Trans masculinities: embodiments, performances and the materiality of gender in times of change
Abstract
In recent years, the increased visibility of the category, transgender – or simply trans – has brought new challenges to light and, most importantly, led to the formation of a new lexicon for the naming of privilege and oppression (Boellstorf et al. 2014; Marciano 2014). While women and femininity remain subaltern in contemporary societies, the affirmation of the rights of gender minorities and the expansion of plural gender identities beyond normative definitions of hegemonic masculinity and femininity (Plummer 1996) can be seen as one of the most challenging forms of resistance to the limits imposed by binary systems of gender that oppose men and women.
Full text
T ans
masculini ies:
embodimen s,
pe o mances and he
ma e iali y o gende
in imes o change
So ia Aboim
Ped o Vasconcelos
Sa a Me lini
14.
334 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in
in oduc ion
In ecen yea s, he inc eased isibili y o he ca ego y, ansgende – o simply
ans1 – has b ough new challenges o ligh and, mos impo an ly, led o
he o ma ion o a new lexicon o he naming o p i ilege and opp ession
(Boells o e al. 2014; Ma ciano 2014). While women and eminini y emain
subal e n in con empo a y socie ies, he a i ma ion o he igh s o gende
mino i ies and he expansion o plu al gende iden i ies beyond no ma i e
de ini ions o hegemonic masculini y and eminini y (Plumme 1996) can be
seen as one o he mos challenging o ms o esis ance o he limi s imposed
by bina y sys ems o gende ha oppose men and women.
A p esen , acco ding o hegemonic p inciples o co espondence be ween
“sex” and “gende ”, hose whose gende ed bodies and minds a e “in con o mi y”
(cis-people)2 con as wi h he unp i ileged mino i y whose gende iden i y
“con adic s” he sexed body each pe son is assigned a bi h. I , in 1949,
Simone de Beau oi b oke new g ound when a guing ha one is no bo n
a woman, bu a he becomes one, (de Beau oi 1949) oday embodying a
gende seems a mo e complex p ocess as new possibili ies o naming onesel
widen and gain inc eased ecogni ion in he social and poli ical ealm. As Joe
Biden, o me usa ice-p esiden , ecen ly said, “ ansgende equali y is he
ci il igh s issue o ou ime” (The Independen 2017).
Agains his backd op, we a gue ha he ca ego ies o naming gende –
whe he eminini y, masculini y o o he o ms o de ini ion ha ejec o
bend hese bina y e ms – mus be analysed and add essed om a c i ical
s andpoin . S emming om he “ ansgende momen ” o he ea ly 1990s
(S yke 2014; Namas e 2005), he “gende e olu ion” o he p esen -day
implies no only a cha ac e isa ion o he o ms o inclusion o an al eady
la ge and a ied gende mino i y – ga he ed unde he p e ix ans – bu also
1 T ans people is a p o isional umb ella e m o name hose who, in a a ie y o ways, challenge he
na u alness o gende as emana ing om he sexed codi ica ion o bodies, whe he hey a e anssexual
(bo h male o emale, and emale o male), ansgende , ans es i es and c oss-d esse s, “ a es is” o
o he o ms o gende a iance, such as gende quee , non-bina y, gende luid, and ogynous, among
o he designa ions. In a nu shell, T ans is a wide- anging designa ion ha includes all indi iduals who
do no iden i y wi h he gende hey we e assigned a bi h. Fo an o e iew, see S yke (2008).
2 The e ms cisgende and cissexual a e used o e e o indi iduals who iden i y wi h he sex/gende
hey we e assigned a bi h. Cisgende eplaced he nowadays pejo a i e no ion o “gende no mals”,
commonly used in he social sciences since Ga inkel (1967).
ans masculini ies 335
a e lec ion on how new names o a i ming gende gene a e new opposi ions
and p ocesses o exclusion.
Howe e , wo king wi h g owing axes o opp ession and subal e ni y
challenges us o disman le hie a chies o p i ilege (being non- ans, whi e,
wes e n) ha migh ob usca e he p e alen inequali y be ween he masculine
and he eminine in a ou o o he di e ences ha c ea e new designa ions
o ed essing he adi ional o de o gende . Ye , while he cu en poli ics
o ans-naming is i al (Aboim 2018), he ma e iali y o gende ed inequali y
canno be igno ed and educed o one-dimensional opposi ions. I he angled
web o gende di e si y b ings new challenges o in e p e ing p i ileges
and opp essions ( Connell 1987; Bou dieu 2001), we a gue ha inequali ies
be ween eminine and masculine also ma k he in e nal di isions wi hin he
ans collec i e. Fo ha eason, in his chap e we ocus on he cons uc ion
o masculini y enac ed by ans indi iduals,3 seeking o add ess bo h he
in e nal plu ali y o ans masculini ies and he ways in which such appa en
subal e n o ms o “doing masculini y” (C omwell 1999) migh , e en i
unwillingly, bene i om he p i ilege his o ically associa ed wi h manhood
when compa ed o he mo e e iden exclusion and disc imina ion o ans
eminini ies (Connell 2012).
