Not just a few
A transgender student is set to make history and represent the UK’s female students by running to become the National Union of Students’ women’s officer.
Anna Lee, a student at Lancaster University who describes herself as a “queer trans disabled lesbian woman”, is the first openly trans woman to stand for election in a national role. Lee is currently her students’ union’s vice president for welfare and community, and says she is “passionate” about equal rights.
There’s a Facebook page for her campaign.
“I never believed that running to be national women’s officer was a possibility,” she said in a Facebook post. “I felt that I had hit a glass ceiling. Now, I find myself in unchartered waters, and some shards of that glass ceiling will undoubtedly hit me.
“I know the Women’s Campaign is ready. I know NUS is ready. I’m not convinced that the rest of society is.”
I don’t see why it should be. Why not have a national trans people’s officer instead? Or two of them? I don’t think a trans woman should seek to represent women, because trans women don’t have the common or garden version of the experience of growing up female in a still sexist world. They have the experience of being trans, instead.
“But – when the transphobic ‘feminists’ come and try to tear me down, I will just fight harder and with the help of amazing activists we will show them, together, that the NUS Women’s Campaign demonstrates a progressive approach to inclusive feminism.”
The maths student’s pledges include fighting for a “statutory, gender neutral sex education” for students, decriminalisation of sex workers, and lobbying for a debate in parliament over tampon tax in SUs.
Lee accuses mainstream feminism of “constantly” forgetting about trans women, and says the NUS should be fighting for all women, “not just a few”.
She wants to be the women’s officer and the very first thing she does is bash feminism. What good is an anti-feminist women’s officer? She wants to be the women’s officer and she considers women to be “just a few”? She wants to be the women’s officer and she thinks women are some tiny trivial minority that doesn’t count?
This is where trans activism is right now: constantly bashing women and feminism, and demanding that feminism put trans women first. It doesn’t have to be that way, it never had to be that way, but that’s how it’s playing out. It’s sad and destructive and pathetic.
I can all but guarantee that this passage:
…is going to be misinterpreted as ‘Ophelia Benson definitely says trans women aren’t women at all!’ by the intersectional+shit feminists.
Meanwhile, the NUS continues to baffle me. How the fuck did it become such a hotbed of quasi-anti-feminism?
I’m sure everyone will be delighted to return to the thrilling days of yesteryear when women were represented by men who identify as women, and men who identify as men. After all, this business of women representing half the population has always made the other half of the population uncomfortable. Criminy!
The quote elision (by HuffPo) does some injustice to her position. The full section is:
I think there’s a legitimate complaint that “mainstream” feminism as defined as publicly identified leaders poorly serves various communities, and I charitably interpret this statement as saying that. I agree with that, actually; for example, mainstream feminism-as-movement’s track record with regard to people of color is very poor. One does not have to look hard to find instances where high-profile leaders and organizations have failed minority communities.
That said, I less charitably note that the topics she pledges to address are boiler-plate “mainstream” feminism:
* fighting rape culture
* abortion access
* reproductive rights in general
* educating youth re: consent
* decriminalization of prostitution*
I will even less charitably note that, apparently, the biggest challenge in achieving these TOTALLY NOT MAINSTREAM feminist goals is overcoming the TERFs. Who will now be coming after her because of these TOTALLY NOT MAINSTREAM feminist positions. Or something.
I just don’t even know what to say. Well, outside of “gawd dammit, college”. If only I’d been this willing to attack the wrong targets as a kid, Citizens United wouldn’t have gone the way it did (campaign finance was my thing back in the day!). I mean, obviously.
* Obligatory note that this has been and continues to be a contentious topic. One never discussed by mainstream feminists, though. Radio silence on that one. Just still waters.
At least she’s fighting to get the tampon tax repealed, instead of claiming it’s a luxury because not all women use tampons.
“queer trans disabled lesbian woman”
Well at least one box hasn’t been ticked; that of visible minority.
‘…the common or garden version of the experience of growing up female…’
Obviously, people who transition have a different experience. But so do those who don’t. Is there a checklist of Required Oppressions that has to be met via a background check? How many ‘trans people’s officers’ would it take to cover every permutation with an appropriately Balkanized office of its own?
Why bother considering women’s common experience as members of the sex class, John, when white men are willing to represent everyone equitably and fairly, just as they have always done?
Srsly though. Women have been talking about their common experiences for years. The fact that you have internet access and do not hear them is all about you, John, not us.