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This is a thread on our new book 'TERF Wars: Feminism and the fight for transgender futures', where I'll say a bit about the context behind it, the format (for those who might not know the weird details of academic publishing), and the contents.
Back in 2018 I was invited to review a particular book - which I won't name - but which was extraordinarily hostile to trans people.
The contents frustrated me so much I decided that something approximating the 'opposite book' needed to exist. I reached out to @SonjaErikainen and @NotRightRuth, and we never looked back.
TERF Wars is published with what is called 'dual status'. It is published as both a peer-reviewed special issue of the journal @TheSocReview, AND as a £10 paperback as part of their Monograph Series, published by Sage.
Getting accepted for the monograph series is competitive. I'm personally delighted that such a highly respected journal has recognised the importance of scrutinising anti-trans moral panic as a sociological phenomenon.
The collection begins with an introduction by @NotRightRuth , @SonjaErikainen and myself (the author order is different for this chapter than the collection - I'm first editor, but third author here!).
We contextualise the phenomenon of trans-exclusionary political views and introduce the collection, talking about the GRA, science, the 'post-truth' era, and much more.
Next is @sally_hines with 'Sex wars and (trans) gender panics: Identity and body politics in contemporary UK feminism. This is a powerful orienting chapter that speaks to the conceptualisation of sex and gender in feminist scholarship, so as to understand TERF emergence.
@cristanwilliams wrote 'The ontological woman: A history of deauthentication, dehumanization, and violence'. This brings in more US-based history of radical feminism, reminding that rad fem can also be trans-inclusive, but TERF worldviews objectify through their ontology.
We are delighted that the collection contains a reprint of @emikoyama's classic essay 'Whose feminism is it anyway? The unspoken racism of the trans inclusion debate', first published in 2000 (and available with much other powerful work at http://eminism.org ).
Next by María Victoria Carrera-Fernández and Renée DePalma is 'Feminism will be transinclusive or it will not be: Why do two cis-hetero woman educators support transfeminism?' - transphobia within education is a major problem, and I'm grateful for their perspectives here.
We then have the incredible @JuliaSerano with 'Autogynephilia: A scientific review, feminist analysis, and
alternative ‘embodiment fantasies’ model', building and expanding on her previous work debunking this deeply flawed framework for understanding trans sexuality.
alternative ‘embodiment fantasies’ model', building and expanding on her previous work debunking this deeply flawed framework for understanding trans sexuality.
Next is @ButNotTheCity who contributed 'A critical commentary on ‘rapid-onset gender dysphoria’', adding to an important and growing body of literature that shines a light on the pernicious notion of social contagion.
We then have @rowan_hc with 'More than ‘canaries in
the gender coal mine’: A transfeminist approach to research on detransition'. This is such an important piece; it unpacks detransitioning, identity, negative transition experiences. Supporting detransitioners is vital.
the gender coal mine’: A transfeminist approach to research on detransition'. This is such an important piece; it unpacks detransitioning, identity, negative transition experiences. Supporting detransitioners is vital.
@Obsqueer then gives us 'Disregard and danger:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the voices of trans (and cis) African feminists' which addresses the argument that trans women experience male privilege. The piece amplifies the voices of African women who many of us do not hear enough.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the voices of trans (and cis) African feminists' which addresses the argument that trans women experience male privilege. The piece amplifies the voices of African women who many of us do not hear enough.
We then have @jenslater_ and @Charlotte_Sheff with 'The toilet debate: Stalling trans possibilities and defending ‘women’s protected spaces’', brilliantly drawing on data from the AHRC-funded research project 'Around the Toilet'. And the pun in the title is top tier.
Giving an incredible perspective from Brazil, Lua da Mota Stabile's 'Sex work abolitionism and hegemonic feminisms:
Implications for gender-diverse sex workers and migrants from Brazil' highlights the importance of decolonialism and intersectional analysis for trans feminism.
Implications for gender-diverse sex workers and migrants from Brazil' highlights the importance of decolonialism and intersectional analysis for trans feminism.
Our last contribution is from Jay Bernard with 'The transfeminist and the liberal institution: A love story', which critically reflects on organising the event 'RadFem/Trans: A Love Story' at BFI Flare 2018. It looks to a better future.
We then have an afterword (again by @NotRightRuth, @SonjaErikainen , and me) 'TERF wars in the time of COVID-19'. While much of this work was done before the pandemic, we needed to speak to the times, given their profound global significance. We end with a note of hope.
