Gender Abolitionism is Inherently Transphobic - ProleWiki
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I've been noticing a trend with certain comrades, where said comrades (particularly whom are cisgender) are supportive of transgender people, yet their analysis of the woman question didn't change much from the 1960s.

I am unfortunately not at a point yet where I can write my own additions to this piece but I wanted to start venturing into gender and gender roles because there are a lot of marxists who repeat, no doubt because it seems to make sense on the surface, that gender is a social construct or that it should be abolished. A lot of it is Butlerian in nature and I highly recommend Leslie Feinberg who was positioned against the butlerian view of gender.

The sense of self is completely omitted in the Butlerian view of gender (as a performance), in that as a (cis) man if I acted (performed) like a woman and put on women’s clothes, then that theory states I would be a woman. But I would not feel like one, because I know I’m not a woman. And if I lived in a false reality that forced me act like a man all my life from childhood to the point that I also believed I was a man (say in the same way you can make someone believe the sky is red if you berate them enough), then what explains that trans people specifically are able to “break out” of this mold? A lot of common (in marxist circles) feminist theory is unfortunately completely dismissive of trans people, trans men especially - if gender is a construct to pit oppressors and oppressed then why would anyone “choose” to be part of the oppressed group? Everyone ought to perform as men if that were the case. As for gender abolitionism, the author makes the case in their essay :)

  • Imnecomrade@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    2·
    11 days ago

    That’s why I don’t think it necessarily follows that gender itself is a product of oppression, which also puts into question whether it should be or will be abolished/wither away (not exactly the same thing for some abolitionists, but not all). The premise of the essay is that gender can exist without an oppressive structure. It also means it doesn’t automatically follow that abolishing gender (in any way) will also destroy the oppressive structure built around it and the answer must be found somewhere else for proper praxis.

    In reference to my previous comment, by gender “withering away” in a communist state, I don’t mean gender will not exist, just as race won’t disappear. I mean the distinction between class won’t be really relevant anymore. A communist state will likely be in the distant future, a society we can only predict under science fiction. I imagine technology, social relations, cultural and social norms will evolve to a point we may not be able to perceive very well today. I imagine that we may have the ability to change our DNA, or maybe go through transhumanism and become cyborgs/machines, etc. The concept of gender may not be as relevant because people will be able to easily change to whatever they are comfortable with using future technology, and there will be cultural acceptance of everyone. There won’t be a denial of trans/gender-fluid/non-conforming people, but it may be ubiquitous that the distinction and class differences/exploitation between people won’t exist as it does today. Before then and when we are still developing in the early stages of socialism, we won’t be “abolishing” or “withering away” gender, nor will gender completely not exist.

    As for now, I agree that so-called “gender abolition” is irrelevant and out of scope at this time.