334:
because passing is complicit with a medical construction of transsexuality that reifies a strict gender binary, and secondly because it requires the practice of self-erasure or, in Stone's words, disappearing into one's "plausible history". The self-erasure required for access to treatment and societal acceptance (i.e. lying about one's past in the "opposite" gender or "wrong" body) is not only individually harmful in the form of self-denial and shame, but also politically harmful in making trans individuals culturally illegible, Stone argues. She openly repeats the
258:, in which transsexual people deliberately conformed to the criteria in order to be considered eligible for surgery, leading doctors to believe that the criteria were an accurate method of differentiating transsexuals from the general public. Thus, transsexual people and doctors had begun "pursuing separate ends". This is further explained in the
381:, wrote that Stone's essay staked "a claim for transgendered people within feminist theory and culture." Coffman noted that Stone's work, along with other queer theorists, countered previous constructions of transgender identity by medical institutions and opposed academia that presented transgender people as psychologically abnormal.
333:
At the time of writing, Stone believed that the voices of trans individuals were not adequately represented in dominant discourse, and that the community had yet to form an effective counter-discourse. She argues that the institution of passing is partially to blame for this phenomenon, firstly
367:
The essence of transsexualism is the act of passing. A transsexual who passes is obeying the
Derridean imperative: "Genres are not to be mixed. I will not mix genres." I could not ask a transsexual for anything more inconceivable than to forgo passing, to be consciously "read", to read oneself
350:
whose skin is light enough to pass as white, or to the closet gay or lesbian... or to anyone who has chosen invisibility as an imperfect solution to personal dissonance. Essentially I am rearticulating one of the arguments for solidarity which has been developed by gays, lesbians and people of
206:, Lili Elbe's handwriting changed drastically and she began to faint at the sight of blood. Stanford Clinic's "charm school" or "grooming clinic" is also cited as one clear way in which predominately male doctors sought to teach transsexual women how to "behave like women".
359:
man or woman). She believes this is the precondition for an honest and effective discourse, stating, "For a transsexual, as a transsexual, to generate a true, effective and representational counterdiscourse is to speak from outside the boundaries of gender."
137:
Stone wrote the essay as a first year student project in 1987. In 1988, she presented the essay for the first time at the "Other Voices, Other Worlds: Questioning Gender and
Ethnicity" conference, held at UCSC, where Stone was a doctoral student at the time.
191:(1977). These accounts are all discussed critically for their portrayal of transsexualism as a simple switch from male to female with no ambiguity or middle period, and for their tendency to reinforce "a binary, oppositional mode of gender identification."
58:, and bear negative psychic, social, and political consequences. In response, she proposes the formation of a counter-discourse that disrupts binary understandings of gender, thereby allowing transgender individuals to speak as transgender subjects.
283:
norms, stating, "It may come as no surprise that all of the accounts I will relate here are similar in their description of 'woman' as male fetish, as replicating a socially enforced role, or as constituted by performative gender." She discusses
266:
as well as distinctive practices within those subcultures that entirely run against the official account of transsexuality (such as helping each other know what to say and how to act in order to get medically designated as a transsexual)".
319:
discourse. To foreground the practices of inscription and reading which are part of this deliberate invocation of dissonance, I suggest constituting transsexuals not as a class or problematic "third gender", but rather as a
314:
I suggest we start by taking
Raymond's accusation that "transsexuals divide women" beyond itself, and turn it into a productive force to multiplicatively divide the old binary discourses of gender--as well as Raymond's own
406:
Others have expanded Stone's concepts or incorporated them into their own frameworks, such as Talia Mae
Bettcher, whose concept of first-person authority (FPA) is inspired by Stone’s appeal to "trans-authored narratives".
209:
In section four, "Whose story is this, anyway?", the essay discusses how much of the research and writing on transsexualism has been done by people who are not transsexual, and that transsexual women are similar to
368:
aloud--and by this troubling and productive reading, to begin to write oneself into the discourses by which one has been written--in effect, then, to become a (look out-- dare I say it again?) posttranssexual.
105:
demanding her expulsion from Olivia
Records. Some have argued that this behavior was prompted and emboldened by Raymond's text. Stone eventually left Olivia Records and later pursued goals in academia.
35:
in academia, with other critical transgender works emerging after it. The essay examines how transgender women have historically been viewed, studied, and treated by the western medical establishment.
303:' tendency to totalize trans women as "...robots of an insidious and menacing patriarchy, an alien army designed and constructed to infiltrate, pervert and destroy 'true' women."
449:
wrote that "Stone's manifesto integrated many different strands of feminist, queer, and trans analysis into a potent conceptual tool kit that remains vital for the field today."
218:
89:
67:
438:
The Empire
Strikes Back is frequently credited as the founding text of transgender studies in academia, with other critical transgender works emerging after it.
1060:
306:
In light of these conflicts, Stone states that she does not advocate for a "shared discourse" with feminism, as trans women do not always experience common
214:
women in that both have been historically "infantilized" and considered too "illogical" to speak for themselves in the realms of science and literature.
