The Transgender Issue: An Argument For Justice is one of the best accounts to understand, as close as possible, what it is like to be transgender, specifically a trans woman.

Shon Faye outlines so much in this relatively short book of 268 pages, not including notes and acknowledgments.

She talks about something that I think is incredibly important to discuss in lieu of International Women’s Day, which is the intersection between transphobia and misogyny.

As Faye says, quoting Julia Serano, ‘transmisogyny’.

Faye remarks that trans people are “simultaneously hypersexualised: either as grotesque sexual deviants, particularly if we are unconventionally feminine (or lesbians); or, as yielding, sexually passive and deceptive if we are more feminine in appearance and/or we date men.”

Trans women never seem to ‘fulfil’ what society desires them to.

They are either too feminine, or not feminine enough. They are too performative, too restrained. Too open, not open enough.

This is all outlined in Faye’s last chapter before her conclusion, ‘The Ugly Sister: Trans People in Feminism.’

She speaks on the Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) ideology, and how these so-called TERFs seem to care less about equal rights for women and more about preventing trans people, correction – trans women, from having any personal freedom.

If you think about the criticisms of trans people that you see most regularly, what do you think of? Probably transmisogynistic statements about “men invading women’s spaces” or “men in dresses”.

Transphobes target trans women, disregard their identity, and still use misogyny as a weapon against them. They view trans women as wearing costumes, rather than understanding that this is not a decision they made, and instead a fundamental part of who they are.

All the arguments in the paragraph above come from a singular page in Faye’s book, and I wanted to include this exploration to show how truly intellectually rich this book is.

As well as above, Faye discusses the link between transphobia and the class system. She brings to our attention that there is a disproportionate amount of trans people involved in sex work, and critiques the presentation of trans people in the media.

It is such a rich book and one that will make you sit and stare at the ceiling as you think about everything that was just said.

So, to end, please read this book.

It’s from 2021, so some aspects like examples and statistics are a little bit dated, but it does encompass so many important arguments.

Whether you are trans, you know trans people, or even if you just want to learn more about the trans experience, I highly recommend exploring this book.

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