Saturday, April 9, 2011
Finding the Transgender Woman in the State
"The prerogative of the state, whether expressed as the armed force of the police or as vacillating criteria for obtaining welfare benefits, is often all that stands between women and rape, women and starvation, women and dependence upon brutal mates—in short, women and unattenuated male prerogative” (Brown 1995:191).
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The transgender community has been the metaphorical canary in the mine only recently. Recent, because of its political and moral struggle to be recognized as a community, and an indicator of change because of its sociological criminalization in society. This of course does not mean that it is recognized as a criminal organization, but because it elaborates on the roles of gender in politics. It is an expository community due to its inherent limitations on power to its members. Similarly to the political struggle for recognition on behalf of females, or those defined by the state as child-reproducing members of society, transgendered individuals toe the "prerogative of the state" continually. Differently than women, perhaps: they expose the brutal apathy of society. Violence on behalf of the state is apathy. Much more, it is nihilistic in its ethical value. It is lying to maintain a lie.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is too simplistic. Perhaps the values of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution do not go far enough. Maybe they can be salvaged. The interpretive nature of the document itself forces this argument. Enlightenment values, however, much like the nature of states themselves, are out of touch with the rigid conservation of gender so adamantly enforced by the society of eighteenth century life. The humanity conserved by modern liberalism must be conserved through reinterpretation and protection of liberty regardless of nostalgic notions of masculinity. We will be better for that reevaluation. We must have that conversation. We need, however, to recognize our own humanity first.
Many society are not accept or trying to understand of Transgender people. However, if Transgender people are not reconciled that makes social problem such as a some type of criminal. Because, they need to survive in unacceptable society. I am not saying that they need convenience. I just saying that they are right to have human's right.
ReplyDeleteAlex, how are you conceptualizing apathy? Is apathy a state abandonment from human rights, as Jinna suggests? Jinna and Alex, would the transgender community benefit from human rights advocacy and discourse?
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