GetWiki

{{Short description|Intersection of transphobia and misogyny, experienced by transfeminine individuals}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}File:Frühlingstag.jpg|thumb|Graffiti in Berlin branding the Liebig 34Liebig 34{{Transgender sidebar|expanded=rights}}{{Discrimination sidebar|expand-social=yes}}Transmisogyny, otherwise known as trans-misogyny and transphobic misogyny, is the intersection of transphobia and misogyny as experienced by trans women and transfeminine people.BOOK, Kevin L. Nadal, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender,weblink 2017, SAGE Publications, 978-1-5063-5324-1, 1728–1731, 22 January 2020, 4 June 2021,weblink live, JOURNAL, Arayasirikul, Sean, Wilson, Erin C., Spilling the T on Trans-Misogyny and Microaggressions: An Intersectional Oppression and Social Process Among Trans Women, Journal of Homosexuality, 24 August 2019, 66, 10, 1415–1438, 10.1080/00918369.2018.1542203, 30475682, 53729580, The term was coined by Julia Serano in her 2007 book Whipping Girl to describe a particular form of oppression experienced by trans women.JOURNAL, Krell, Elías Cosenza, Is Transmisogyny Killing Trans Women of Color?, TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, 4, 2, 2017, 226–242, 10.1215/23289252-3815033, free, WEB, Transmisogyny primer,weblink 10 September 2014, Serano, Julia, 26 April 2019,weblink live, BOOK, Sexual deceit: the ethics of passing,weblink 12, 2013, Kelby, Harrison, Lexington Books, 978-0-7391-7706-8, 4 November 2016, 25 January 2020,weblink live, In an interview with The New York Times, Serano explores the roots of transmisogyny as a critique of feminine gender expressions which are "ridiculed in comparison to masculine interests and gender expression."NEWS, Carstensen, Caitlyn, June 22, 2017, Julia Serano, Transfeminist Thinker, Talks Transmisogyny, The New York Times,weblink Transmisogyny is a central concept in transfeminism and is commonly referenced in intersectional feminist theory. In her definition of transmisogyny, Serano does not limit those affected by transmisogyny to individuals who identify as transgender and includes those who identify as drag queens.BOOK, Serano, Julia, Outspoken: A Decade of Transgendered Activism and Trans Feminism, Switch Hitter Press, 2016, 66–79,

Framework

The concept of transmisogyny hinges on two other concepts first described by Serano: traditional sexism and oppositional sexism. The former is the idea that "maleness and masculinity are superior to femaleness and femininity", while the latter holds male and female as "rigid, mutually exclusive categories". Transmisogyny stems from both these concepts.In Whipping Girl, Julia Serano writes that the existence of trans women is seen as a threat to a "male-centered gender hierarchy".{{rp|15}} Gender theorist Judith Butler echoes this assumption, stating that the murder of transgender women by men is "the most toxic form that masculinity can take", a way for the killer to assert power over the victim in the instant, in response to the idea of the intrinsic nature of his power (i.e., his masculinity) being threatened. Butler states that trans women have relinquished masculinity, showing that it is possible to do so.WEB, Why Do Men Kill Trans Women? Gender Theorist Judith Butler Explains,weblink Broadly, 2015-12-24, en-US, 2015-12-16, 26 December 2015,weblink live,

Terms

Transfeminists use the terms transmisogyny-affected (often shortened to the acronym TMA) and transmisogyny-exempt (often shortened to TME) to distinguish in a non-essentialist fashion between individuals' relationships with transmisogyny in a way that focuses on gender rather than gender expression or sex assignment.THESIS, Cavar, Sarah Lynn, Enacting Transbutch: Queer Narratives Beyond Essentialism, 7 May 2020, 10166/5968, free, THESIS, Liashenko, Joshua, Queering Care: Community Advocacy Among Trans Healthcare Professionals, 2022,weblink 1367493125, {{pn|date=March 2024}} Transmisogyny-affected refers to trans individuals who are aligned with womanhood and therefore affected by transmisogyny. Transmisogyny-exempt refers to anyone who is not marginalized by transmisogyny, a category which includes cis people as well as trans men and nonbinary people.WEB, Trans-Inclusive Language Guide,weblink

Instances

United States

{{See also|Transphobia in the United States}}Transgender women face harsher levels of discrimination than some other transgender people. A study on workplace experiences after people receive sex changes found that trans women, on average, lose almost one third of their salary (see Gender pay gap in the United States), are respected less, and receive more harassment. At the same time, trans men often experience slight salary raises and greater authority in the workplace.JOURNAL, Schilt, Kristen, Wiswall, Matthew, Before and After: Gender Transitions, Human Capital, and Workplace Experiences, The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 11 September 2008, 8, 1, 10.2202/1935-1682.1862, 51580726, According to Laura Kacere (2014), trans people experience a disproportionately large number of hate crimes, with trans women experiencing the majority of these crimes. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (2012) found that police violence is three times higher against transgender people than it is against cisgender people.WEB, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2013, A Report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and HIV-Affected Hate Violence in 2012,weblink September 17, 2020, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 11 November 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20201111202111weblink">weblink live, In fact, over half of all anti-LGBTQIA+ homicides were perpetrated against transgender women.NEWS,weblink Transmisogyny 101: What It Is and What Can We Do About It, Kacere, Laura, 2014-01-27, Everyday Feminism, 2017-04-21, en-US, 17 May 2019,weblink live, (See List of people killed for being transgender.) In the United States, the majority of transmisogyny is directed at trans women of color. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (2018) reports significant overlaps between the gender identity and race of anti-trans violence victims: of the known homicides of transgender people from 2013 to 2018, approximately 92% were trans women, and approximately 70% were black.WEB, A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in America,weblink HRC, 20 October 2021, 20 October 2021,weblink live, Kacere (2014) also states that 21% of transgender women and 47% of black transgender women have experienced incarceration, rates that are much higher than those for the overall U.S. population.

