A Woman is a Body Policed

Katie Burkholder

I would like to preface what I am about to say with the very firm statement that there is nothing I find valuable about TERF logic, and I very explicitly denounce TERFism as nothing more than dangerous, violently transphobic rhetoric. We all have a very real responsibility to protect the trans community, and I take that very seriously. TERFs are not welcome here, no exceptions.

The single thing that TERFs and I agree on, though, is that being a cis woman is painful, through and through. Living on a cycle of pain is, without a hint of dramatism, torture. No matter where in my cycle I am, it feels like my body and mind are waging a war on me. Having a reproductive body sucks.

That experience only makes up a fraction of what womanhood actually is, though. The “woman experience” does intersect with the “reproductive experience” at times. Yes, being a woman sucks because of periods, childbirth, and all the bullshit that comes with a vagina and a body forcibly labeled “female” (although, that’s not even a universal experience for all cis women, but I digress). But it would be reductive to pretend that accurately captures the entire picture of womanhood.

When TERFs reduce womanhood to our biology, not only is that just a thorough misunderstanding of the social phenomenon of gender to serve transphobic ends, it diminishes the truth about what being a woman (even a cis woman) actually means.

Womanhood is an ideal into which nobody fits. It is a strict and ever-changing fantasy of perfection that is at its core, by its very design, alienating. To be a woman is to be reduced and policed into objectivity against impossible standards: Dress the right way — but not too feminine or you’ll be disregarded or assaulted, and not too masculine or you’ll be ... disregarded or assaulted. Be the right size (the less space you take up, the better, but this body ideal changes on a dime, so keep up with dieting and cosmetic surgery to make sure you’re worth looking at and, therefore, existing). Look pretty always. Don’t get old, and if you must, do so “gracefully” (adopt a strict skin care regimen and get cosmetic surgery to make you look decades younger than you actually are — this is easier to do preventatively, so start before your youth runs out).

Being a woman isn’t bleeding out of your vagina. Being a woman is feeling like you could never be a woman correctly, no matter how hard you try. There is no one who understands this, who knows the darkest impact bodily policing has, like trans women do.

For many trans women, looking feminine enough is literally a matter of life and death. While TERFs want to pretend that trans women are infiltrating and bastardizing womanhood, trans womanhood is actually womanhood amplified (in the same way that misogynoir is misogyny amplified). It is because the bodies of women are so policed that it is both more difficult and more important when it comes to safety for trans women to pass; as noted in a TIME article by Charlotte Alter, “a 6’2” woman is often more conspicuous than a 5’4” man.”

As trans activist Julia Serano said, “Women’s appearances get more attention, women’s actions are commented on and critiqued more than men, so in that world it just makes sense that people will focus more on trans women than trans men.”

In my editorial for this issue last year, I said the thing that ties all women together is oppression. I stand by this, but would like to expand: the thing that ties all of us together is the oppression of women. Ask any gay man — or man who grew up exhibiting any characteristic deviating from the masculine norm — and they will tell you that the way they have been policed is through feminization.

All of this is to say that the plight of women is the plight of all of us — and yes, that is all women. It doesn’t matter if our bodies bleed or not. We are all subjected to the policing of gender. The further we are in the margins, the stricter the policing becomes. So, the next time you want to police who you let into the woman club in the name of “women’s rights,” just shut the hell up.

Read these stories and more online at thegavoice.com

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Out On Film and Atlanta Pride have announced the lineup of films for a special Out On Film Spring Fest, taking place April 3-6 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. Featuring films that have already made an impact on this year’s film festival circuit, titles will include Lisa Cortes’ Little Richard: I Am Everything, Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan, Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, D. Smith’s Kokomo City, and Eva Vitija’s Loving Highsmith.

“I am very happy that Out On Film can present a spring series of five exceptional films, as well as a well-received shorts program from our 2022 festival,” Out On Film Festival Director Jim Farmer said. “This series celebrates filmmaking and filmmakers from around the world, and two of our documentaries celebrate Georgia and Atlanta subjects. Coming so soon after our record-setting 2022 film festival, I believe our audiences will be quite impressed with this special series.”

Lisa Cortes’ Little Richard: I Am Everything comes to Atlanta after wowing Mississippi and Utah following screenings as the Opening Night Gala at the Oxford Film Festival, and a smash debut at the Sundance Film Festival last month. The entertaining (and how could it not be, considering its subject) documentary gives a startlingly frank look at the life and career of the rock n’ roll icon who still influences music artists today as it shines a light on the Black, queer origins of rock ’n’ roll, and profiles the man behind the music. D. Smith’s documentary Kokomo City took two awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, including the NEXT Audience Award and the NEXT Innovator Award, and recently screened at the Berlin Film Festival as well. The film chronicles the experiences of four Black trans women sex workers living in New York and Atlanta. The film’s subjects are a charismatic and compelling combination of personalities, whose stories and testimonies are beyond compelling.

Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan is a multiple award winner, having picked up awards at Cannes (the FIPRESCI Prize at Un Certain Regard), Chicago International FF (Best Director), and the Athens International FF (International Competition Audience Award and the Greek Film Critics Association Award), among others. The quietly captivating film follows a couple running a caftan store whose careful balance of their life (including his homosexuality) and their business, is disrupted by a new apprentice. Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean has taken several awards on the international festival circuit, including last year’s Venice Film Festival (Giornate Degli Autori’s People Choice Award), Thessaloniki Film Festival (Best Actress), and the Belfast FF (Breakthrough Performance). The riveting drama follows a teacher leading a double life in Margaret Thatcher’s homophobic Britain in the late 1980’s. Eva Vitija’s Loving Highsmith looks at the personal life of the prolific author (author of “Strangers on a Train” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” among others) revealing the romantic via tender confidences underneath her legendary tough exterior.

The Out On Film Spring Fest will also include a special shorts program presentation, “For the Ladies”, which will feature short films that previously screened at Out On Fest, and made an impact on the film festival circuit, including Aleksandra Odic’s Frida, which won Cannes’ Queer Palm and the Ligts on

View the full schedule online at thegavoice.com.

In honor of Trans Day of Visibility, an open mic talent show for transgender performers will be held on March 31 at Wild Heaven Beer West End.

The goal of the event is to shine a positive light on how talented trans people are amidst a culture that’s hyperfocused on cis people’s negative reactions to the community. The show will allow the opportunity for any trans person who wants to to share their comedy, music, spoken word, fashion, poetry, improv, art, or other talent on stage. Each performer will get about five minutes to show their stuff.

Cis allies are welcome as audience. Admission will work on a sliding scale, from $5 to $20, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Doors are at 7pm, show at 8pm. Anyone who is interested in volunteering for the event can email laurenjonescomedy@ gmail.com with “Volunteer” in the subject.

MARCH 24–AUGUST 13 | HIGH.ORG