In Gender Trouble (Routledge, 1990), the cultural theorist Judith Butler develops a conceptual framework to question the dichotomy of “gender” and “sex.” She argues against “sexual dimorphism” as a fact of nature and argues for a mutual dependence of a society’s notion of gender, on the one hand, and biological theories of human sexuality, on the other.
In 2018 the UK government proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act of 2004. Section 9(1) of that act specifies: “Under the Act a transgender person may apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate. Once granted and by virtue of section 9(1): ‘the person’s gender becomes for all purposes the acquired gender (so that, if the acquired gender is the male gender, the person’s sex becomes that of a man and, if it is the female gender, the person’s sex becomes that of a woman’).”
The UK government proposes changes to the application process for two reasons:(1)It causes unnecessary complications for disadvantaged for transgender individuals.(2)It pathologizes transgenderism.
Critics of the proposed reforms object on two grounds:(1)Gender change must involve medical professionals.(2)The law is defective in its ontology and ignores science: male bodies with vaginas and female bodies with penises are conceptually confused notions.
The critics were successful: the UK dropped its plans: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/22/uk-government-drops-gender-self-identification-plan-for-trans-people
•In your essay, please respond to the two objections of the critics. •You must base your response on these two readings: (1)Chapter 1 of Butler’s Gender Trouble. (2)Sharpe, Andrew. 2007. “A Critique of the Gender Recognition Act 2004.” Bioethical Inquiry 4: 33-42.
•You must comment on the relationship between power and knowledge.
•Explain the expression that “gender is doing.”
– Format:
font: Times New Roman
font size: 12pt line spacing: 1.5
You do not have to reference any of the assigned readings. If you use other sources than those readings, then provide references. Avoid in-text citations. No foot- or endnotes.
