How to Be a Woman

Light Work by Dear Patriarchy

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Welcome to Episode 15 of Series 2 where we dive into what it means to be a woman. We talk about why the patriarchal ideas of femininity are both inaccurate and exclusionary, how gender non-conformity is both normal and ancient across global communities and discuss the fundamental misogyny of Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminism/Feminists (TERFs). We break down the danger posed to the transgender community by "biology" based anti-trans rhetoric and speak about why thinking of gender on scales instead of a spectrum is more accurate for some. We close out the episode with our core principles: If you identify as a woman, you are one; we will endeavour in every way to create as inclusive a space as possible; we will get things wrong sometimes and though you don't owe us an education, we hugely appreciate when you share your lived experience with us so we can learn from you.
- Find PBS' map of Gender Diverse Cultures here.
- Suzannah Weiss' February 2018 article for Teen Vogue entitled "9 Things People Get Wrong About Being Non-Binary" has been a valuable educational resource for us, we hope you'll read and share it.
- Sam Killerman's piece entitled "Why Think of Gender on Scales Instead of a Spectrum?" has helped us conceptualise gender differently and, we hope, more accurately.
- We used Katelyn Burn's September 2019 article for Vox entitled "TERFs: The Rise of Anti-Trans “Radical” Feminists, Explained" during our discussion about Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists/Feminism, the story of Aimee Stephens' and Ann Hopkins' ground-breaking Supreme Court cases.
- Please check out our "Feminism 101" suggested reading list here if you're at a loose end for a great read from an Feminist author.
- Find out more about the amazing artists, Nubefy, behind the graphics we use (though not on this episode) here