The Inclusion of Transgender Men in the Feminist Discourse

By Spencer Micklo

ABSTRACT

Transgender voices are crucial in feminist theories and conversations. Activists like Joan Nestle, a co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archive, have acknowledged that transgender experiences expand feminist theory and give language to new ideas and concepts about the connection of gender and feminism. Through her experiences working with and learning from the transgender community, Nestle uses her theories about language and its understanding of gender expression and societal expectations to advocate for inclusive visions in the liberation movement. Nestle discusses how gender is manifested through clothes and makeup in a way that the body does not. The inclusion of not only transgender women but also transgender men in feminist discussion is important in order to understand the overlap and differences of their experiences with gender, language, and society.

Activists have long acknowledged the exclusion of transgender individuals from the feminist conversation. Transgender men are people who identify as men but were assigned females at birth. Because of this, these men may have experienced similar injustices that the women in the feminist community are fighting against. Including these men’s experiences in the feminist movement is essential because such inclusion shows their perspectives and creates points of connection between the transgender and feminist communities. Some so-called feminist groups like The TERFs (Transgender Exclusive Radical Feminists) exclude transgender people from the feminist community and are extremely transphobic. They are known to berate transgender people in public forums and promote the restriction of medical transitioning (Burns, 2019). Transgender men are often left out of feminist conversations due to the lack of activists’ awareness of anti-transgender attitudes. Increasing awareness of transgender people’s struggles and considering the overlap of transgender and female experiences may help to broaden the lens of feminist theories.

Joan Nestle’s theories of language and her personal journey-- from exclusively focusing on gay liberation to acknowledging transgender experiences in the feminist movement--provide an understanding of the importance of discussing gender and identity within the feminist discourse. Language can be used as a form of oppression as seen in the struggles between the lesbian, gay, transgender, and feminist communities.

Joan Nestle started her feminist journey as a theorist. One event that influenced her motivation to be involved in the movement for gay liberation was the Stonewall Uprising, a series of historical riots by members of the gay community following a police raid protest at the Stonewall Inn in New York in 1969: people came together to be a part of a social and political movement that urged LGBTQ people to take action against the societal shame of gay pride. This catastrophic event that took place at the Stonewall Inn sparked a revolution for LGBTQ rights with gay liberation (Pruit, 2019)

After Stonewall, Nestle founded the Lesbian Herstory Archive in the 1970s to create a place where lesbians would not be shadowed by gay and feminist communities, while also showcasing the lives of lesbians and the obstacles faced by the community. This radically unconventional archive is a collection of lesbian memorabilia, such as journals, protest pins, and other artifacts that represent the history and daily life of lesbians. The mission statement for the archive that Nestle co-wrote can be summarized as a gathering and preservation of lesbian lives for future generations. By doing so, they uncover the history of lesbian culture to analyze further and reevaluate the lesbian experience. They encourage lesbians today to archive their lives so that future generations will have ready access to materials that are relevant to their lives. After years of activism and writing books about feminist theory, Nestle found herself questioning what it means to be a “man” or “woman” (Lesbian Herstory Archives, n.d.-a).

Nestle’s shift towards the acknowledgment of transgender experiences in the feminist movement was marked by an eye-opening conversation with Chelsea Goodwin, a co-proprietor of the Transy-House. From 1995-2008, the Transy House provided shelter for homeless transgender people (NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, n.d.). The conversation started off her quest for a deeper understanding of gender identity. Their conversation provided Nestle with a better understanding of the struggles the transgender community faced and prompted her to question her outlook on feminism as a whole and what it means to be a “man” or “woman” (Lesbian Herstory Archives, n.d.-b).

A few months after their initial conversation, Goodwin asked Nestle to speak at a transgender support meeting. Nestle recalled an idea from her first book A Restricted Country (1987) in preparation for the meeting. The book contains an excerpt titled Ester’s Story, which discusses gender versus gender expression (Nestle, 1998). According to Nestle, there is more to gender than biological sex alone. Gender is expressed beyond the body through language, clothing, and make-up. Chelsea’s invitation to speak to her group and re-visit her old text both led Nestle to continue her exploration of gender in her next book Genderqueer voices from beyond the sexual binary, which focuses on her theories, the use of language, and how words can marginalize people.

Nestle’s acknowledgment of transgender-inclusive language broadened the lens of feminist conversation when discussing gender and identity. Joan Nestle’s theories of language and experiences of the transgender community are vital for a more inclusive feminist discourse.

References

Burns, K. (2019, September 5). The rise of anti-trans “radical” feminists, explained. Vox. https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/9/5/20840101/terfs-radical-feminists-gender-critical Nestle, J. (1998). On rereading “Esther’s story”. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.joannestle.com/bedstudy/rereading.html

Pruitt, S. (2019, June 13). What happened at the stonewall riots? A timeline of the 1969 uprising. History.com. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/stonewall-riots-timeline Lesbian Herstory Archives. (n.d.-a). Why we exist. https://lesbianherstoryarchives.org/about/ Lesbian Herstory Archives. (n.d.-b). Spoken word. https://lesbianherstoryarchives.org/collections/audio/ NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. (n.d.). Transy house. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/transy-house/

SPENCER MICKLO is a graduate of Millersville University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design. He worked closely with the campus Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. He is very passionate about inclusive design and plans to take courses on social media marketing to further his career in graphic design. He lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania with his partner, Giuseppe, and their cat, Poodie. In his free time, he likes to pursue various types of fiber art (e.g., sewing, crocheting, embroidery) along with playing video games and watching movies.