Shivani Mody - Week Five

“Transgender Feminism – Queering the Woman Question” and “Beards, Breasts and Bodies”

Susan Stryker in “Transgender Feminism – Queering the Woman Question”, talks about the importance of viewing feminism through the lens of the transgender. Dozier in “Beards, Breasts and Bodies” uses the analogy of fish in water to represent the way we talk about sex and gender. Because transgenders and transsexuals often find themselves placed outside the so called “waters,” they can help understand the nuances if the sex and gender. According to Stryker, feminist theory has a lot to gain by analyzing the movement of the transgender movement, that was born at the intersection of feminist and queer theories. The way that gender is perceived in two binaries, is a problem that is not only limited to transgenders. Stripping away and misattributing gender are way of accessing gender politics that affect everyone. Additionally, it is important to recognize transgender identity not as a fraction of the queer population, or disregard it entirely such as in the second wave of feminism, but to understand the complexity of the transgender experience. A transgender body occupies the intersection of multiple identities. Understanding these gender identities can also help understand the fluidity of sexual orientation that is defined by perceived sex of the individual and gender organization of the relationship.