D awing on ieldwo k wi h ans men in Po ugal and he Uni ed Kingdom,
wo lines o a gumen will be de eloped. Fi s ly, om a heo e ical s andpoin ,
he impo ance o building b idges be ween di e en a eas o c i ical gende
s udies, namely C i ical S udies on Men and Masculini ies (hence o h csmm)
3 The sub-sample analysed in his chap e was d awn om a much la ge empi ical da a-se c ea ed
o e he cou se o he pas h ee yea s, aiming o compa e i e Eu opean coun ies om Sou h o
No h: Po ugal, F ance, he Uni ed Kingdom, he Ne he lands and Sweden. Un il he mid o Augus
2018, nea ly 160 in-dep h in e iews ha e been ca ied ou wi h bo h ans people and heal hca e
p ac i ione s alongside e hnog aphic wo k ( anging om poli ical, medical and ac i is enues o s ee
ans sex wo k), which is ep esen a i e o ye ano he 40 cases. In addi ion, an ex ensi e his o ical
and documen analysis has been done (including all majo legal and social de elopmen s ac oss he
globe, including bo h he cen es in he global no h, such as he usa, and he global sou h) and media
analysis is ongoing a a apid pace, wi h he cons uc ion o a da abase con aining mo e han 8,000 i ems
published be ween 2014 and 2017. These da a-se s enable us o e lec upon gende and ci izenship by
ocusing on ans people (namely, anssexuals, ansgende , c ossd esse s and o he o ms o gende
iden i ica ions) as subjec s whose ecogni ion cons i u es one o he mos challenging bounda ies o
aming con empo a y deba es abou human and gende igh s. I also enables us o cha ac e ise he
ins i u ional appa a uses (whe he legal, medical, poli ical o e en social-scien i ic) ha ame ans
li es. We in e p e ou empi ical da a as a p i ileged locus om which o in es iga e, a la ge, he doings
o gende and gende poli ics.
336 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in
and T ans S udies is ad oca ed. Following Connell’s p oposal (Connell 1987,
1995), i is sugges ed ha ed essing he concep ual p emises o masculini y is
a undamen al s ep o unde s and he plu ali y o ans embodimen s, bodily
ma e iali y and he possibili ies o doing masculini y wi hou men (P osse
1998).
Secondly, om an empi ical angle, such a pe spec i e will enable us o
ackle masculini ies by explo ing ans men’s subjec i i ies and doings o
gende . The s o ies o ans men migh ell us mo e abou wha masculini y(ies)
is(a e). When no na u alised as emana ing om he (p e-exis ing) body,
wha de ines masculini y can become clea e . Howe e , as will be pu o wa d,
masculini y canno be unde s ood wi hou aking in o accoun he ma e iali y
o bodies ega dless o hei di e si y and ans o ma ions. In he end, when
he meanings o masculini y and eminini y a e inc easingly di use and
changeable, he body esis s, in spi e o all changes, as an impo an ocal
poin o gende pe o ma i i y, whe he sel - ecognised o , pe haps also e y
impo an ly, as pe cei ed by o he s. I we li e in a legal and poli ical wo ld
whe e, despi e eg essi e backlashes, he language o sel -de e mina ion and
degende isa ion o he body is becoming una oidable,4 he in e ac ional and
no ma i e o de s o gende esis when bodies and bodily pe o mances a e
displayed unde he public eye and in e p e ed in acco dance wi h his o ically
a ailable ca ego ies. Hence, he ela i e p i ilege awa ded o bodies and
pe o mances ecognised as masculine.
