If 'male' and 'female' were no longer true, then what was?

October 29, 2011 4:42 PM

Thinking critically about transgender issues, a podcast by Juliet Jacques, author of the Guardian's Transgender Journey series.

The emergence of gender variant people, practices and identities following the publication of Magnus Hirschfeld’s Transvestites (1909) and the inter-war invention of sex reassignment technologies posed considerable challenges to conservative, socialist, feminist and gay/lesbian politics: if 'male' and 'female' were no longer true, then what was?

Part of the Westminster Skeptics podcast series. (iTunes link, choose the podcast dated October 3 2011.)

posted by ArmyOfKittens (13 comments total)

In current related news: Chris Bruce, Transgender Bodybuilder, Competes As A Woman 20 Years After Doing It As A Man.
posted by ericb at 5:52 PM on October 29, 2011

Still listening, and finding it a great history/primer. UK centric but enjoyable nonetheless.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 6:48 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the links.
posted by odinsdream at 6:59 PM on October 29, 2011

Interesting timing...today in Portland, OR we held our first "Trans Justice Healthcare Summit" organized by the Q Center and Basic Rights Oregon:

http://www.pdxqcenter.org/bro-q-center-trans-summit/
posted by trackofalljades at 7:03 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Obviously we have a long way to go. I went to a science fiction in Denver this past weekend called MileHiCon. The opening speaker there made a joke about how he needs a better publicist because his bio only mentions "transsexuals and shoe fetishes". The audience all laughed but not me. When I went up to speak to him and let him know how such a joke marginalized people like myself he just blew me off. He was a member of a minority himself so you think he'd be a bit more self aware but I guess not. Consciousness raising such as being done by ms. Jacques are much appreciated.
posted by Poet_Lariat at 7:43 PM on October 29, 2011 [3 favorites]

The first comment on the first link is very sad:

Hi.
I am a 60 year old ts. I have experienced the treatment you talk about, I knew at about 18 – 19, That I was different at 21 I went to a specialist in Truro, Cornwall. He stated that as I had no interest in men (what did I know?) I was not ts. What rubbish after I had a GP refuse me on his list and realised it was because of his bigotry. I tried a couple more times but the original decision followed me, so even chafing cross turned me down. I was eventually diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic and they would not treat me. Since then I have lived a lonely harsh life with little to recommend it. I look forward to death now.

posted by unSane at 8:06 PM on October 29, 2011 [7 favorites]

People are weird. We do this whole categorization thing which, by its very nature, must create edge cases, and then get we all cranky and pouty when we notice an edge case. It's as if the fact that language can only ever provide an approximate representation of reality somehow makes reality inadequate.

"Heavy fog in Channel - Continent isolated"
posted by flabdablet at 4:03 AM on October 30, 2011 [12 favorites]

Thank you so much for posting this, there was a lot of history that I hadn't even heard before and she did such a wonderful job going from Victorian times to today. It is certainly troubling that a lot of outmoded thinking still persists and I would love to hear more about where she feels the discourse is headed now.
posted by Wuggie Norple at 7:26 AM on October 30, 2011

Marxism is still true no matter what you wear over whatever genitals you have.
posted by clarknova at 10:28 AM on October 30, 2011

Notice how the story about Chris Bruce was categorized as "weird news" though? I wasn't too happy about that. Right there alongside the guy who firebombed a Taco Bell for skimping on meat, and the genius who severed his own arm with a homemade guillotine, and the guy whose defense in a bestiality case was that a prostitute turned into a donkey.
posted by Foosnark at 9:51 PM on October 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

Yeah, that's part of a larger pattern where women's news in general is shunted to the "news of the weird" sections. I can't find (in the thirty seconds allocated to commenting here) the tag links, but Shakesville regular spots this kind of thing (scroll to the bottom of the post, above the comments).

There's probably an FPP in it.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 4:52 AM on October 31, 2011

Poet_Lariat: "Consciousness raising such as being done by ms. Jacques are much appreciated."

Speaking of (UK-based) consciousness-raising, Trans Media Watch are doing pretty great right now, having gotten one of the five terrestrial broadcasters on-side.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 5:01 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

Thanks for calling attention to this. I went back and read all of Juliet's columns. She's a terriffic writer (with great taste in music).
posted by octobersurprise at 7:18 PM on October 31, 2011