Transmisogyny

Transmisogyny (sometimes trans-misogyny) is the intersection of transphobia and misogyny. It was coined by Julia Serano in her 2007 book Whipping Girl and used to describe the unique discrimination faced by trans women because of "the assumption that femaleness and femininity are inferior to, and exist primarily for the benefit of, maleness and masculinity",[1][2][3] and the way that transphobia intensifies the misogyny faced by trans women (and vice versa).[1] Transmisogyny is a central concept in transfeminism and is commonly seen in intersectional feminist theory.

Causes

Transmisogyny is generally understood to be caused by the social belief that men are superior to women. The existence of trans women is irreconcilable with this belief, as trans women are seen as men "becoming women", or in other words, "men choosing a social downgrade". Trans women also threaten the heterosexuality of cisgender men, with the possibility that cis men might be "tricked into being attracted to trans women [viewed as men]", and as such are a target for violence as a way for men to reassert their masculinity.

Discrimination

Julia Serano coined the term "transmisogyny."

Trans women face an overall higher rate of oppression than trans men.[4] This is most marked in the typical areas of sexist discrimination, like sexual assault or street harassment. A 2011 survey of 6,456 transgender and gender non-conforming people in the United States found that up to 20% of the trans women surveyed had been subjected to sexual assault.[4] "Tranny" and "shemale", the two most common transphobic slurs, are reserved for trans women. A 2008 study of 64 trans women and trans men in the U.S. found that the trans women got a pay cut after transition, but the trans men got a pay raise. The researchers concluded that "male-to-female workers tend to be penalized and female-to-male workers modestly rewarded because of anti-woman, rather than just anti-transgender, discrimination."[5]

Transgender women are often depicted in media as drag queens, sex workers, dead bodies, or tragic objects of pity or scorn.[6] Some put forward the idea that this conflation of trans women with sex workers is a reflection of transmisogyny.[3][7]

Psychology

Julia Serano in Whipping Girl pointed out that transvestic fetishism, a disorder listed in the DSM-IV, only mentions cross dressing by men.[8] Similarly, autogynephillia was a recognised disorder in the DSM-IV, but autoandrophillia was not.

Relation to transphobia

Julia Serano states in Whipping Girl that "When the majority of jokes made at the expense of trans people center on 'men wearing dresses' or 'men who want their penises cut off' that is not transphobia – it is transmisogyny. When the majority of violence and sexual assaults committed against trans people is directed at trans women, that is not transphobia – it is transmisogyny."[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Transmisogyny primer" (PDF). Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Harrison, Kelby (2013). Sexual deceit: the ethics of passing. Lexington Books. p. 12.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Battis, edited by Jes (2011). Homofiles : theory, sexuality, and graduate studies. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739131916.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey" (PDF). National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Before That Sex Change, Think About Your Next Paycheck by Catherine Rampell, September 25, 2008". New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Joelle Ruby. "Reel Gender: Examining the Politics of Trans Images in Film and Media". Ohio Link. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Queer Necropolitics. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. 2014. ISBN 9781136005282.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Serano, Julia (2007). Whipping girl ([Online-Ausg.]. ed.). Berkeley: Seal Press. ISBN 1580051545.