. This phenomenon manifests itself in numerous ways:
-- Studies have shown that feminine boys are viewed far more negatively, and brought in for psychotherapy far more often, than masculine girls.
-- Psychiatric diagnoses directed against the transgender population often either focus solely on trans female/feminine individuals, or are written in such a way that trans female/feminine people are more easily and frequently pathologized than their trans male/masculine counterparts.
-- The majority of violence committed against gender-variant individuals targets individuals on the trans female/feminine spectrum.
-- In the media, jokes and demeaning depictions of gender-variant people primarily focus on trans female/feminine spectrum people. Often in these cases, it is their desire to be female and/or feminine that is especially ridiculed. While trans male/masculine individuals are often subjects of derision, their desire to be male and/or masculine is generally not ridiculed - to do so would bring the supposed supremacy of maleness/masculinity into question.
Perhaps the most visible example of trans-misogyny is the way in which trans women and others on the trans female/feminine spectrum are routinely sexualized in the media, within psychological, social science and feminist discourses, and in society at large. For example, the media not only regularly depict trans women's bodies and experiences in a titillating and lurid fashion, but they also sexualize trans women's motives for transitioning - e.g., by portraying them as either sex workers, sexual deceivers who prey on unsuspecting heterosexual men, or as male "perverts" who transition to female in order to fulfill some kind of bizarre sexual fantasy. While trans men may face a certain degree of media objectification, their motives for transitioning are not typically sexualized in the same manner. If anything, those who project ulterior motives onto trans men generally presume that they transition in order to obtain male privilege rather than for sexual reasons. Thus, the presumption that trans women (but not trans men) are sexually motivated in their transitions appears to reflect the cultural assumption that a woman's power and worth stems primarily from her ability to be sexualized by others.
for more about trans-misogyny, see Serano, J. (2007) Whipping girl: A transsexual woman on sexism and the scapegoating of femininity. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press.
So these days, when people ask me about trans-misogyny, I often forward them a primer on the subject that I wrote for the 2009 Women, Action, & the Media (WAM) conference (specifically for a panel called "In/Out of Focus, Broadening a Feminist Lens: Gender, Non-Conformity and the Media"). It is a one-page handout that provides a brief introduction to trans-misogyny. It is far from complete, mind you - while it highlights the ways misogyny exacerbates transphobia, it does not delve into how transphobia can exacerbate misogyny, nor does it discuss how transphobia and misogyny also intersect with other forms of oppression. But, it is decent intro to the topic.
Since I have found this primer to be useful for novice audiences and individuals, I have decided to make it publicly available for others who may be interested:
Trans-misogyny primer. by Julia Serano (PDF format)
If others wish to use this primer for their workshops/classes/activism/etc., I am fine with that, provided that they do not alter it in any way, and that I am properly credited.
For those who are interested in this trans-misogyny primer, but do not wish to download the PDF, the text of the primer can be found below.
Hope people find this helpful! -julia
+++++++++++++++++
Trans-misogyny primer
by Julia Serano
The words transgender and gender-variant are typically used as catch-all terms to denote all people who defy cultural ideals, expectations, assumptions, and norms regarding gender. While all people who fall under the transgender umbrella potentially face social stigma for transgressing gender norms, those on the male-to-female (MTF) or trans female/feminine (TF) spectrum generally receive the overwhelming majority of societal fascination, consternation and demonization. In contrast, those on the female-to-male (FTM) or trans male/masculine (TM) spectrum have until very recently remained largely invisible and under-theorized. This disparity in attention suggests that individuals on the trans female/feminine spectrum are culturally marked, not for failing to conform to gender norms per se, but because of the specific direction of their gender transgression - that is, because of their feminine gender expression and/or their female gender identities. Thus, the marginalization of trans female/feminine spectrum people is not merely a result of transphobia, but is better described as trans-misogyny.
Trans-misogyny is steeped in the assumption that femaleness and femininity are inferior to, and exist primarily for the benefit of, maleness and masculinity. This phenomenon manifests itself in numerous ways:
-- Studies have shown that feminine boys are viewed far more negatively, and brought in for psychotherapy far more often, than masculine girls.
-- Psychiatric diagnoses directed against the transgender population often either focus solely on trans female/feminine individuals, or are written in such a way that trans female/feminine people are more easily and frequently pathologized than their trans male/masculine counterparts.
-- The majority of violence committed against gender-variant individuals targets individuals on the trans female/feminine spectrum.
-- In the media, jokes and demeaning depictions of gender-variant people primarily focus on trans female/feminine spectrum people. Often in these cases, it is their desire to be female and/or feminine that is especially ridiculed. While trans male/masculine individuals are often subjects of derision, their desire to be male and/or masculine is generally not ridiculed - to do so would bring the supposed supremacy of maleness/masculinity into question.
Perhaps the most visible example of trans-misogyny is the way in which trans women and others on the trans female/feminine spectrum are routinely sexualized in the media, within psychological, social science and feminist discourses, and in society at large. For example, the media not only regularly depict trans women's bodies and experiences in a titillating and lurid fashion, but they also sexualize trans women's motives for transitioning - e.g., by portraying them as either sex workers, sexual deceivers who prey on unsuspecting heterosexual men, or as male "perverts" who transition to female in order to fulfill some kind of bizarre sexual fantasy. While trans men may face a certain degree of media objectification, their motives for transitioning are not typically sexualized in the same manner. If anything, those who project ulterior motives onto trans men generally presume that they transition in order to obtain male privilege rather than for sexual reasons. Thus, the presumption that trans women (but not trans men) are sexually motivated in their transitions appears to reflect the cultural assumption that a woman's power and worth stems primarily from her ability to be sexualized by others.
for more about trans-misogyny, see Serano, J. (2007) Whipping girl: A transsexual woman on sexism and the scapegoating of femininity. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press.
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