Source:
Journal of Gender Studies, Volume 17, Issue 1, p.13 (2008)
Abstract:
A number of recent debates in gender studies have focused upon the links between gender and sex, and the question of whether or not it is viable at this moment in time to ‘undo’ gender (e.g. Lorber, 2000; Butler, 2004; Ruspini, 2007). Within this paper I aim to explore the usefulness of bringing the narratives of transpeople and their partners to bear on these debates. Firstly, I shall briefly review the current theories relating to trans, as well as introducing governmentality as the theoretical framework to be used herein. The research this paper draws upon will be described, in order to introduce the subsequent sections, which review and analyse the narratives of transpeople and their partners, firstly with respect to the overarching influence of the gender binary, and secondly with regard to the strategies employed by individuals to resist binary gender norms. The final substantive section explores the theoretical implications of involving the diverse narratives of both those who conform to and those who diverge from the norms of the gender binary, in debates concerning the undoing of gender. Concluding remarks include consideration of possible ways to move forward past the current impasse between, for example, trans and lesbian feminist theorists, and feminists and post-structuralists.