In he sec ion ha ollows, we a gue in a ou o a sociological analysis o ans
masculini ies ha migh b idge he gap be ween ans men and masculini y
s udies. In a second momen , we b ie ly explo e ans men’s li e s o ies and,
while accoun ing o hei empi ical di e si y, bodies and embodimen will be
shown o be o pa amoun impo ance. Bodily capi al (Wacquan 2004, 2005)
eme ged as a (i no he) cen al ea u e o masculini y. Finally, we con end
4 Rega ding gende iden i y laws, we a e, in ac , wi nessing he eme gence o p inciples o sel -
de e mina ion, au onomy and indi idual so e eign y in a numbe o na ional poli ies. O e all, hese
p inciples p oduce he indi idual’s igh o legally de ine hei legal gende iden i y/ca ego y in almos
any ci cums ance, namely wi hou p io medical con ol o in e en ions, and wi hou he need o
judicial au ho isa ion. Such legal and poli ical shi s can be ound, o ins ance, in he gende iden i y
laws o A gen ina (2012), Denma k (2014), I eland (2015), Mal a (2015), Colombia (2015), No way
(2016), Boli ia (2016), Ecuado (2016) and Belgium (2017). In Po ugal, he Assembly o he Republic
pu o wa d a new gende iden i y law along p inciples o sel -de e mina ion. The law (Lei n.º 38/2018)
has been in e ec since Augus 7 h 2018, a e i was p omulga ed by he P esiden o he Republic. Fo
an analysis o hese ins i u ional changes, see Vasconcelos, 2018 ( o hcoming).
ans masculini ies 337
ha unde he name T ans, p ocesses o inclusion and exclusion a e aking
place, while o e ing a p i ileged lens o unde s and – om ma gins o cen e
– he wo kings o gende as a p e ailing powe mechanism o bina isa ion
– o go e nance – o di e si y, in which he gende ed body is cen e-s age
(Foucaul 1979).
ans masculini ies and masculini y s udies:
b idging he gap
C i ical S udies abou Men and Masculini ies (csmm) ha e o en been pe cei ed
as mainly ocusing on s aigh cisgende masculini ies, lea ing aside he
masculini ies o ans men (G een 2005). This is an excessi e c i icism inso a
as he e ono ma i i y has been ha shly iewed as a disc imina o y p inciple.
Gay men ha e been unde sc u iny, wi h many con ibu ions explo ing o ms
o masculini y o he han he hegemonic (Connell 1995; Donaldson 1993;
Whi ehead 2002). Howe e , i is ue ha anssexual and ansgende men
ha e been gi en less a en ion. On he one hand, ans men ha e been seen
as loca ed in a “no man’s land”: hey seem nei he ele an o ansg essing
he bounda ies o male p i ilege, hus no con ibu ing o changing he o de
o masculine domina ion, no impo an o assess he appings o ha same
male p i ilege.
On he o he hand, ans men ha e also ecei ed less a en ion om ans-
s udies (Hausman 2001), when compa ed o hei emale coun e pa s. I is
as i ans men ha e jus been seen as wan ing o “pass” and, o ha eason,
ha e been unno iced. In addi ion, when he in e es alls on he emancipa o y
po en ial o ansg ession as common in quee o ien ed s udies, ans men
can be easily pu aside inso a as hey bea he bu den o ep oducing male
p i ilege and e en hegemonic masculini y. Fo many eminis s ands, hey a e
be aye s o he cause. A e all, hey became men. Fo o he key de elopmen s
in lgb q+ schola ship, he ensions be ween he pe cei ed sub e si e po en ial
o lesbians – and pa icula ly bu ch lesbians – and he alleged con o mi y o
ans masculini ies ha e con ibu ed o main aining ans men a he ma gins
o he ields o gende and sexuali y (Beasley 2005).
I is ou con en ion ha heo e ical connec ions be ween di e en a eas o
gende c i ical s udies should be os e ed, no only as o a oid he ghe oisa ion
and closu e o pe spec i es bu also because objec s pe aining o pa icula
338 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in
ields o sub- ields migh in o m de elopmen s in neighbou ing a eas o
esea ch. In his sense, hough he e a e al eady a numbe o s udies abou ans
men (G een 2005), no many ha e discussed he p oblem o masculini ies as
cons uc ed by csmm. We know ha ans men’s masculini ies may be seen
as con ingen ( Blackwood 2009), de ensi e o cons ained (Abelson 2014),
hype -masculine, women-ha ing and aspi ing o he pa ia chal hegemonic
pa e n (qui e e iden in ans exclusiona y eminis s; see Raymond 1979; and
Je eys 2014) o , con e sely, eminis (Hines 2002). Howe e , ega dless o
all he plu ali y o masculini ies enac ed by ans men (and non- ans men),
which has been po ayed in he s udies o De o (1997), Rubin (2003), Vidal-
O iz (2002) o G een (2005), among o he s (Aboim 2016), he e is s ill a
gap o be b idged. The concep ual connec ions be ween csmm and s udies o
ans men ha e ye o come o age. One example o such ui ul linkages has
been he impo ance o Halbe s am’s wo k on Female Masculini ies (1998) o
ed essing deba es a ound wha men and masculini y eally a e. In pa icula ,
Connell’s (1995) heo e ical edi ice has su e ed om c i icisms ha poin
ou , ollowing Halbe s am, he p oblems o igidly equa ing masculini y wi h
men’s p ac ices o e en jus men hemsel es.
