Trans liberation Movement-

Before reading the writings of Leslie Feinberg, I was unaware that a Trans liberation movement was happening. I like how Feinberg describes the movement as, “We are again raising questions about the societal treatment of people based on their sex and gender expression…And trans communities are carrying out these mass conversations with the goal of creating a movement capable of fighting for justice—of righting the wrongs” (Feinberg, pp. 5). Based on what Feinberg had to say on her societal treatment because of gender expression, many wrongs need to be made right.
I was shocked when I read that she was denied treatment from a doctor and outwardly told to leave, in which case she could have died. The most sickening part of that story though was how the doctor went on to be seductive with a female nurse. This just shows the harshness people who go against the “norm” face on a daily basis. After reading this story, I acknowledged something in a first-hand account that (although not a case of life and death) reflected the discrimination Feinberg writes about.
I work as a server and one of my coworkers, born a male, dresses up as a female much of the time. He pondered what the case would be if he dressed female when coming into work and decided to question a manager about it. The manager told him that if he were to decide to work and dress as a female, there would have to be a separate bathroom built for him, and that he would have to shave his face in between shifts if he worked all day. The manager also informed him that if this was something he was going to go through with, it would not be surprising if he were fired before the process could start for other unsaid reasons. This story shows how strongly our born sex plays the majority of how we are supposed to identify as a gender. He would have lost his job if he wanted his outward appearance to reflect his self-identified gender.
Something else that I think is interesting in the Feinberg book is how she writes about the identity from birth of pink and blue, but to take the concept further than the colors is the celebration of sex among infants. Everyone has seen the balloons that exclaim, “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” What balloon is bought for the baby who cannot be labeled immediately based on genitals? The stigma surrounding these types of situations will follow a person who is transgender or a person with multiple sex organs from birth and throughout their lives.
Feinberg seems to clearly know what is expected from her as a born female, yet does not mind to go against the grain or many norms. Similarly to Feinberg writings is Susan Stryker’s definition of queer. She says that, “If you are queer you are aware of where your boundaries are, and when you cross them” (Stryker). I see the truth in this statement daily, and hope that Feinberg and others will continue the fight for social justice so that people are no longer policed for who they are.

An article that steers me in the direction that trans liberation is becoming a progressional and acknowledged movement.


Works Cited:
Feinberg, L., We are all works in progress. Transliberation.
Stryker, S., Definition of queer.