Introduction

Unmasking Transphobia, Building Transpositive Solidarities

Abstract

The historical catalyst for this collection of essays is a tragic and disturbing one, consisting both of a particular event and a general global pattern. In March of 2023, Joanne Boucher, a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of Winnipeg, delivered a public talk with the dodgy title, “The Commodification of the Human Body: The Case of Transgender Identities.” According to the event description, Boucher’s talk was to explore the “economic interests involved in transgenderism” and to investigate the intersection of “government, corporate-funded lobby groups, the medical industry and the biotechnology sector.” Although framed in neutral-sounding academic jargon, both the event title and the event description contained blaring red flags, readily identifiable even to casual readers. Far from being a unique and isolated event, Boucher’s talk was part of a much larger and more general global explosion of transphobic discourse, which has been expressed in recent years in the form of utterly cruel and inhuman legislation. In response to this frightening national and global drift, the University of Winnipeg’s Centre for Research in Cultural Studies (CRiCS) organized a public event aimed at understanding our current political moment and offering guidance for solidarity and praxis. This collection features essay versions of the informal talks delivered at the March 2023 event.