I is possible o a gue ha by ocusing on men a he han masculini ies,
we could pe haps mo e easily a oid he ap o ei ica ion, in o which
we can easily all whene e we couple gene al p inciples o powe wi h
pa icula g oupings o men. On he o he hand, we could also be a isk
o igno ing he plu ali y o men and masculini ies, a plu ali y ha makes i
di icul o ope a e ei he wi h he no ion o masculini ies o he ca ego y
o men. Howe e , e en i masculini ies may be di e se and one single
dominan o m o masculini y is di icul o imagine (Je e son, 2002), men
emain a he cen e o powe . B i an, who has app oached masculini y
om a pos s uc u alis s andpoin , also makes an in e es ing poin when
conside ing his ques ion (B i an 1989, 2): “While i is appa en ha s yles
o masculini y al e in ela i ely sho ime-spans, he subs ance o male
powe does no ”, he s a es.
An addi ional di icul y he e o e eme ges whene e we aim o ace he
main ai s o masculini y, wi hou eally disposing o a concep ual appa a us
ha allows hem o be iden i ied in di e en con ex s and his o ical se ings.
How should we look a he mul iplici y o men and masculini ies? Should we
iden i y di e en g oups a p io i, only hen o cha ac e ise hei p ac ices,
which may in he end esul in an a ay o subca ego ies o a majo g oup,
ans masculini ies 339
o should we ollow he e e se pa hway? This is a di icul ques ion, bu i s
in icacy mus no p e en us om asking i . In a way, Connell does no p esen
us wi h a solu ion, and ends o juggle be ween a p ac ice-based app oach
and ce ain a p io i de ini ions o g oupings, a p oblem ha she ecognises in
he a icle co-au ho ed wi h Messe schmid in 2005 (see also Messe schmid
2015).
In a way, masculini ies may be mo e plu al han men, bu he in e se
can also be ue (Hea n 2004). The complex ela ionship be ween men and
masculini ies has se ed as he backd op o a wide ange o c i icism o he
no ion o masculini y i sel , based on he common acknowledgemen ha he
li es o “ eal men” would ha e di icul y i ing in o he model o a hegemonic
masculini y. In acco dance wi h he iew o masculini y as p ac ice, all o ms
o p ac ice a e cons i u i e o masculini y and i is h ough p ac ice, om daily
in e ac ion o ins i u ional amewo ks, ha masculini y comes o o ganise
social li e, upholding a pa ia chal gende o de . F om his pe spec i e,
masculini y could ce ainly be de ined as simul aneously p ac ice, place and
e ec (Connell 1995). Indi iduals embody masculini y om a pa icula
place, enac masculini y as i is embodied and li e wi h he e ec s o he
masculini y hey con ibu e o ep oducing and shaping a he in e ac ional
and s uc u al le els o socie y. Howe e , as p oposed, he in e se connec ion
can also be o analy ical in e es and pe haps mo e heu is ic when i comes o
a oiding alling in o he ap o loca ions as he igge s o all p ac ice. We can,
p o isionally, see loca ion as he inal des ina ion – o a jou ney as in he case
o ans men – and no necessa ily as he beginning.
Howe e , e en i we a gue in a ou o making he connec ions be ween
“place” and “p ac ice” mo e lexible, o e en in e ing hem, i is s ill
heo e ically use ul o wo k wi h he dis inc ion be ween masculini y and men.
I is ue ha masculini y is wha men do, in he sense Wes and Zimme man
(1987) ga e o he no ion o “doing gende ” in and h ough in e ac ion.
Ne e heless, by holding o such a de ini ion we may end up wi h he simple
ac ha masculini y and men (and eminini y and women, o ha ma e )
o e lap, wi h wo p obable and opposi e au ological ou comes: a si ua ion o
en enchmen in o ca ego ical (and po en ially essen ialis ) de ini ions o men
o , on he o he hand, he dilu ion o he ca ego y o men.
