TERF v TIRF:How Bioessentialism is invalid and outdated (A THINK PIECE)

Written by: Lily Dorranian

Before I begin, I’d like to preface by saying that debating on the legitimacy of another individual’s identity is extremely harmful and dividing discourse that does nothing but encourage a breeding ground of transphobia and hatred towards the queer community. Transgender individuals are valid, loved and so very welcomed. There is no excuse for it to be any other way.

Transgender individuals and transgender identity has and always will have an important place in the radical feminist movement. Women, Queer and POC history and liberation are inherently intertwined with transgender liberation. They have always and will continue to be activists for marginalised communities of all kinds. There is no female, queer or poc history without transgender individuals, who have always and so bravely have been at the forefront of activism. 

There would be no established queer community, rights or widespread access to resources without transgender individuals. They hold an invaluable place in the history of liberation. Transphobia in any form is not welcomed. It is not accepted. Any phrases or dog whistles or movements that exist to perpetuate any form of transphobia are not welcomed. You cannot be a radical feminist without accepting the trans community. Division will only hinder justice. It is justice and liberation for ALL, not some. 

TERF v TIRF:

How Bio-essentialism is invalid and outdated

A THINK PIECE 

The TERF allegations or critiques of radical feminism are based in some truth. Historically, one of the fundamental beliefs of radical feminism was biological essentialism/gender criticism. However, in contemporary radical feminist theory, these beliefs are overwhelmingly challenged by theorists and activists such as Catherine Mackinnon, Judith Butler, Andrea Dworkin, just to name a few. The patriarchy seldom takes any form of feminist activism seriously, let alone a radicalised perspective. It is unfortunate that the popularised version of the radical feminist movement is one that frames the movement as reductive, transphobic and exclusionary. It is undeniably true that many anti-trans self-proclaimed feminists hide behind gender criticism or biological essentialist arguments to perpetuate transphobia, this I do not deny. It is true that historically, radical feminism has not always been entirely inclusive, yet the same critiques could be made of other movements that have historical significance, particularly political ones that focus on abolishing past, present and future societal constraints. 

Societies, environments and political climates do change, and movements must adapt to effectively respond to these changes, whether the change is regressive or progressive. If they do not adapt, then the movement is exclusionary, as it is not applicable beyond the environment in which they are created. They are not universal, and they are not productive. It is selective liberation, which is not liberation at all, but rather the initial oppression manifesting in a slightly different way. The people are not free, but they simply live under the illusion that they are, that their freewill and ability to choose has been returned, when it has not.

That is what the oppressors want, to make us believe it is our choice to act in ways that still benefit them. Selective ‘liberation’ will always be at the expense of another marginalised community. How is that freedom? How is that liberation? 

Essentially, political movements and beliefs are not stagnant. They are capable of change, and in fact, are required to adapt to changing political climates to remain relevant. This is why the discourse between contemporary radical feminism and transgender individuals is futile and only encourages division, as this perception of radical feminism is not currently true. 

BIO-ESSENTIALISM

Biological essentialism is referred to as many different things such as biological determinism or gender determinism. Its roots are founded in the philosophical concept of ‘determinism’, a theory that posits that every single action, event or thought is inevitable as it is predetermined by prior causes. In the context of gender, it attributes certain characteristics or behaviours of individuals to their biological sex, rather than social or environmental factors. They are seen as  natural or biological differences that are inevitable, rather than learned behaviours. Biological essentialism is also used in terms of race, sexual orientation, but most often, gender. 

“Bioessentialism only addresses the excess of male-power, never the power itself” - Catherine A McKinnon, Exploring Transgender Law and Politics (2023).

The theorisation and concept of gender as a social construct is fundamental to the radical feminist movement, as the discrimination of women largely exists on the basis of gender, not sex. This is because discrimination occurs from learned behaviours and environmental/social factors such as stereotypes and gender roles, which are enforced by the patriarchy.

Without the nuanced understanding of how to distinguish sex and gender, issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination during pregnancy, the ineffectiveness of rape laws, and abortion rights are only seen as a ‘natural difference’ or a ‘biological difference’, not issues that indicate systemic or social injustice on mass levels. Particularly through a legal lens, the courts could only see biological differences - the sex - rather than something that reflects inequality or active oppression, asserting that these experiences are inevitable based on sex.

Bio-essentialism reduces women to their bodies. Women are not oppressed because of their bodies, they are oppressed because of their gender. Oppression is enforced through the patriarchy and women are placed by male dominated societies at the bottom of the social hierarchy, thus womanhood is political not biological. To assume men inherently hold more power because they are a man is reductive and misogynistic. Women are not biologically inferior to men, women are constrained and forced to be men’s social inferior. This imbalance of power is social and political, it is not and has never been biological. 

“Sex is equal, gender is unequal” - Catherine A. McKinnon, A Feminist Defense of Transgender Sex Equality Rights (2023).

ACCOUNTABILITY 

If the behaviours of misogynistic men are attributed to their sex, there is no room for accountability, there is no weight of responsibility, there is no call to action or reason for change. If their actions are predetermined, this completely ignores the power of the patriarchy and systemic oppression. It is illogical and counterproductive. Without the recognition of social influence, the safety of non-males are threatened, our rights are threatened, the possibility or opportunity to encourage change is threatened. Our voices are silenced, and there is no need for discourse if everything can be reduced to an ‘inevitable, natural difference’.

We are oppressed by the misogyny of gender roles, of stereotypes, of the fantasies that are projected onto us by male-dominated societies.  Yes, men are capable of change. Yes, society is capable of change. Change isn’t idealistic, it is real, it is more than possible, it is more than probable. 

