Gender Skepticism, Trans Livability, and Feminist Critique

This article discusses a recent argument made by number of Foucauldian feminists that gender is problematic concept for feminism. They argue the self-evident status enjoys in current feminist theory and politics based on concealment its historical emergence as pathologizing discourse 1950s American psychiatric-sexology, which targeted intersex trans populations. Claiming redeployments risk reinforcing normalizing functions, they suggest should consider discarding it conceptual tool. Returning to Judith Butler’s account gender, also draws legacy, well developing livability, shows skeptics not only downplay possibility critical rearticulation but ignore question self-determination. My examination thus centers tension between history possibilities concept. The aim my defense provide tools theorizing take seriously commit strongly trans-affirmative conception critique.