The o me assump ion may gene a e ei ica ion and educ ionism and lead
us o see black men as pe o ming black masculini y, gay men as enac o s o
gay masculini y, whi e men as bea e s o he dominan whi e masculini y, and
340 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in
so on. In his espec , he wo k o Judi h/Jack Halbe s am, Female Masculini y
(1998), b oke new g ound and p esen ed a challenging and compelling hesis
ha dissocia es men om masculini y, while also omen ing he links be ween
eminism and quee heo y. Ra he han assuming ha whi e masculini y is
ounda ional, Halbe s am pu s o wa d he signi ican p oposi ion ha i is
possible o s udy masculini y wi hou men. In ac , Halbe s am concludes,
masculini y is mos complica ed and ansg essi e when i is no ied o he
male body, especially he s aigh , whi e male body. Bea ing in mind he will
“ o make my own emale masculini y plausible, c edible, and eal” (1998,
xi), Halbe s am a gues ha emale masculini y – ha she ound among a
a ie y o women om bu ch lesbians and omboys o he d ag kings she
s udied e hnog aphically – is no me ely a pe e se supplemen o dominan
con igu a ions o gende . Ra he , masculini y i sel canno be ully unde s ood
unless emale masculini y is aken in o accoun . Likewise, Connell and
Messe schmid (2005) also ecognise ha p o essional “bou geois women”
a e nowadays app op ia ing masculini y.
In his line o easoning, masculini y and men become di e en hings,
which is a compelling hesis. Masculini y is no , a e all, wha men do. Ins ead,
no ms and ideologies become mo e impo an , an idea which ul ima ely
i s he G amscian no ion o hegemony (G amsci 1979 [1947]) om which
Connell d ew he heo isa ion. Once again, howe e , we encoun e he same
p oblem. Wha ideologies a e dominan in a gi en con ex and how a e hey
ela ed o and c ea ed by men’s p ac ices?
An answe o his ques ion can be ound in pos s uc u alis app oaches
o masculini y, whe e discou ses a e powe and he emphasis is placed upon
he complexi y and plas ici y o masculini ies, when de ined as discu si e
p ac ices (We he ell and Edley 1999). Following Foucaul , he embodying
subjec , as he cen e o p oduc i e powe , now becomes he key p oblem
and objec o heo isa ion. The main conce n is placed on he plu ali y o
meanings associa ed wi h he masculini y ha men can manage, enac and
assemble acco ding o hei in e ac ional needs. Men canno be con la ed wi h
masculini y inso a as he e is no essen ial subjec (Je e son 2002; We he ell
and Edley 1999).
Deba ing such cen al p oblems and ope a ing wi h such a pe spec i e
will enable us o ackle he de ini ion o masculini y. By explo ing ans men’s
subjec i i ies and doings o gende , hei ansi ion s o ies, we migh be able
o b ing a deg ee o cla i y o Connell’s canonical de ini ion o masculini y as
ans masculini ies 341
“simul aneously a place in gende ela ions, he p ac ices h ough which men
and women engage ha place in gende , and he e ec s o hese p ac ices in
bodily expe ience, pe sonali y and cul u e” (Connell 1995, 71).
doing esea ch wi h ans people
Ou analysis builds upon he concep ual pe plexi ies aised by he li e
s o ies and ansi ional jou neys o ans men and indi iduals pe o ming
masculini y. In-dep h in e iews we e ca ied ou wi h a a ie y o ans men
and masculine de ined indi iduals along he spec um o ans masculini ies
in Po ugal and he Uni ed Kingdom.5 Some pa icipan s, especially in
Po ugal, sel -de ined as anssexual, while ansgende is a mo e common
e m in he Uni ed Kingdom. O he s, howe e , ha e also explici ly de ined
hemsel es as ansgende , gende quee , non-bina y F M, gende luid o
and ogynous, among o he designa ions. Only a ely was a single de ini ion
enough o accoun o gende iden i y ac oss hei li e cou ses. Fo ins ance,
ca ego ies such as c oss-d esse o lesbian we e o en associa ed wi h o me
li e s ages.
In bo h coun ies, ou samples can be seen as o con enience (Gi en
2008) as hey we e cons uc ed wi h he aim o showcasing he di e si y o
ajec o ies and modes o sel -de ini ion ga he ed benea h he ans masculine
umb ella. Howe e , e en i we canno claim o know all p ocesses o becoming
ans masculine, we conside , no wi hs anding, ha we we e able o achie e
ou ini ial pu pose and, e en, a conside able sa u a ion o he mos common
p ocesses. Ou assump ion is suppo ed by he compa ison wi h o me
s udies in he ield.
