Whipping Girl

"This is the first analysis that strongly ties the male-to-female transgender experience to misogyny. It goes beyond the individual narrative into a political analysis from a transwoman point of view. Julia called me out for my failure to point out the fact that trans misogyny is evident, in that transsexual women most often bear the brunt of the mainstream – or meanstream – media’s obsession with and demonisation of trans. Transgender is a subject that has been fodder for feminist critique for half a century now, and Julia Serano speaks smartly to it. She’s one of the leaders of the next generation of trans theorists. It’s writers like Julia Serano, S Bear Bergman, Keith Cooper and Christine Smith who are carrying the torch forward. How it hit me is that patriarchy and misogyny entail the persecution of anyone who is not a real man. That could mean somebody who’s a little bit girly, that could mean somebody who’s a lot girly, that could mean somebody who is homosexual and not at all girly. The point that Julia Serano makes so brilliantly is that misogyny in the culture is kind of like Windows on your computer – it’s everywhere. Which misconceptions can you come up with? Open minds contain misconceptions. What do I say to that? . Poppycock. I am mentally ill, I’m certified PTSD [Post-traumatic stress disorder] and I have borderline personality disorder. My trans stuff is what keeps me sane."