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View submission: Trans Women, Male Privilege, and the Intersectionality of Patriarchal Oppression
Feminism, at its best, is about challenging systemic oppression, not reinforcing exclusionary narratives. When I say cis women have a dominant position in feminism due to societal privilege, I’m not saying it’s a privilege to be a feminist. I’m pointing out that cis women, by virtue of their numbers and societal positioning, are more likely to have their voices heard and their concerns centered in feminist spaces. That’s not an attack, it’s a reality that needs to be acknowledged if we want a feminism that is truly intersectional.
You define feminism as a struggle against the oppression of people based on the body they are born in, but that definition erases the fact that trans women experience misogyny too - often in ways that are compounded by our transness. We face the same patriarchal violence that seeks to control women’s bodies, plus the additional layer of transphobia that makes us uniquely vulnerable. That’s why I’m calling out the failure of many feminist spaces to meaningfully address transmisogyny. This isn’t about "privilege" in discussing cis women’s issues - it’s about ensuring that trans women’s struggles aren’t sidelined in a movement that claims to fight for all women.
You say intersectionality is about recognising how different oppressions overlap, but in practice, you seem unwilling to apply that lens when it comes to trans women. If half the feminist discourse is about trans issues, as you claim, yet trans women still feel excluded, misrepresented, or even outright attacked in those spaces, then that suggests a problem with how those discussions are happening - not with trans women for asking for better representation.
If feminism is truly about fighting oppression, it needs to be willing to reflect on the ways it falls short. Defensiveness against that critique doesn’t strengthen feminism, it weakens it.
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