395:. Stone makes explicit reference to Haraway's theorization of "Coyote", a process of continual self transformation. The essay is also influenced by
113:(UCSC), where she had studied under Donna Haraway. She was a part of the history of consciousness program, which included faculty members such as
988:
951:
533:
324:-- a set of embodied texts whose potential for productive disruption of structured sexualities and spectra of desire has yet to be explored.
300:
110:
102:
915:
299:", specifically Raymond's claim that "all transsexuals rape women’s bodies". Citing this language as an example, Stone openly criticizes
259:
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critically not for its apprehension of this trend, but rather its goals of reducing trans women to instruments of
54:. Stone argues that these social phenomena have precluded transgender individuals from participating in their own
279:
detractors, pointing out that both autobiographical and official accounts of transsexuality tended to reproduce
1050:
464:
203:
87:
Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual
Manifesto" was written primarily in response to Janice Raymond's 1979 book
1055:
229:
157:
Throughout the essay, Stone examines several representations of male-to-female "transsexuals", including
446:
392:
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28:
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978:
807:
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529:
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94:
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262:, which states: "At the same time, argues Stone, transsexuals have also developed their own
225:
43:
42:
individuals too illogical or damaged to represent themselves, as well as the institution of
463:
At the time of writing, the author used the term "transsexual" to refer to people who seek
414:, Leslie Bow summarizes Stone's idea that transsexuals face a "cultural imperative" to be
400:
396:
347:
158:
658:
423:
248:
233:
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62:
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Stone conceives of the "posttranssexual" as a transsexual who foregoes passing (as a
255:
122:
47:
427:
419:
202:
in reinforcing this binary. Notably, she refers to Niels Hoyer's report that after
114:
980:
Routledge
International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge
426:
or have "state-defined identities" of "colored" or "white" in the U.S. during the
275:
Stone claimed she understood, and to some degree shared in, the suspicions of her
941:
857:
492:
Carlos, Matthew Steven (2005). "Stone
Publishes a "Posttranssexual Manifesto."".
97:—regarding her employment as a sound engineer at the women's music record label,
263:
237:
185:
51:
39:
339:
307:
289:
195:
162:
803:
765:
724:"Sandy Stone on Living Among Lesbian Separatists as a Trans Woman in the 70s"
700:
617:
608:
356:
211:
169:
71:, as well as targeted harassment Stone experienced during her employment at
55:
943:
Partly
Colored: Asian Americans and Racial Anomaly in the Segregated South
232:
for transsexuals and other sources describing transsexualism as a form of
316:
292:
and rejecting them as eligible speaking subjects in their own discourse.
276:
811:
708:
787:
684:
296:
161:, biographies, and medical literature. She begins with a passage from
280:
38:
In the essay, Stone critiques medical research and theory that deem
321:
61:
The work was made largely in response to personal attacks made by
418:
by representing themselves as male or female, and compares it to
310:
with "genetic naturals" prior to transition. Rather, she argues:
295:
Stone directly scolds Raymond for what she calls "inexcusable
101:. Stone was also the target of organized harassment from
31:. Stone's essay is considered to be the founding text of
168:(1974), and goes on to discuss Niels Hoyer's account of
244:
consisting only of severely ill people or sex workers.
109:
Stone completed her essay as a doctoral student at the
525:
You've Changed: Sex Reassignment and Personal Identity
387:
states that the text owes significantly to Haraway's "
143:
Body Guards: The Cultural Politics of Gender Ambiguity
916:"Woolf's Orlando and the Resonances of Trans Studies"
633:"How Sandy Stone "Struck Back" Against Transmisogyny"
220:
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
859:
The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto
422:
writings on racial pressures of what it meant to be
558:The Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-Male
90:The Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-Male
68:The Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-Male
590:Stryker, Susan; Bettcher, Talia M. (1 May 2016).
141:The essay was published in 1991 in the anthology
365:
977:Kramarae, Cheris; Spender, Dale, eds. (2000).
228:in 1980, citing Leslie Lothstein's studies on
377:Chris Coffman, an associate professor at the
8:
528:. Oxford University Press. pp. 47, 98.
363:Near the end of the essay, Stone concludes:
788:"Review of The Transgender Studies Reader"
93:. The book includes criticisms of Stone—a
607:
25:Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto
16:Foundational essay in transgender studies
894:The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
890:"Feminist Perspectives on Trans Issues"
851:
849:
847:
845:
843:
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477:
385:The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
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883:
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722:Drucker, Zackary (19 December 2018).
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583:
581:
579:
577:
517:
515:
145:. In 2006, the essay was included in
7:
1061:LGBT literature in the United States
683:Bettcher, Talia; Garry, Ann (2009).
657:Goldberg, Michelle (4 August 2014).
631:Riedel, Samantha (17 October 2019).
