Understanding Bodies: Beyond Physiological Container to Social Construct
Bodies are viewed through two contrasting lenses - materialist as a physiological container and social as a construct filled with possibilities. Bruce Henderson's exploration in "Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries" delves into the complexities of transgender and intersex lives, challenging traditional perspectives on what a body entails.
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Chapter 4: Queering Bodies: Transgender and Intersex Lives Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
What is a body? Materialist: the physiological container for life Social: a construct, carrying with it myriad possible political, cultural, psychological, and spiritual meanings Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Phenomenology: the philosophy of consciousness Definition: how consciousness related to lived experience and to the world in which minds exist Intentionality: how consciousness reaches out towards objects and experience Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Queer Phenomenology Sara Ahmed, Queer Phenomenology (2006) Queer orientation: how the perspectives and consciousnesses of queer people lead to different understandings of the world Queer places and spaces: how queer people inhabit physical and mental spaces in ways that push the boundaries of normativity Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Trans* Bodies: Sex, Gender, Expression, Sexuality Trans* stands for transgender and other variations on identities that express a crossing or opposition of that which was assigned at birth and that which an individual names as their identity Transgender is similarly used as an umbrella term; both cover a similar set of identity formations Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Trans- Terms: Historical and Contemporary Usage Transvestite: individuals who wear clothing traditionally associated with a gender different from their own. Less useful today, as clothing is often less gender-identified. Today, most used to identify individuals who gain sexual pleasure (fetishize) from dressing in ways associated with another gender (as in a man wearing a formal ball gown or a woman in a tuxedo) Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Medical, Surgical, and Mental Health Interventions for Trans* People The Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Nonconforming People Built on Hippocratic Oath: First, do no harm. Trans/nonconfirming feelings not in and of themselves illness or pathology May become part of illness if not treated with respect and acceptance; can be part of co-factors Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Sex vs. Gender: An Ongoing Debate Traditionally: sex is biological; gender is social Recently: sex may not be a given; may have elements of social construction and meaning Anne Fausto-Sterling, Sexing the Body (2000) There may be at least five (or more) distinct sexes. Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Gender Nonconforming and Genderqueer Gender nonconforming: people who may label themselves as male or female (as labeled at birth) but whose gender expression are different from stereotypical masculine or feminine characteristics Genderqueer: subset of GNP, who identify as moving along a spectrum of masculinity and femininity, sometimes one more than the other, depending on context or other factors. Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
American Psychological Association Division 44 Recommendations for Working on Gender Diversity and Transgender Identity in Children Childhood may be too early for medical and surgical interventions Three possible approaches for psychological support: Actively discouraging: least recommended Wait and see approach Gender affirming: most recommended Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Trans* Lives: Challenges and Advances Are we posttransgender ? Definition: Has transgender identity been accepted and normatized? Critics of the term: Transgender identity still meets with resistance and transgender people still experience stigma and oppression Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Jackson Wright Shultz, Trans/Portraits: Voices from Transgender Communities (2015) Found that transgender people report the following challenges: Lacking a vocabulary for their identity Difficulty in almost all aspects of transitioning Isolation and lack of social support Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Shultz, continued Lack of acceptance, both in mainstream communities and also in some segments of queer society Violence, (un/under)employment, and poverty Complexities of navigating intersection identities and/or nonbinary identities Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Study (2011) Harassment and discrimination in education (especially K-12) Employment discrimination and economic insecurity Discrimination in public accommodations (such as bathrooms, transit) Barriers to receiving updated ID documents Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Two Cases: Michigan Womyn s Festival and Michael Bailey s Autogynephilic Trans Women Michigan Womyn s Music Festival: Controversy over admission of pre-op trans women to all-female space Womyn-born womyn : return to biological definitions Organizers called transphobic; in part, led to closing of festival Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Bailey and Transsexual Women Michael Bailey: Northwestern University psychologist: Argues the majority of transsexual women (i.e. assigned male at birth) are autogynephilic (experience sexual pleasure by imagining themselves as physical women) Protests by prominent trans women over theory and Bailey s research methods Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Intersex: Between/Both/Beyond Pre-20thcentury: hermaphrodite (from Greek, Hermes, messenger god, Aphrodite, goddess of love) Intersex: as used today, not necessarily between or both One or more of the following conditions: Underdeveloped genitals Hormonal conditions, such as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Other chromosomally-based conditions Hypospadias (urethral opening on underside of penis) Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
The John/Joan Case: Challenging Gender as Completely Socially Constructed Chronicled in John Colapinto, As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl Boy baby whose penis was mutilated during botched circumcision John Money, sexologist, told parents to have child surgically reassigned and raised as a girl As adolescent, child expressed a male gender identity Had second reassignment/affirmation surgery (i.e. female to male) Eventually committed suicide Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Prominent Public Intersex People Cheryl Chase: Founded Intersex Society of North America Tiger Devore: Clinical psychologist, argues against surgical intervention for intersex children Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Spotlight on History: From Einar to Lili and From George to Christine Lili Elbe: Born Einar Wegener Had sexual surgery in Germany in 1930 During second surgery, doctors found set of undeveloped ovaries May be thought of as transgender and/or intersex Story turned into novel and film, The Danish Girl Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
Christine Jorgensen: Ex-GI to Transsexual Celebrity Born in the Bronx, Danish heritage Served in U.S. Army in 1945 In 1951, traveled to Denmark and began transition Eventually had surgeries and lived as a woman Became celebrity as performer, talk show host, actress Bruce Henderson, Queer Studies: Beyond Binaries, Harrington Park Press 2019
