*Trans* by Helen Joyce (One)
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Predicting 2030
 September 20 2023
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    ‘Detransitioners speak of trauma from experimental drugs and surgeries, of having been manipulated and deceived by adults, and of being abandoned by adults when they detransitioned. I have seen them abused and defamed on social media, accused of being transphobes and liars, and of trying to keep genuine trans people getting the treatments they need. In fact, most are simply urging caution, and have no desire to stop others living as they wish.’

     

    ‘[The detransitioners] bought into an ideology that is incoherent and constantly shifting, and where the slightest deviation is ferociously punished.’

     

    ‘One consequence of opening women’s spaces to males is to recast two common male sex crimes as rights. Exhibitionism – non-consensually displaying one’s genitals – is so common that many women will tell you that the first time they saw a penis was when a stranger flashed at them. Voyeurism – non-consensually viewing someone in a state of undress – is known to be a precursor to contact sex crimes. Entering a changing room constitutes consent to see and be seen by the other occupants while undressed. Women grant that consent on the basis that these occupants will be female; gender self-identification removes that basis while denying that it does so. It therefore turns facilities intended for women into places where males can commit exhibitionism and voyeurism with impunity.’

     

    Research projects like ours have certain patterns. One is that notions that seemed crazy at first – because the political front-of-house crowd are shouting that they are – become underpinned by more and more quality references, and thereby stop seeming crazy.

     

    Helen Joyce’s book Trans sets a new standard, as it ably navigates far more complex issues than other (also very useful) books have done.

     

    I must be careful about over-enthusiastically recommending books for readers.

     

    Brunskell-Evans’ text Inventing Transgender Children is excellent because its divided-into-chapters format allows you to poke about over time.

     

    Abigail Shriers’ text Irreversible Damage – three years old now – is a good place to get a first sense that ‘this trans thing’ is way more complex than has been explained to you.

     

    But Trans is fabulously good, and we’ll be poking about it in forthcoming Posts.

    political theory political history trans gender postmodernism
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