Patrick Strudwick on why feminism should include TW

[Macareaux]

Feminist academics championing trans rights.

www.buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwick/meet-the-feminist-academics-championing-trans-rights

Maybe the idea that most feminism is a middle class preoccupation stems from the fact that those that level this accusation have only, or mainly, come across feminist thinking via the broadsheet media. Via columnists in the guardian etc.

Probably have never really engaged with the history of the women's movement; nor read any seminal texts; let alone engaged in activism of any sort.

It's not just feminism that springs from the middle-classes: most - if not all - revolutions / revolutionary thought is led by the middle class as we're the ones who have the resources to observe, think, read and organise.

If you are a poor subsistence farmer or work 15 hours a day in a factory chances are your resources will go on feeding yourself and your family and keeping a roof over your head.

Read the article. These academics are gender theorists and there were alot of assertions that indicated they hadn't thought very hard about biology or criminology. There are many very specific questions they should have been asked but that wouldn't have suited the agenda of the article.

But I guess once you've nailed your colours to the mast on this debate academically and committed your thoughts to published papers then there is no way you can really question this now or back down. These profs are just going to dig deeper and theorise even more to back up their stated position.

Although the entire issue of trans rights split the political left and right, and the LGBT community itself, like no other contemporary argument it also divided women and feminists. Not that a casual onlooker would have known — the fight was framed, baldly, as feminists versus trans people.

All disagreements within these groups were overlooked, with, apparently, all trans people on one side and all feminists on the other. Nuance evaporated.

It meant also that a large group of people were ignored: feminists who support trans rights.

This would have been a much more interesting and balanced article if it had also looked at the other sidelined group, trans people who are concerned women's rights are being trampled. This is so one-sided it just looks like sloppy journalism, failing to show that there are other nuances within the debate.

Also disappointing that the academics interviewed seem unable to string together a logical argument, based on verifiable, observable facts. I think there is a whole other debate to be had about standards in modern academia.

I think there is a whole other debate to be had about standards in modern academia.

I have been closely involved in such meetings this year, and was amused when a very senior, no nonsense, female professor turned up absolutely at one of my meetings bemused that during the first lecture by a newly hired member of the department, students had asked why she wasn't "including trans". The new Prof had replied with, "because, I don't care!"

Precisely.

It's not just feminism that springs from the middle-classes: most - if not all - revolutions / revolutionary thought is led by the middle class as we're the ones who have the resources to observe, think, read and organise.

The bourgeoisie is the most revolutionary class in history - as my overview of Marxism prof used to say.

I'd like send out an honorable mention, though, to my dropped out of school older sister who worked her way up to upper working class and took some very fine radical positions, and all women like her.