Pa icipan s we e ec ui ed by a ious means (pe sonal con ac s,
pa icipa ion in e en s, ne wo ks associa ed wi h ans igh s o ganisa ions)
and a snowball me hod was used. E hical app o al had been p e iously
g an ed by he Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais, Uni e sidade de Lisboa and he
Eu opean Resea ch Council Execu i e Agency. Clea ance was also gi en by
he Po uguese Na ional Commission o Da a P o ec ion. All pa icipan s
we e p o ided wi h de ailed in o ma ion abou he aims and p ocedu es o
5 Fo a compa a i e o e iew o legal amewo ks and ans ac i ism in Po ugal and he Uni ed
Kingdom, see San os and Hines (2017).
348 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in
gende iden i y and ies o jus i y his choices as non-con en ional in e ms o
gende . Fo him, masculini y is li ed a a om any hegemonic conno a ion,
as he emphasises.
In e es ingly hough, he seems qui e awa e o he ecen p i ileges o
masculini y and does no e use hem. Being seen as a man is be e , he says.
Diniz e lexi ely s a es he s uc u al gains o being a man as deeply oo ed in
he me e ac o looking like one. Once again, and con a y o i s imp essions,
he body gains ascendancy.
In he same ein, Ash (34, B i ish, Mas e ’s deg ee, sel -employed) conside s
ha his de ini ion as “mo e owa ds he male end o he spec um (…) la gely
s ems om a physical hing o me mo e han any hing else”. Howe e , e en
i he clea ly s a es ha he does no “and ne e will iden i y as ully male”, he
me e possibili y o being pe cei ed as emale is e y uncom o able o him.
Abo e all, ejec ing eminini y, Ash hinks o his body as a mix, which mi o s
his sel -de ined gende iden i y as non-bina y – a e m he has come o use in
he las i e yea s.
The changes in Ash’s sel -designa ion e lec s he de elopmen s in e minology
wi hin he T ans communi y. An ac i is himsel , Ash wan s o aise awa eness
among he gene al popula ion ega ding ans’ claims and issues. Namely, he
need o con es “ adi ional” medical na a i es abou ans people as well as he
opp ession ha a ec s he ans popula ion. He sees hese public media ions as
ways o coun e ing he endency o dis ega d some ans’ iden i ies o e o he s
as no mally endo sed by he media and e en some ans people o g oups.
Fo him, he dec eased isibili y o non-bina y people s ems om a s ong
media ised ocus on physical ansi ions ha omi s he social, philosophical and
psychological ansi ions, conside ed by Ash o be mo e di icul .
Fo Ash, his iden i y is no pe manen . On he con a y, i luc ua ed and
luc ua es s ill wi hin he “ ealm o he masculine”. He sees his u u e as open
bu , despi e all doub s, does no ehemen ly ejec he “ ou e o su ge y”. Ash
hinks he will, mos likely, no need geni al su ge y as ho mones and ches
su ge y we e jus enough o make him happie . The eeling o bodily disc epancy
was o e a e s a ing ho mones, and now his body is “jus unc ional o
wha I wan i o be unc ional o , i does i s job and i eels ine.” Ash belie es
he was con iden enough o deal wi h doc o s and use he sys em o his own
bene i . O he han wi h he endoc inologis , Ash did no eel p essu e o
decide on geni al su ge y o pe o m his gende in a mo e masculine manne .
Ye , he was ini ially denied ches su ge y, go wo appoin men s cancelled
ans masculini ies 349
and had o “ igh ” o be included in he sys em. Despi e his s uggles wi h he
es ablishmen , he na a es he whole p ocess as ela i ely “simple” and sees
he access o medical in e en ion as jus a way “ o change he physical side o
hings ha I needed o change”.
Bo h Ash and Diniz a e mos o en seen as masculine, as men. In spi e
o he e usal o he sys em, hei ans o med bodies, lea ing aside all
aspi a ions and ambi alences, gene a ed a new gende loca ion. And wi h he
new loca ion in he “land o masculini y” came a deg ee o p i ilege, e en i
unwan ed. Recogni ion is, in ac (F ase and Honne h 2003), a undamen al
momen ha canno be dialec ically sepa a ed om body ma e iali y and he
his o y o gende as a bina y sys em o di e ence.
