Feminism and gender politics in general may be coming apart, since gender identity is being parsed into ever-smaller mutually offended units. To so much as speak of “women’s issues” is now considered in some of these circles to be oppressive to transexuals, an act of “cissexism,” defined as “transphobia.” To the point that some pro-abortion groups are eliminating references to women, since non-women (such as transexuals who used to be women but now identify as men, as well as “gender queer people” and “two spirit people”) also can have abortions. So explains Katherine Timpf, after the jump.
From Katherine Timpf, Abortion Is Not a Womens Issue Because Men Have Abortions Too:
Feminists are now arguing about whether or not it’s offensive to talk about abortion as a “women’s issue” because gender is not that simple and men have abortions too.
“We must acknowledge and come to terms with the implicit cissexism in assuming that only women have abortions,” feminist activist Lauren Rankin stated in July 2013.
Or, as Jos Truitt of Feministing explained: “Trans men have abortions. Gender queer people have abortions. Two spirit people have abortions. People who do not fit into the box of ‘woman’ have abortions.”
In response, abortion funds around the country have already been changing their names and language to be more “gender inclusive.” Last year, “Fund Texas Women” became “Fund Texas Choice,” because, in the words of co-founder Lenzi Scheible, the group “refuse[d] to deny the existence and humanity of trans* people any longer.”
But not every feminist agrees with Rankin and Truitt and Scheible and friends. At the risk of being branded a “cissexist,” feminist essayist and poet Katha Pollitt wrote a piece for the The Nation today daring to suggest that maybe it’s not totally offensive to link being pregnant with being female.
[Keep reading. . .]
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