Discussing the topic of gender essentialism is necessary to understand how it impacts society's view of transgender individuals. Gender essentialism refers to the belief that there are innate characteristics associated with being male and female. This means that males and females have specific qualities that make them different from each other. These include physical traits, behaviors, interests, emotions, abilities, and roles. Gender essentialists believe that these qualities determine who people are. They also believe that people must act according to their assigned genders for them to be "true" to themselves.
This assumption often leads to discrimination against those who do not conform to gender norms.
One way to reduce transphobia is to dismantle gender essentialism. By doing so, people can challenge societal views about what it means to be male or female.
Many people assume that women should be passive and nurturing while men should be dominant and aggressive. This leads to misogyny, sexism, and transphobia since some feminine people may face discrimination for not conforming to stereotypes. In contrast, dismantling gender essentialism allows people to accept all identities without imposing traditional gender roles.
Another way to combat transphobia is by challenging binary thinking. The idea of a binary system classifies people as either male or female, which leaves no room for non-binary genders. Dismantling this system would allow everyone to express themselves freely without feeling like they don't belong. It would also eliminate the need for medical interventions such as hormone therapy or surgery to match their desired gender.
Reducing gender essentialism would encourage accepting diversity in relationships and intimacy. Many cisgender individuals think that a man and woman are more compatible than two same-sex partners. This belief reinforces heteronormativity and creates an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals feel excluded. But if we dismantle gender essentialism, we can see that love is universal regardless of gender identity. We would stop trying to fit people into preconceived notions based on sex characteristics.
Dismantling gender essentialism has far-reaching effects beyond just reducing transphobia. It could improve relationships between people of different genders, make healthcare easier, and encourage self-expression.
It will take time and effort to change societal views about what makes a person who they are.
Can dismantling gender essentialism reduce systemic and interpersonal transphobia?
Gender essentialism is the belief that certain traits are inherent to one's sex assigned at birth. This includes physical characteristics such as genitalia, but also extends to behavior, abilities, roles, and expectations of men and women. It perpetuates the false narrative that all individuals who identify with a particular gender should have those same characteristics, behaviors, abilities, and roles.