No can i be disassocia ed om ce ain o ms o p i ilege ha mould he
p esen day dynamics o inclusion o exclusion. A key example ha mus be
aken in o conside a ion conce ns iolence. T ansgende people expe ience
mul iple o ms o iolence (Valen ine 2007). Howe e , ans men’s and ans
women’s expe iences di e signi ican ly. A he in e sec ion o gende , ace,
e hnici y, na ionali y o class, he iolence agains anssexual, ansgende and
o he gende non-con o ming indi iduals is s iking, wi h he acknowledged
a es o homicide ising isibly. Acco ding o he T ans Mu de Moni o ing
p ojec conduc ed by T ansgende Eu ope ( geu), since 2008, nea ly 2,000
ans people ha e been epo ed killed. These o icial numbe s co e 64
coun ies and a ec mainly ans women – 99 pe cen o he epo ed ic ims –
and sex wo ke s – 65 pe cen ( geu 2015). This wo ldwide pa e n is a om
andom and a ge s he mos ulne able segmen s o he ans popula ion,
coupling ansphophia wi h he pa icula iolence o emmephobia.
Mo ing om he mac oscopic o he mic oscopic angle, he awa eness o
he p i ileges o masculini y, whe he wan ed o unwan ed, a e qui e p esen
in he discou se o ans men, e en when hey pe o m a non-bina y o m
o masculini y a a dis ance om hegemonic gende no ma i i y and e en
ca ego ies.
Diniz clea ly s a es how being seen as a man gene a ed a compe i i e
ad an age in he labou ma ke :
Some imes I apply o jobs, and I was looking o a job be o e changing my name. I ha e
a LinkedIn p o ile, and he only hing I did was o change my name, my gende … I didn’
e en change my pic u e, i ’s e y and ogynous. And I no iced ha i be o e I had only
ecei ed one o e a e a yea and a hal , om he momen I changed my name and my
350 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in
gende , in a mon h I ecei ed wo job o e s. I was hinking: Wow, his is… I ’s sad, e y
sad, because I’m he same pe son wi h he same quali ica ions. Bu now ha I’ e changed
my gende and name, employe s come looking o me… [Laughs]
conclusion
In spi e o hei signi ican di e ences, all hese ans men/masculine indi iduals
sha e one common ea u e, e en i in di e en o ms and deg ees: he desi e o
a male bodily appea ance. E en i a penis is no always necessa y, a masculine
appea ance is key o mos o hem. Almos all pa icipan s we e unde
ho monal ea men and he majo i y had also unde gone mas ec omies, which
a e na a ed as a sou ce o joy and accomplishmen . I no all, mos desi e a
deg ee o maleness, which o en leads o being pe cei ed as a man, e en i he e
is no speci ic s yle o ype o masculini y ha o e all p e ails. Nei he he macho
no he gende quee image ies a e dominan , hough a ques o “ ecogni ion”
is o en men ioned, pa icula ly when he opic is social in e ac ion.
In e es ingly hough, he “ ecogni ion” o masculini y is no necessa ily he
same hing o any o hem. In o he wo ds, while masculini y as ideology can
ha e qui e di e en meanings, being/becoming iewed as a man o as masculine
ends up being de ined h ough he ma e iali y o he body, whe he his was he
plan o no . In sum, i masculini y encompasses a wide numbe o de ini ions,
maleness ( ha is, bodily masculini y as “ lesh”) seems qui e monoli hic. S yles
and clo hes a y, bu wha is benea h seems o need mo e s abili y as a key
capi al o masculini y. Howe e , i masculini y can exis wi hou s e eo ypical
ull bodily maleness, a ce ain deg ee o maleness seems o be a condi ion
o masculini y o subsis and sedimen o e ime. The e o e, pe cep ions o
di e ence and o gende bina ies appea much mo e ied o no ions o bodily
maleness han o masculini y. While ha bodily maleness seems qui e clea -
cu , masculini y (as eminini y) is qui e uzzy and ha d o de ine.
Maybe he linkages be ween loca ion, p ac ice and e ec s as pu o wa d by
Connell a e imp ecise and o e ly con la ed, a leas o analy ical pu poses. In
he case o ans men, we con end, he e migh be a concep ual in e sion o his
scheme, wi h bodies being mo e han an e ec bu a he a i al cons i uen
o he loca ion and, h ough embodimen , he co e o all gende p axis, ha is
o say, p ac ices can build up he loca ion, including, in he case o ans men,
he bodily loca ion. Ou pe spec i e does no all in o a ci a ional e sion o
ans masculini ies 351
masculini y inasmuch as ma e iali y as phenomenology is e e -p esen . Doing
masculini y canno be educed o a ex , a eci a ion, o e en o pe o ma i e
exagge a ion as a gued in some e sions o quee con ibu ions (G een 2007).
