approximately infinite universe

feministlibrarian replied to your post: So I’d seen some folks previously reference Gloria Steinem as a transphobic feminist.

I’m curious what the pub. date on the book and the original date on the essay were. not to say this makes it less egregious, but I hope her views have changed since she wrote that!

Well, as I stated in the post, it was originally written in 1977, and the edition was put out in 1995. In the new preface to the edition in question, she did not retract or distance herself from or apologize for anything in the essay.

Of course, 15-16 years have passed since that edition, so it is possible that her views have changed since then, and one would hope that they have. But at the same time, I really don’t think that her views changing really count for much? I mean, admittedly as a cis person my thoughts on the matter don’t really count for all that much, either, but. I’d say she not only owes an apology, but a lot of work to address the harm that those views have done to the trans community over the decades, including the harm that the feminist movement has specifically done to trans people, especially trans women. Like, you know, this. Which has resulted in deaths. Or cis feminists keeping trans women out of domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, which has caused deaths. Etc. Clearly, she was not only complicit in that, but an active promoter of it.

And, you know. I sure as hell do not see her doing that work.