On the Social Construction of Sex (Part 1)
Freya Brown

https://archive.ph/o/4kyun/anti-imperialism.com/2014/02/24/on-the-social-construction-of-sex-part-1/

#TransLiberation #SexIsAlsoAConstruct #DisabledCommie #CamaradaDemian

Bourgeois ideology has long presented us with a vulgar conception of gender which reduces the essence of what it “means” to be a man or woman to a rigid set of biological characteristics. Over the past few decades, a great deal of progress has been made in exposing this idea for what it is: a set of baseless myths meant to reinforce and ideologically justify the oppression of women in our society. Among other things, the way in which cultural ideas about gender impact development has been explored rather thoroughly, which renders empty the idea that gender differences are, in the final instance, determined by biology.

In place of the biological essentialist view of gender, more (nominally) progressive elements have put forward a theory which posits a dichotomy between gender and sex. Gender, it is argued, is socially constructed, something that is performed and enforced by society in accordance with conceptions of “masculinity” and “femininity.” Sex, on the other hand, is claimed to be “innate,” based on immutable biological factors. This view still upholds an essential “maleness” and “femaleness.” Males have penises, females have vaginas, females develop breasts and the ability to bear children, males do not, or so it goes, but it is acknowledged that gender expression may not be tied to these characteristics in a rigid way. This conception of sex as being distinct from gender can still be controversial in the popular discourse, but in academia, it is today somewhat mainstream.

Anti-TERF Biology
#TransLiberation #SexIsAlsoAConstruct #DisabledCommie #CamaradaDemian

At its core, patriarchal oppression does not adhere to biology. It is rooted in the social construct of gender, where women are positioned lower on the social scale. Otherwise, it would be impossible to abolish gender—a goal of radical feminism as a solution to patriarchal oppression (since it would be intrinsic to biology). However, a certain sector within radical feminism, due to a misunderstanding of its own theory, falls into this contradictory biological determinism. These are the so-called TERFs (trans-excluding radical feminists), who are a headache for radical feminists who recognize trans realities, and, most importantly, for transgender individuals.

It is true that some consequences of patriarchy affect the biological realities of fertile cis women (e.g., abortion, the cost of menstrual products, surrogate gestation, etc.). This arises from the construct, not the other way around, as society has been built in cisnormative terms. But this does not mean that other women, including trans comrades, are free from oppression. Aggressors do not inquire about what you have between your legs to assault you; they do so based on female socialization. Are sterile cis women, who do not have menstruation, incomplete Müllerian apparatus, etc., not oppressed because we are unaffected by the oppression related to menstrual hygiene products, surrogate gestation, or abortion?

On the Social Construction of Sex (Part 1)
Freya Brown

https://archive.ph/o/4kyun/anti-imperialism.com/2014/02/24/on-the-social-construction-of-sex-part-1/

#TransLiberation #SexIsAlsoAConstruct #DisabledCommie #CamaradaDemian