Including trans women in feminist movements has never been counterproductive, yet the media, particularly self-proclaimed (transphobic) feminists and right-wingers, all seem to obsess over the existence of transgender individuals, and portray them as a threat to liberation. The question of what a woman is, what defines a woman and other useless discourse alike only perpetuates and encourages hatred and transphobia. Instead of debating over the validity or mere existence of transgender individuals, we should focus on the inequality of women, we should focus on the protection of women, we should focus on issues that actually matter and that will produce real change. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines gender as ‘... the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other’. Gender is learned behaviour, it is not someone’s sex that prevents opportunities, it is their gender.  Bioessentialism does not and will never recognise or acknowledge the difference between sex and gender, and thus will never recognise or acknowledge the existence of transgender individuals. Additionally, self-proclaimed radical feminist bioessentialism essentially enforces a rigid binary between the sexes. This does nothing but reinforce misogynistic and, quite frankly, barbaric power dynamics. It also rejects the idea of gender fluidity and any form of nuanced understanding or relationship with gender. 

“The key question here is not (the endlessly obsessed-over) what is a woman, but what accounts for the inequality of women to men..” -  Catherine A McKinnon, Exploring Transgender Law and Politics (2023).

PERCEPTIONS OF FEMININITY

Manifestations of bioessentialism can be seen in various transphobic talking points or arguments. One of which ostracises and generalises transgender women, labelling them as misogynists, due to their ‘hyper feminine perceptions of women’ and how it enables the patriarchal perceptions of women. Nuance is absolutely necessary. Presenting feminine/hyper  feminine is not misogynistic, rather it is an insight into the continual and ongoing conversation of cultural language, a call and response with society, where feminine signifiers prompt individuals to see a transgender individual for who they are. It is also important to note that fascist behaviour aligns with bio-essentialism. To force people to conform to a rigid set of standards of what gender is “supposed” to be is fascist behaviour. By asserting inferiority and undermining individualism, culture and diversity is fascist behaviour.

There is an additional conversation to be had that discuses lesbian history and the importance of femmes and butches in creating such a rich cultural tapestry within the queer community, thus hyper feminity and hyper masculinity have existed in rebellion of heternormativity, a value that is enforced by the patriarchy. Along with this, the concept of drag is heavily rejected under the same argument, that it “humiliates women” due to hyper feminine perceptions. Gender fluidity, butchness, femme-inity, the culture surrounding drag, these are all cornerstones of the queer culture and queer history. The community would be nothing without this diversity.

There should be solidarity between the hyper feminine and the hyper masculine. The anger some hold towards trans women, based on their own experience and struggle with rebelling against the patriarchy through claiming a butch identity or masculine presentation is not an excuse. Both hyper femininity and hyper masculinity are inherent rebellions against the patriarchy, and are both absolute rejections of the male gaze. This should be celebrated. Gender fluidity and expression of identity should be celebrated and embraced. Every individual who bravely embraces their identity in the face of fascist conformity are individuals who must be celebrated.

WHAT IS TRUE WOMANHOOD? 

Another bio-essentialist talking point is that trans women are not ‘real women’ because they are not ‘socialised’ in the same way cis women are, and thus they have not experienced what ‘true womanhood’ is like. 

Socialisation is defined as ‘the process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society’. In this context, examples of socialisation include how young girls are raised in accordance with patriarchal values, how misogyny is embedded from a young age etc. 

There are layers to this argument. First of all, this argument asserts that young girls are only socialised in such a way because of their sex. Secondly, actual actions/processes of socialisation are actions that cause young girls or women to suffer. 

It has been established earlier that women are not oppressed because of their sex, but because of their gender. To assert that trans women will never understand the pain or suffering of being socialised as a cis woman, is claiming that womanhood is selective, and the only individuals worthy of claiming it are those who have suffered. This perspective is extremely reductionistic. Sufferance does not make someone a woman. Rather, it is the social constraints that cause us to suffer, and these constraints are not exclusive to ciswomen. This is where the value of intersectionality becomes one that is fundamental to a contemporary radical feminist movement. In understanding the treatment of women, you will also understand that the same values that are enforced by the patriarchy also impact the LGBTQIA+ community, POC, and many other marginalised communities. 

“Honestly, seeing “women” as a turf to be defended, as opposed to a set of imperatives and limitations to be criticized, challenged, changed, or transcended, has been pretty startling” - Catherine A. McKinnon, A Feminist Defense of Transgender Sex Equality Rights (2023)

It is the same issue with the idea of ‘transmedicalists’ - that you are only transgender if you have experienced immense gender dysphoria - this type of logic is harmful and reductive. 

Our identity should not be reduced or defined by pain. What does that say about us? As feminists, our role and goals are centred on ending this pain and suffering and to ensure the liberation of every individual regardless. We must embrace nuance and reject rigidity, we must reject the constraints. To achieve liberation, it must be a collective effort, inclusive of every non-male. 

Reference list

Hoefer, C. (2003). Causal Determinism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). [online] Stanford.edu. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/determinism-causal/.

Mackinnon, C. (n.d.). A Feminist Defense of Transgender Sex Equality Rights. [online] Available at: https://openyls.law.yale.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.13051/18252/88.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.

Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. (n.d.). Exploring Transgender Law and Politics. [online] Available at: https://signsjournal.org/exploring-transgender-law-and-politics/.

World Health Organization (2019). Gender. [online] Who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender.