RECENT online discourse has brought unto us a few points of discussion regarding trans-women celebrating Women’s Month. Common key points are that: the trans community has pride month for themselves, women’s month should be celebrated by real women (and we’ll be touching on why that’s a problematic take), and lastly, trans-women are taking over the celebratory month.

     Let’s break each one down. A simple introduction to intersectionality rationalizes against the first point. It explains that the culmination of the human experience is the collective intersection of unique social identities that determine a person’s privilege or discrimination. A trans-woman can be both a woman and a member of the LGBTQ community and therefore experience the struggles of both identities. To discuss the next point, we need to first talk about what makes a woman a woman, but as a cis-man myself, I wouldn’t want to define what a woman should be, so here are some things women shouldn’t be.

Not just child bearers

     “Trans-women can never be real women because they are not able to bear children.”

     This notion has been continuously used to invalidate the reality of the transgender community. While it may have origins deeply rooted in religion, we must realize that cis-women can have complications leading to an inability to bear children. This could be attributed to genetics, health, or personal choice, and shouldn’t make anyone less of a woman.

     Extending that to our trans sisters, the inability to bear children opens the door to adoption. In my view, that is a greater act of love —one bound not by blood relation but by true love —a beauty we can find beyond the physical and one with which we can define femininity.

Nor genitalia

     A woman’s genitals should not be the definition of their womanhood. In doing so, we subject women to objectification, and that would be retroactive to the cause of women’s empowerment. Women are way beyond just having vaginas, and once we get past seeing women as such, we find so much depth to femininity.

     If it ever bothers you that some trans women don’t have them, then rest assured that most of them are, too. Gender dysphoria is the feeling of dissonance between one’s assigned sex at birth and their gender identity. This could stem from a discomfort in one’s physical traits, including but not limited to their genitals. Trans women could have a constant gnawing feeling of irregularity due to the mismatch of organs they were born with, and that’s why they undergo gender-reaffirming surgery.

Shared pain

     Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, cis women do go through hardships that trans-women do not, especially in anatomical aspects, but they too share the scrutiny of society that women face. In a study by the Williams Institute at UCLA, they found that transgender individuals are 400% more likely to be victims of violence. There are numerous victims of such violence in the Philippines, namely one of them being Jennifer Laude, who was brutally murdered by Joseph Scott Pemberton back in 2014. 

     Going back to intersectionality, trans women are to face dual discrimination, one from being a member of the LGBTQ community and, on top of that, being a woman. This is not a competition of who experiences more hardship, but rather an acknowledgment of each other, which we could all hope leads to.

Shared spaces

     At the end of the day, another sister is another hand to hold in struggle, grief, and victory. Accepting trans women and allowing them to celebrate Women’s Month is to welcome another body to the party. What’s the harm in that? And if they dominate? Well, I guess they put the “ate” in it. So to our sisters, mothers, and queens: keep slaying!