Ka t ri n a Ro en

"Either/Or" and "Both/Neither": Discursive Tensions in

Transgender Politics

Whenwe walkintoa restaurant

andwe seeanother transsexualperson,we
looktheotherway,we pretendwe don'texist.There'sno slysmile,no
Notyet.Westillquakeinsolitude
wink,signal,orhandshake.
secret atthe
evenifthatsolitude
ofrecognition,
prospect is inthecompany ofour
ownkind.
-Bornstein1995,60

Stayinginthecloset,whetherit'sa lavendar closetora

closetora leather
gender closet,
just work.
doesn't Our enemies ferret
us out.Theywon't
allowus to remain hidden.Wehavea choicebetween becoming more
and
public fighting forourrightto or
exist, beingmarginalised we are
until
deadorinvisible.
-Califia1996,28

ostmode.m articulations of the question,to pass or not to pass, are

centralto currenttransgender/transsexual dialogues. Accordingto
some transgenderists, passing as the "other sex" is the ultimatesell-
out. Here, passing is portrayedas complicitwith normativegendering
and thereforeas contraryto thegender-transgressive ethicof transgender
politics.
In previouswork(Roen 1998, 2001), I havedescribedtransgenderism
as seekingto challengevariousaspectsof the psychomedical construction
of "genderidentity"and of transsexuality.Here, transgenderism may be
understoodas referring to a politicalpositioningthatdrawsfrompost-
modernnotionsof fluidity(forboth bodies and genders).Transsexuality
maybe understood,in moremodernist terms,as a (psychiatrically
defined)
stateof beingthatassumesthe preexistence of two sexesbetweenwhich

I wouldparticularly
liketo thankNickyGreenandKarenNairnfortheirsupport and
careful
readingofmywork.I wouldalsoliketo acknowledge
SabrinaMazzoniforherunfail-
ingsupport ofmywork;theUniversity ofCanterbury
feministstudiesdepartmentwhere
thisresearchtookplace;andmydoctoralsupervisors,
VictoriaGraceand Rosemary Du-
Mostofall,thanks
Plessis. tothosetranspeople
whohavemademyresearch possible
through
ininterviews.
theirparticipation

ofWomen
Journal
[Signs: inCulture
andSociety2001,vol.27,no.2]
? 2001 byTheUniversity
ofChicago.Allrights
reserved.
0097-9740/2002/2702-0007$10.00

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 502 I Roen

one maytransition.'In thisarticle,I contrasttheradicalpoliticsof gender

transgression and liberaltranssexual politics.AlthoughI am settingup the
debatein thisway,I do notwantsimplyto construct two discretepolitical
approaches taken up by two discretegroups people. As thisdiscussion
of
unfolds,the relationshipbetweentheseseeminglyopposing positionsis
complicatedand elaborated.
Contemporary transgender politicsare informedby postmoderncon-
of
ceptions subjectivity, queerunderstandings ofsexuality and gender,radi-
cal politicsof transgression, and thepoststructuralist deconstruction of bi-
naries(such as man/womanand mind/body)(Stryker1998). According
to thesepolitics,passing(as describedbyBornsteinin theepigraphabove)
maymean fallingpreyto the forcesof "genderoppression"(MacKenzie
1994). Consequently,subversivecrossing,public and politicallystrategic
transgendering, is seen as one step on the road towardgendertransgres-
sion,gendertranscendence, and (ultimately) riddingtheworldof"gender
oppression"(Bornstein1995). For some, thisnecessarily entailsthe dis-
ruption and eventualabandonment of categories such as "woman" "man,
and "transsexual."
Bycontrast, a moreliberaltranssexual politicsmaynotstrikeat theroots
of psychomedical constructions of transsexuality,or "genderidentity," but
is moreconcernedwiththehumanrightsof thepersonwho "is transsex-
ual."2Here, theperson'sidentity does not come intoquestionin thesame
but
way, his/her legalrights rightsto accessmedicalservicesarecentral
and
issues.This is a curiousbrandof identitypoliticswherethepurposeis to
obscurethe questionof identity. One does not proclaimoneselfproudly
as a lifelong"transsexual." One moves into progressively less threatening
identity statessuch as "formerly transsexual" and, ultimately, "woman"or
"man."Here, it is assumedthatthe transsexual personwill want to seek
sex reassignment surgery, that s/he willwant to pass fulltimeas a woman
or as a man,and thats/hedeservesthelegalrights(suchas accessto identi-
ficationpapersand marriagelicenses)of anyotherwomanor man.
These two politicalpositioningsare not mutuallyexclusive,and both
relyat timeson humanrightsdiscourses.Anyone personmayadhereto
aspectsof each lineof argumentsimultaneously. Both seekgreatersocietal
acceptance legalrights transpeople.However,theformerseeksac-
and for