487:
485:
483:
481:
301:trans-exclusionary radical feminists
111:University of California, Santa Cruz
103:trans-exclusionary radical feminists
46:and its role in the reproduction of
260:Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
914:Coffman, Chris (1 February 2010).
596:TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly
560:. Beacon Press. pp. 101–102.
236:, many of which used questionable
14:
792:Culture, Health & Sexuality
748:Rose, Jacqueline (5 May 2016).
592:"Introduction: Trans/Feminisms"
522:Shrage, Laurie J., ed. (2009).
379:University of Alaska Fairbanks
194:Also discussed is the role of
147:The Transgender Studies Reader
1:
946:. New York University Press.
271:Criticism of radical feminism
254:for transsexualism created a
217:Stone also problematizes the
27:" is a 1987 essay written by
786:Rooke, Alison (April 2008).
226:transsexualism as a disorder
983:. Routledge. p. 1968.
750:"Who do you think you are?"
403:’s politics of résistance.
1077:
247:Furthermore, Stone claims
1016:Gender studies literature
888:Bettcher, Talia (2014).
609:10.1215/23289252-3334127
556:Raymond, Janice (1994).
465:sex reassignment surgery
391:" and Gloria Anzaldua's
346:This is familiar to the
336:political call to action
204:sex reassignment surgery
495:LGBT History, 1988-1992
393:"mestiza consciousness"
338:made to homosexuals to
1021:Transgender literature
754:London Review of Books
399:’s textual theory and
370:
353:
326:
290:patriarchal domination
230:differential diagnoses
1011:Criticism of feminism
856:Stone, Sandy (2014).
344:
312:
1046:Essays about culture
940:Bow, Leslie (2010).
434:Reception and impact
1036:Literature by women
1026:Transgender studies
252:diagnostic criteria
133:Publication history
33:transgender studies
659:"What Is a Woman?"
498:. pp. 78–81.
389:A Cyborg Manifesto
240:such as selecting
224:categorization of
200:medical literature
127:Teresa de Lauretis
990:978-0-415-92088-9
953:978-0-8147-9132-5
920:Genders 1998-2013
535:978-0-19-974502-9
447:Talia M. Bettcher
416:socially accepted
182:I Changed My Sex!
95:transgender woman
65:in her 1979 book
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286:radical feminism
249:Harry Benjamin's
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1051:Feminist essays
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401:Michel Foucault
397:Jacques Derrida
375:
348:person of color
331:
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159:autobiographies
155:
135:
119:Gloria AnzaldĂşa
81:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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798:(3): 307–308.
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685:"Introduction"
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663:The New Yorker
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511:
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420:James Loewen's
412:Partly Colored
374:
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330:
329:Call to action
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269:
234:mental illness
180:autobiography
178:Hedy Jo Star's
174:Man Into Woman
154:
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99:Olivia Records
80:
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73:Olivia Records
63:Janice Raymond
15:
13:
10:
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1056:Transfeminism
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602:(1–2): 5–14.
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567:0-8077-6272-5
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443:Susan Stryker
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48:binary gender
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26:
24:
979:
957:. Retrieved
942:
935:
923:. Retrieved
919:
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897:. Retrieved
893:
866:. Retrieved
858:
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781:
769:. Retrieved
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640:. Retrieved
636:
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557:
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539:. Retrieved
524:
494:
460:
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428:Jim Crow era
411:
410:In the book
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184:(1963), and
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163:Jan Morris's
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115:Angela Davis
108:
88:
84:
82:
66:
60:
37:
22:
20:
18:
1041:1987 essays
959:8 September
925:8 September
264:subcultures
238:methodology
52:social norm
50:and sexist
40:transgender
29:Sandy Stone
1031:Manifestos
1005:Categories
695:(3): 2–3.
472:References
308:oppression
196:physicians
79:Background
899:29 August
868:30 August
804:1369-1058
771:29 August
766:0260-9592
733:29 August
701:0887-5367
668:30 August
642:29 August
618:2328-9252
541:29 August
441:In 2016,
357:cisgender
212:cisgender
170:Lili Elbe
166:Conundrum
56:discourse
812:20461007
709:20618161
373:Analysis
340:come out
317:monistic
277:feminist
176:(1933),
689:Hypatia
424:Chinese
297:bigotry
242:samples
153:Summary
44:passing
987:
950:
810:
802:
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707:
699:
616:
564:
532:
502:
351:color.
281:sexist
189:Canary
125:, and
85:Empire
23:Empire
863:(PDF)
808:JSTOR
760:(9).
705:JSTOR
453:Notes
322:genre
222:(DSM)
83:"The
985:ISBN
961:2020
948:ISBN
927:2020
901:2020
870:2020
800:ISSN
773:2020
762:ISSN
735:2020
728:Vice
697:ISSN
670:2020
644:2020
637:them
614:ISSN
562:ISBN
543:2020
530:ISBN
500:ISBN
445:and
198:and
21:The
604:doi
172:in
1007::
969:^
918:.
892:.
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703:.
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458:1.
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19:"
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