Type of Work
Research Paper
Publication Date
8-2023
Description
Following Spain’s inclusion of the new Trans Law into national law in March of 2023, feminist discourse online has split between trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) and transfeminists. Transfeminist involves the combination of feminist and trans activism in order to support both movements, while biologism, the lens used by TERFs, states that trans women cannot be real women, and thus cannot be part of the feminist movement, because of their biological differences from cis women. Due to the emergence of TERF critiques of the Trans Law, activists have been turning to transfeminism to defend the new law. Three activists in particular, Angela Ponce, Penélope Guerrero, and Elizabeth Duval, have shown transfeminist activism on Instagram. This paper examines the Instagram profiles of these three trans activists and ultimately concludes that the activists achieve, challenge, or move beyond traditional notions of femininity to confront biologism.
Hamilton Areas of Study
Hispanic Studies
Hamilton Sponsoring Organization
Levitt Public Affairs Center
Hamilton Scholarship Series
Levitt Summer Research Group
Hamilton Faculty Advisor
Marcelo Carosi