FEM 1100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Trans Woman, Glass Ceiling, Invisible Disability

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May 1st
The F Word: Saturated with unhappiness, ruins all the fun. Presumed to be
angry,unhappy.
Stereotypes of Feminists:
Roxanne Gay, bad feminist
Sara Ahmed, Feminist Killjoys- does Feminism really kill the joy?
Instead of saying feminists are a big drag, must consider what feminists are critiquing
Video games= fun. Feminist might say video games aren't that fun. Destroying
something that is thought of by others not only as being good, but a cause of happiness.
Another example is wanting to watch family guy when the feminist doesn't. “you can't
take a joke?” could be the reply in retaliation.
When feminism “kills joy”, whos happiness is it killing?
Feminist read as being unhappy, such as situations of conflict, violence and power are
read as about the unhappiness of feminists, rather than what feminists are as unhappy
about.
Feminist moment that TA’s can remember:
Theories from a specific feminist class when she was in university
Brother picking on her, complains to parents, parents tell her it's not a big deal= feminist
killjoy moment.
Is the Ottawa Art Gallery a feminist space******** FINAL EXAM QUESTION
Based on the art on the wall, maybe not so much on the art, but also the structure
of the building.
My Pedagogy:
Humility, Openness, Kindness, Respect, Accountability, Mistakes
May 3rd
1. Sex/Gender Distinction- Western political thought
Aristotle and Biological Essentialist- Biological is inevitable. In Aristotle's’ politics, he
argues that women are by their nature inferior to men. They are more compassionate,
less rational a weaker. Dividing the world into a binary between men and women. No
distinction between men and women. 384-322 B.C.E.
Binaries are not neutral because in this case, power difference between men and
women.
Idea that women are naturally competent, and men are not. If women are doing a good
job, its expected, if not, punished. If men are doing a good job, give them a break, if they
aren't doing a good job, their following expectations.
Binary Thinking:
Masculinity is…. Independence, money, control and power, provider, presumption of
association with heterosexuality, strength, penis/testosterone. Rationality, Strength
Feminity is…. Emotional, wreckless, soft, regulators. Emotionality.
Society believes rationality trumps emotionality.
Mary Wollstonecraft- A Vindication of Rights of Women-1792.
Sex does not determine essential characteristics- gender is constructed.
Men/boys and women/girls should be educated equally.
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Challenges the idea that we are biologically suited for two different kinds of life- which is
private sphere- home life. Public sphere- business, society, etc..
John Stuart Mill- The Subjection of Women-189.
Argument for women to have the vote, as well as access to public life. Women should
not be biologically restricted, but men should not have the power over women.
Western Feminisms in the 60’s and 70’s made arguments that not only was “ the female
sex” not “ the weaker sex” but that women (through both biology and socialization) were
better suited for certain things than men.
Gender is between your ears, sex is between your legs.
2. Michel Foucault, disciplinary power and Panopticon.
Modern age is characterized by a form of power called disciplinary.
Sovereign power is top to bottom power- King/Queen and lower level citizens. Police an
example.
Disciplinary power, which is the power of norms and normalization. That power does not
function through law, but discipline through what is expected/ following the internalized
norm.
Panopticon- prison system with a guard tower in the middle, and all prisoner cells are
watched. Whether a guard is there is irrelevant to the prisoner because they do not know
if they are actually even ever being observed by a guard.
Gender norms are about making us obedient in a way, follow societal norms maybe
even when not being observed. Discipline produces docile bodies.
Experience a lot of discipline around our gender.
When/where did you first learn about gender( what is feminine, what is masculine). Who
taught you to perform gender properly?
Friends, Family, Church/religious institutions, media, teachers, siblings.
Intersex: biological “ sex “ traits can be classified as clearly/exclusively male or female.
Inborn. Doctors detect at birth. More of a social problem than a medical problem.
Interphobia: the discrimination against and violence enacted on people with intersex
characteristics or people believed to possess intersex traits.
Compulsory dyadism: the instituted cultural mandate that people cannot have intersex
trait; people must embody and reaffirm the male-female sex dyad.
Surgeries do occur, must ensure that a child/person consents to genital mutilation
surgery. Goal of surgery is to make child fit into society’s narrow gender norms. TA does
not support this surgery. Sometimes this surgery sterilizes people, cannot orgasm either.
1.7 to 4 percent of the population are intersex. These people fall in between our cultural
expectations.
Judith Butler and Gender Trouble
Looks at particular history of feminist theory.
Sex is a stable distinction and gender is socially constructed idea. Butler argues that sex
is a socially constructed. “sexual difference is often invoked as an issue of material
differences. Sexual difference, however, is never simply a function of material
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differences which are not in some way both marked and formed by discursive
practices… “ sex “ not only functions as a norm but is part of a regulatory practice that
produces the bodies it governs.”
Judith Butler
Gender Performativity- we must perform our gender in all different ways. Performaity is
thus not a single act for it is always a reiteration of a norm or set of norms.
Heterosexual matrix is a compulsory performance.
Non-binary have genders outside the traditional gender norms.
Sports.. Sex test athletes. Testing female athletes to ensure if they are suspect, they are
indeed a “proper woman.”
Why do we sex test athletes?? Fairness. To give women a chance against men. Need to
protect women against men. Sex segregation in sport “ put forward historically when
women outperform men at athletic performance.”
Sex sport segregation was not instituted to reflect bodily capacities, but to
construct/preserve “ images of male superiority”
Testosterone not linked to higher levels of performance (BS).
There is no evidence to suggest that athletic abilities are purely a matter of, or
exclusively extend from, sex.
Do we desegregate sport?
May 8th
1. Intersectional theory
2. Feminist theories: Liberal and Radical and Socialist
What is intersectional analysis?
Additive vs intersectional models
Intersectional power is associated with many levels of power, and how they interact with
each other.
Additive adds oppression on top of eachother. Allows us to look at power, privilege,
oppression.
These systems of oppression require each other and help legitimize each other.
Video
When privilege is brought up, one might always mention “ oh i have this oppression too “
but simply in a different way.
Sometimes you experience privilege, and sometimes we experience penalty.
In society, we are all taught to respond immediately. Instead, we should consider time to
think and reflect about societal issues, and an immediate response is not needed.
Understanding Oppression:
Structural/systematic oppression vs individual discrimination
As an institution, policing is a discriminatory body. Certain violence policing mobilizes.
Black lives matter/police violence.
Less media coverage when african american women are killed by police, but the media
coverage of violence of police against african american individuals is tailored towards
men.
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Document Summary

The f word: saturated with unhappiness, ruins all the fun. Instead of saying feminists are a big drag, must consider what feminists are critiquing. Feminist might say video games aren"t that fun. Destroying something that is thought of by others not only as being good, but a cause of happiness. Another example is wanting to watch family guy when the feminist doesn"t. You can"t take a joke? could be the reply in retaliation. Feminist read as being unhappy, such as situations of conflict, violence and power are read as about the unhappiness of feminists, rather than what feminists are as unhappy about. Theories from a specific feminist class when she was in university. Brother picking on her, complains to parents, parents tell her it"s not a big deal= feminist killjoy moment. Is the ottawa art gallery a feminist space******** final exam question.

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