On the Woman-hatred of Trans Feminism
Over the course of my lifetime, I have read, listened to, or watched the movie adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels too many times to count. One of the effects of this repeated exposure is snippets of dialogue popping into my head nearly unbidden on a near-daily basis. What joy filled my heart when a co-worker recognized the reference when I said “Shelves in the closet. Happy thought indeed.”
So earlier this month, when I sat contemplating with utter befuddlement some women doggedly supporting males participating in female sports, it is little wonder that this quote came to mind “Eliza Bennet . . . is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own; and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds.”
While Elizabeth Bennet is not, in fact, guilty of pushing others lower in order to elevate herself, female trans activists are. They, in an attempt to ascend the heights of intersectionality, are pushing females, young and old, off a cliff. They are hurling accusations of prejudice and exclusion, as they seek to erase biological women from the pages of history.
Nowhere is this betrayal more obvious than in the sports arena. Young women across the country are literally being sidelined by young men playing dress up; young men who they have little to no chance of defeating, given their size, lung capacity, and muscle mass. They aren’t just losing trophies and medals; they are being gas-lit into submitting to an obvious lie, a lie that is costing them scholarships and the thrill of competing in a fair fight, not to mention the physical and psychological damage on and off the field.
Something fundamental is being attacked by those who seek to equate womanhood with pretty dresses and makeup. And if womanhood is defeated, women and girls won’t be the only losers. To illustrate this attack, let me bring in a very different cultural reference: Mission Impossible. This is another series of movies I love to revisit from time to time. They are great entertainment with generally well-developed characters and the campy humor I love.
In anticipation of the release of Final Reckoning, the latest and rumored to be last installment of the series, I re-watched most of the previous movies. Watching back-to-back like that highlights 1) how I seriously need to watch less and read more and 2) the influence of culture shifts throughout the series. Over the course of the films (which span almost 30 years), female characters become tougher in their attitudes and abilities. We move from vulnerable and kind Julia to nearly indestructible Elsa. By the end, almost all the female characters are psychotic assassins whom no man can defeat. It isn’t the absurdity of these women that I find offensive. Clearly, one has to suspend disbelief in order to watch Tom Cruise free climb up the world’s tallest building, cling to the side of an airplane in flight, etc.
It is the obvious misogyny of these female characters that I find so galling. In the same way that men dressing up as women and declaring themselves female is offensive to the realities of womanhood, women being forced to act as men in order to win audience approval is an erasure of our true strengths and talents.
I’m not saying that women shouldn’t be portrayed as strong physically capable in films in an appropriate or fitting way. And, obviously, just as the abilities of a character like Ethan Hunt are exaggerated for effect, so can the abilities of his female counterparts. But there comes a point when not only does one’s disbelief beg for mercy, but one’s pride as a woman begs for respect.
This defeminization of women is not limited to the silver screen. Many in our culture tell us that if women aren’t competing in the workforce with the same level of ambition as men, pushing aside thoughts of family and homemaking until many times it’s too late, they aren’t of equal value. If women aren’t casual in their sexual encounters despite the significant short and long-term risks they pose to their health and well-being, they are prudes and repressed.
Are we not worthy of admiration for the qualities that have defined femininity for centuries? Do our compassionate and nurturing natures not deserve to be celebrated alongside more traditional masculine qualities of strength and courage? Of course, these characteristics aren’t exclusive to women, but they are associated with something that is: motherhood. We aren’t just our softer qualities, but as a collective, we have generally recognized qualities that deserve celebration. Somehow, in a twist of bitter irony, many feminists have pushed so hard for equality that they have pushed straight past more traditional womanhood and elevated a masculinized version instead.
Women deserve spaces in which they can compete among their peers and test their mettle among their own sex. We deserve to see ourselves portrayed and lauded for our traditionally feminine characters. We should stop envying men’s brute strength and celebrate our own strengths. We are, in fact, the weaker sex in some respects, but those “weak” bodies grow and bring forth life. They nurture the young and are drawn to serve the vulnerable and the old.
In my final illustration, let me take you back to a classic female character, in the small and powerless Jane Eyre. During their battle of wills, Rochester, seeking to convince Jane to act against her conscience, says, “I could bend you with my finger and my thumb. A mere reed you feel in my hands. But whatever I do with this cage, I cannot get at you, and it is your soul that I want.” Under today’s feminist dictates, Jane would have round-housed him in the throat rather than quietly holding her ground and maintaining her principles and self-respect. Let us say with the great feminist anthem “I know too much to go back and pretend . . . I am wise, I am strong, I am woman” and you, sir, are not.
