i dream of being possible

roads to liberation

I’d hazard to say that my last post is easily the most misunderstood one I’ve posted, what with a certain trans feminist’s refusal to actually engage my point. And then this comment on reddit:

Freedom is my goal, too. Feminism is one of those roads, and there is no freedom without freedom for all women.

If that makes me a sellout as a trans woman, so be it. Many trans women already say i'm not a trans woman, so i guess i don't have shit to lose, now do i?

Being a trans feminist does not mean you are a sellout. Being any kind of feminist does not mean you are a sellout (er... other than [r]dfm, I'd say). And I'm scratching my head as to how anyone could take away from my post that trans feminist = not a trans woman.

Although, it is interesting that so many are taking a personal expression of mistrust of feminism in general, and trans feminism in particular, so personally. Feminism has a fairly long history. It has a fairly long history of not actually working towards the liberation of all women... I'm unclear as to why tossing a 'trans' in front of it is somehow supposed to make me more inclined to believe or trust that it is now, unlike before, actually working to liberate all women. Should I take this on faith?

The first sentence of this comment interests me. I agree: there is no freedom without freedom for all women. This is true. It is also true that feminism claims to be one of the roads to that freedom... in theory, at least. In practice? I've yet to see any feminism that is honestly and sincerely fighting to liberate *all* women.

More explicitly: Is feminism the sole road to liberating all women? Is it *necessary* for the liberation of women?

Again, should I simply take it on faith that feminism is *the* road for liberating all women? Or that it is the best road?

If trans feminism is really to be trusted, it needs to do better than smuggling in respectability politics via touting the party line about 'callout culture.' It'll also need to stop fronting like it is the only and best way for all women to be free. History tells us this is demonstrably false. And exercising this kind of hegemonic control only undercuts its credibility.