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entanglingbriarsGender as an ontological reality
"Trans men are men."
"Trans women are women."
These statements have implications that go beyond the affirmation of trans identities. To say that trans people are their identified gender is to affirm that gender is an actual thing that can be had. Purely socially constructive models, or purely performative models, are implicitly denied. And that's intentional. Purely socially constructive models of gender, and purely performative models, are frequently used to deny trans people's lived experiences; the hostility to these models is understandable. The generally preferred models tend to stress dysphoria and/or the inner experience of identity. In doing so, they affirm two statements that are almost never voiced, though constantly assumed to be true:
"Cis men are men."
"Cis women are women."
Trans men can be men because cis men can be men. Except that's not right. Say rather, trans men can be men because cis men are men. The models of gender that place its ontological reality at their core are fundamentally dependent on cis gender identities to exist.
Nonbinary people can exist in these models, but always tenuously. Since gender has been given ontological reality, there is room for the creation of different genders that are also ontologically real. But their (our?) existence is at a constant risk of being overwhelmed by the power of the Western gender binary (WGB); nonbinary identity is never stable when models of gender rely on the WGB as their starting point.
"Trans men are men."
"Trans women are women."
These statements have implications that go beyond the affirmation of trans identities. To say that trans people are their identified gender is to affirm that gender is an actual thing that can be had. Purely socially constructive models, or purely performative models, are implicitly denied. And that's intentional. Purely socially constructive models of gender, and purely performative models, are frequently used to deny trans people's lived experiences; the hostility to these models is understandable. The generally preferred models tend to stress dysphoria and/or the inner experience of identity. In doing so, they affirm two statements that are almost never voiced, though constantly assumed to be true:
"Cis men are men."
"Cis women are women."
Trans men can be men because cis men can be men. Except that's not right. Say rather, trans men can be men because cis men are men. The models of gender that place its ontological reality at their core are fundamentally dependent on cis gender identities to exist.
Nonbinary people can exist in these models, but always tenuously. Since gender has been given ontological reality, there is room for the creation of different genders that are also ontologically real. But their (our?) existence is at a constant risk of being overwhelmed by the power of the Western gender binary (WGB); nonbinary identity is never stable when models of gender rely on the WGB as their starting point.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-10 03:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-13 03:10 am (UTC)Put your hand down, Tatsuya Ishida.