Socialism and the politics of transgender liberation

Introduced by transgender activist April Holcombe.

Transgender people face oppression in every aspect of life. Alongside daily discrimination, the Right everywhere are waging an aggressive culture war against our very right to exist. In a time where attitudes to homosexuality have dramatically improved and many rights have been won, why does the capitalist system try so hard to keep LGBTI oppressed? And why does transphobia in particular seem to be sharply on the rise?

This talk will argue the socialist case for understanding the roots of transphobia and tackle the arguments of transphobes. It will explore the history of gender diversity and explain why liberation to be our true selves can only be won with the overthrow of capitalism.

Readings

Transgender oppression and resistance by Laura Miles

https://isj.org.uk/transgender-oppression-and-resistance/

Marxism, feminism and transgender politics by Sue Caldwell

https://isj.org.uk/marxism-feminism-and-transgender-politics/

Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman by Leslie Feinburg

Transvestites by Magnus Hirschfield (1910)