The Diagnosticand StatisticalManual forMental Disorders as

has definedtranssexuality,
genderidentitydisorder,in psychiatric termssince 1980 (AmericanPsychiatric Association
1980).
e.g., a case thatcame beforethe European Court of Justice,P v. S and Cornwall
2 See,

CountyCouncil,C-13/94ECR (1996). For a criticalanalysisof thiscase,see Beger2000.

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 1 503

ceptanceforgendertransition and genderambiguity, whilethelatterseeks

acceptance for the of
practice living as "theothersex." The formerseeksto
destabilizeand expandthecategories"woman" "transsexual"and "man"
whilethelatterseekswaysfor"transsexuals" to be acceptedas women and
as men.
In thecourseof thisarticle,I drawfromempiricalresearchon transsex-
uality/transgenderismthatinvolvedinterviewswith self-identified trans-
people in Aotearoa/NewZealand.This articlehas emergedout ofmyanal-
ysis of interviewtranscripts and transgenderpublications.All research
participants'names are pseudonymsthatwerechoseneitherby the inter-
vieweeor by the researcher at the timeof the interview. Pseudonymsare
genderedin sucha waythat,generally, male-to-female (MTF) researchpar-
ticipantshave "women's" names and female-to-male (FTM) researchparti-
cipants have "men's"names.3

Politicalhierarchy
The two strandsof transgender politicsthatare the focusof thisarticle
to
appear participate in theconstruction of a politicalhierarchy-a hierar-
chy whose messageinfiltrates transgender(and queer) theorizing.That
messageeffectively statesthat crossingis moretrendy, moreradical,more
exciting,and more politicallyworthy of merit than passing.The political
stancethatprivilegescrossingoverpassinghas been describedas problem-
aticfroma feminist perspective(Martin1994) and is inevitably problem-
aticfromthepointsof view of themanytranspeoplewhose livesdepend
on theirskillat passing.Such a politicalstanceis in evidencewhen trans-
people who live theirlivesas men and women are encouragedto "come
out of the closet,"to stop hidingtheir(trans)gendered past, and to live
as
openly transpeople(Bornstein1995). Around thispoliticizedposition
has growna bodyof academicwork,whichI referto as transgender theo-
rizing,at leastsome ofwhichdeployspostmoder critiquesof genderand
embodimentto develop a theoreticalbasis that reinforcesthe political
hierarchy.4
For the purpose of this article,I draw fromtransgendertextsand

3 This allocationof
pseudonymsdoes not reflect thelivedgenderof the researchpartici-
pant in all cases but providesa genderedreference point withwhichresearchparticipants
were comfortableat the time of interviewing. Only one of the researchparticipants
who
featurein thisarticleidentified as both/neither,
specifically and a nongenderedpseudonymis
used forthisperson.
4
See, e.g., Stone 1991; Halberstam1994; Stryker 1994; and Prosser1998.

