Tapping into trans-feminism

Xtra.ca – Calvin Neufeld

Analysis / Feminist movement could benefit from an alliance with trans men

I was born privileged, but not necessarily in the conventional sense. I entered this world with certain advantages that I can’t take credit for, but neither can I take them for granted: being white, being heterosexual and being male in female form.

Though being white and heterosexual are commonly understood to carry privilege, most people wouldn’t consider transsexuality to be all that sweet a deal. The most accurate summation I’ve heard for the transsexual experience is that “it sucks.” But it sucks only insofar as there continues to be no space for transsexuality within a system that only recognizes two genders.