Ecuador

{{See also|LGBT rights in Ecuador}}A study of discrimination directed against lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender and intersex women in Ecuador found that transgender women "lack protection against discrimination in both law and practice." As a result, trans women have faced violence, sexual abuse, and discrimination in educational, health and workforce institutions.WEB, Almeida, Aline Britto de, Vásquez, Elizabeth, Rodríguez, Mónica, Klein, Guayaquil Dayane, Cordero, Tatiana Mendieta, Varea, Soledad, 2008, Ecuador: Discrimination of Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender and Intersex Women, 10.1.1.563.8340, 154832726,weblink

The Netherlands

{{See also|LGBT rights in the Netherlands}}When transgender women are murdered, the victim being a trans woman is still often used as the justification for their murder.WEB, 2022-01-13, Moord op transvrouw leidt tot Kamervragen: 'Dit geweld moet stoppen',weblink 2023-07-05, RTL Nieuws, nl, According to Transgender Netwerk Nederland, at least 14% experience violence or credible threats and are abused seven times more often than the average.WEB, Lotens, Lisa, 2018-11-20, Transgender personen worden zeven keer vaker mishandeld dan gemiddeld,weblink 2023-07-05, Vice, nl, According to Dinah Bons from Trans United Europe, trans women often face harassment, violence, or threats of violence, but it is hard to get accurate statistics on the matter as there is severe hesitancy to report the crime and the government is unwilling to track it as a statistic.WEB, Kamervraag - De moorden op, geweld tegen en zelfdodingen door trans personen in Nederland.,weblink 2023-07-05, www.openkamer.org, nl, Bons also thinks the media does not cover the yearly murders of trans women.

Sexualization and harassment

Julia Serano has stated that many trans women experience an additional layer of misogyny in the form of fetishization.MAGAZINE, A manifesto for all: Bisexual trans activist and author Julia Serano wants to make feminism inclusive, Bianco, Marcie, Curve (magazine), Curve, 26, 5, September–October 2016, 28–29,weblink 1 August 2019, 14 February 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190214161002weblink">weblink live, She notes that, despite transitioning, trans women are still commonly perceived as male; however, they are rarely sexualized as such. In the porn industry, whose target audience is primarily heterosexual men, trans women are largely presented as sexual objects rather than "predatory".{{page needed|date=September 2022}}According to Serano, the sexualisation of trans women is not solely because transgender women, by nature of their relative rarity, are viewed as "exotic": she notes that trans women are sexualized particularly much even compared to other types of "rare" women.{{page needed|date=September 2022}} In Whipping Girl, Serano writes on what she calls a "predator–prey dichotomy" where "men are invariably viewed as predators and women as prey."{{rp|255}} Because of this view, trans women are perceived to be luring men by transitioning and "turning [themselves] into sexual objects that no red-blooded man can resist."{{page needed|date=September 2022}}Transmisogynistic violence and harassment directed towards trans feminine individuals is often perpetrated by strangers rather than those known by the victim and oftentimes includes catcalling and other forms of verbal abuse.JOURNAL, Stotzer, Rebecca L., Violence against transgender people: A review of United States data, Aggression and Violent Behavior, May 2009, 14, 3, 170–179, 10.1016/j.avb.2009.01.006, Although some states have non-discrimination laws protecting transgender individuals, there is no federal law specifically designed to protect those who identify as transgender.

Relation to transphobia

Transmisogyny is a distinct category of transphobia in that transmisogyny mainly focuses on trans women and other transgender individuals who demonstrate femininity, whereas transphobia is a more general term, covering a broader spectrum of prejudice and discrimination towards transsexual and transgender individuals.{{citation | date = September 13, 2021 | title = How Fake "Experts" Are Driving the Campaign Against Trans People | type = Website | publisher = GenderGP | url =weblink | access-date = 6 December 2021 | archive-date = 6 December 2021 | archive-url =weblink | url-status = live }} Julia Serano states in Whipping Girl that "[w]hen the majority of jokes made at the expense of trans people center on 'men wearing dresses' or 'men who want their penises cut off' that is not transphobia – it is transmisogyny. When the majority of violence and sexual assaults committed against trans people is directed at trans women, that is not transphobia – it is transmisogyny."BOOK, Serano, Julia, Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity, 2016, Basic Books,weblink 978-1-58005-623-6, 944012152, {{rp|14–15}}Serano gives an example of the discrimination that trans feminine individuals experience and how it differs from what she assumes is the experience of a trans masculine individual in a New York Times interview,{{Blockquote|Once in San Francisco I saw a trans woman dressed like an average feminine woman walk past a straight couple on the street. The man turned to the woman and sneered "Did you see all that crap he's wearing?" He was referring to her dress and jewelry and makeup and all that. If a trans man had walked by, they might also have ridiculed him for being transgender. But I doubt very much they would have made fun of his masculine clothing.NEWS, Carstensen, Caitlyn, June 22, 2017, Julia Serano, Transfeminist Thinker Talks Trans-Misogyny, The New York Times,weblink }}

See also

• {{Annotated link|Feminism}}
• {{Annotated link|Kyriarchy}}
• {{Annotated link|TERF}}
• {{Annotated link|Misogynoir|Transmisogynoir}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Wiktionary|transmisogyny}}{{LGBT|social=expanded}}{{Transgender}}{{Discrimination}}