I is a he ha , and playing wi h Judi h Bu le ’s (1993) amous i le, bodies
ma e . No only because hey a e can as whe e s o ies a e w i en and ead,
bu also because hey ha e a ma e ial eali y, a shape de ining sel -pe cep ion
and he pe cep ion o o he s.
Doing masculini y can ake a ied o ms, bu wha e e i s “doings”, i is
h ough bodies ha i gains a palpable o m and becomes mo e han a me e
disembodied discou se. De idian ci a ional i e abili y (De ida 1988), which
Bu le (2004) akes as key o he pe o ma i i y heo y, canno hen be e ec i e
i we dismiss all he ma e ial dimensions o he body, wi hou ob iously alling
in o any o m o essen ialism o dismissing Connell’s con ibu ions. A e all,
bodies a e pa amoun and ul ima e capi als o masculini y because hey a e
in e p e ed h ough he his o ical and cul u al lens o he gende o de . No
because hei alue exis s pe se.
Howe e , wi hou bodily masculini ies, he doings o masculini y all sho
and end o li e hea ically, i e e , ou side he appa en (bu s ill po en ially
sub e si e) no mali y o e e yday li e. Also in line wi h Bou dieu’s iews, he e
is no gende wi hou loca ions, composing a ield and ma ke o s uggles, o a
gende o de . None heless, when a body – o e en jus a hexis – is ans o med,
he e is a change in i s loca ion. I is his nuanced e sion o gende , and
pa icula ly o masculini y, ha can be u he ed by b inging ans men o he
on line o he analysis. In a way, we can a gue ha , concep ually, masculini y
may p ecede men – being o becoming a man – bu wi hou men masculini y
loses i s bea ings. I becomes no mo e han a masque ade; ansg essi e i
may be (o no ). T ans men hen a e men only o he ex en ha hey a e
bodily pe cei ed as men, na iga ing along hei jou neys be ween a ailable
ca ego ies and sys ems o ca ego isa ion. None heless, as e iden om he
analysed cases, bodies do ma e in a e y ma e ial sense. In sum, nei he
Connell no Halbe s am a e qui e igh . In he o me ’s case, we canno say
ha men ( he loca ion) always p ecede masculini y. Masculini y makes he
man. In he la e case, we can nei he ag ee ha emale masculini ies can be
he equi alen o male masculini ies.
Ce ainly, when no na u alised as emana ing om he male body, wha
de ines masculini y can become clea e . Howe e , as pu o wa d, masculini y
canno be unde s ood wi hou aking in o accoun he ma e iali y o bodies
352 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in
ega dless o hei di e si y and ans o ma ions. In he end, when he meanings
o masculini y and eminini y a e inc easingly di use and changeable, he body
esis s as he ocal poin o gende pe o ma i i y, whe he sel - ecognised o
pe cei ed by o he s.
Indeed, ou esea ch wi h ans men and ans masculine indi iduals
in Po ugal and he Uni ed Kingdom has shown ha hose pe o ming
masculini y (whe he hey sel -de ine as men, F M anssexuals, non-bina y
masculinised indi iduals o o he ) gained some ad an ages. The di idends
ha came wi h he ac o being pe cei ed by o he s as men a e acknowledged,
e en i hey a e unwan ed o iewed wi h c i icism (Schil , 2010). Tha is no
he case o ans women, ega dless o hei g ea e isibili y in public spaces
and he media. Gende ma e s, a e all.
acknowledgemen s
This chap e d aws on da a collec ed du ing he Eu opean Resea ch Council unded
p ojec ans igh s: Gende ci izenship and sexual igh s in Eu ope: T ansgende li es in
ansna ional pe spec i e ( ans igh seu ope.wo dp ess.com/). The p ojec e lec s only he
iews o he au ho s, and he Eu opean Union canno be held esponsible o any use which
may be made o he in o ma ion con ained he ein. The esea ch leading o hese esul s has
ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Resea ch Council unde he Eu opean Union’s Se en h
F amewo k P og amme ( p7/2007-2013)/e c g an ag eemen n.° 615594.
____________________________________
so ia aboim
Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais, Uni e sidade de Lisboa
A . P o . Aníbal Be encou 9 — 1600-036 Lisboa, Po ugal
[email p o ec ed]
o cid.o g/0000-0002-6605-8614
____________________________________
ped o asconcelos
isc e-iul, Ins i u o Uni e si á io de Lisboa
Ped o.V[email p o ec ed]
o cid.o g/0000-0002-1806-1843
____________________________________
sa a me lini
Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais, Uni e sidade de Lisboa
me lini.sa [email protected]
o cid.o g/0000-0001-7729-1908
____________________________________
ans masculini ies 353
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