1. JK Rowling is out here saying that trans ppl are trying to erase sex as a concept and that her life experience is as a female. Here’s a thread on why she’s confused.
Firstly, She’s dog whistling that trans ppls very existence denies the existence of sex
Firstly, She’s dog whistling that trans ppls very existence denies the existence of sex
2. This is partly based on transphobia-specifically the idea that if a trans woman is a woman it erases&attacks all other experiences of womanhood (as opposed to understanding that groups of women experience different intersections of oppression. She should read some bell hooks)
3. It’s partly based on some trans ppl (myself incl.) believing sex is a social construct. This isn’t “trans ideology”, many trans ppl don’t care or agree. We aren’t a homogenous group. We are all just out here trying to live & survive while others make meaning of us and theorise
4. Sex being a social construct means that its a system of categorising plants, objects, insects, animals, humans etc that humans made up based on *some* characteristics in order to classify *all* objects. No flower or scart lead ever told a human “I’m male”. Humans decided that
5. To recognise that sex is a social construct (as per point 4) does not mean it doesn’t have meaning. Race is a social construct and absolutely materially impacts the lives of racialised people - there’s no more relevant time to understand that than right in this moment
6a. Money is also a social construct. It’s a human made system of quantifying what we each have to barter with. It is also material (it literally exists) and determines our life experiences
6b. 14.3 million ppl in UK live in poverty bit.ly/3cF1BEI, (BAME ppl are far more likely to live in poverty bit.ly/3h2hMzr - social constructs materially interact with each other). Meanwhile some white 🇬🇧 millionaires use twitter to spread fear. Money matters
7. So being a social construct doesn’t mean money doesn’t determine our lives. It also doesn’t mean it’s fixed. J K Rowling didn’t start life rich, far from it. Her material conditions in life changed because of her access to a socially constructed real thing: money
8. But money itself also changes. £2000 is a *different amount of money* in 2020 than it was in 1950. Currencies come and go. Inflation rates are changed to control the economy etc. Money is both real, and a social construct. Accepting the latter doesn’t deny the former.
9. Sex & experiences of sex are also always in flux. There are many characteristics of sex and they can change in our lifetime bit.ly/2UjuHmH. Sex is not a single immutable fact.
10. Sex is a categorisation of reproductive function which doesn’t determine our life experience alone, without interacting with sexism, patriarchy and gender. Feminists for years have fought for it not to be the yardstick of women’s value and lives.
11. To say “sex therefore patriarchy” is wrong, It is “patriarchy therefore sex”. The system of oppression is patriarchy & that denotes meaning and value to sex (like banks to money). Sex doesn’t determine our relationship to oppression, oppression shapes our relationship to sex
11. In summary, sex is a social construct. It doesn’t mean it’s not real&doesn’t affect day to day life. It also doesn’t make it immutable fact. Much of JKs meaning of sex is about it’s relationship to power eg. Patriarchy. Trans ppl are sexed and fucked by patriarchy, support us
12. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Now please let’s get back to what matters right now and support black trans people fighting for their lives. You can do so in a number of ways incl. parting with attachments to social constructs incl. money:
vice.com/en_us/article/…
vice.com/en_us/article/…