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 504 I Roen

transcripts of interviewswith self-identified transgender and transsexual

to an
people present analysis of how the specific discursivepositioningsof
interestare takenup. Partof thisanalysisinvolvessignalingthe risksthat
maybe involvedin eitherpositioning.Passingas a woman or a man may
pose a riskto one's emotionalwell-being,forcingone to hide significant
partsof one's lifehistoryfromothersand leadingto a potentially lonely
and isolatingsecrecy. Passingas a womanor a man mayalso pose a riskto
othertranspeople,maintainingthemin isolationand failingto provide
supportivemodelsor networksforfuturegenerations. On theotherhand,
coming out as a transperson presents a riskto employment stability,
per-
sonalsafety, and possiblyfamilyrelations, becauseofthewidespreadpreju-
dice and substantial transphobiathat"out" transpeopleface.One riskthat
inheresin thesepositions(passingor comingout), given the way they
operateas markersforexclusion,is thattranspeoplein generalbecome
painfully divided,and somefeelostracizedevenwithintranscommunities.
Whilerecentacademicand politicalarticulations of transgenderism privi-
lege crossing over passing, it is not uncommon for transcommunities to
operate with the oppositehierarchy, valuingpassing and ostracizing those
transpeoplewho do not seemto workhardenoughat passing.
In the course of my interviewswith transpeople,it became apparent
that some viewed theirtransgendering processnot only as a transition
fromone genderedexpressionto anotherbutas a transition fromone level
ofpoliticalconsciousnessto another.Researchparticipants who politicized
theirtransgendered identitiessaid thattheyused to prioritizepassingbut
they have now moved on to anotherstage of politicalawarenesswhere
passing is not so important.They effectively accusedthosewho wish to
of
pass false consciousness. They implied that thereare gender"stages"
that,in a modernist sense,areprogressive and linear.However,whilesome
transpeople devalue passing, others hold passingin veryhighesteem.For
to
them,striving pass as a woman or a man is paramount.When thisoc-
curs,anotherkind of exclusioncomes into play,affecting the abilityof
transpeople to support one another in their local communities. Two re-
searchparticipants illustratehow problemsarose in transsexualsupport
groupstheyattended,each of themtellinga similarstoryfroma quite
different perspective.
One MTF interviewee,Tania, suggested that transsexualsupport
groups "don't work because you feed into one another'spsychosis,and
you just mind-fuck one another."She recountedherexperienceof a sup-
portgroupmeetingwhere"one oftheguys... one ofthe'girls'[laughter]
was reallyugly."Tania acknowledgedthatthis"sounds reallycruel,"but

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 1 505

she justifiedthecommentby describingtheeffect it seemsto haveon the

group as a whole and the way that it undermines other groupparticipants'
attemptsto do femininity "successfully." She elaborated,saying,"When
you'resittingin a room fullof people in dresseswho are tryingto look
stunning-tryingto look nice- and there'sthisbonypersonsittingthere
witha baldinghead . .. you kindof think'My God, whatareyou doing?'
[laughter]'Wanna takeyou out and shoot you!' [laughter]because you
know amongstyourselvesthatyou are tryingto maintaina standardand
she'snot pullingit."
AnotherMTF transgendered interviewee, Tracey,recallsa similarsitua-
tion, from a verydifferent perspective. S/he attended a transsexualsupport
groupwhereotherparticipants dearlyunderstoodtranssexuality as consti-
tutedthroughexclusivity. In approachingthegroup,Traceysoughtaccep-
tanceand supportforbeingtransgendered. S/hereportedthatat thestart
ofthemeeting,"One of [theothertranssexuals] camein and thefirst thing
she said to me was 'go back to the closet!'" To Tracey,thiswas a clear
indicationthatthe level of genderambiguitys/heprescribedto was not
welcome. Tracey'sexperiencesuggeststhat those who are successfulat
passingare seen as "realtranssexuals," whileanyoneelse maybe excluded
on the basis of being"justa cross-dresser" who is still"in thecloset"and
be
may embarrassing to the group.Clearly,fromtheperspectives of Tania
and Tracey,theirrespective supportgroupsoperate from either/orassump-
tionsabouttranssexuality. The expectation is thattranssexuals wantto pass
as women and men. Those who are too obviously"both/neither" do not
countas transsexual.
In thisarticle,I characterize the discussionbetweenthesetwo broadly
conceptualizedpoliticalpositionsas the"both/neither versuseither/or de-
bate."Both/neither refersto a transgender of
position refusing to fitwithin
categoriesofwomanand man,whileeither/or refersto a transsexual imper-
ative to pass convincingly as eithera man or a woman. I focus on the
differences and tensionsbetweenthesepositions.I discusshow theinter-
vieweessituatethemselvesin thisdebateand interrogate aspectsof trans-
gendertheorizing. My concern here is to ask how useful transgender theo-
rizing is in analyzing this debate. Is thereadequate acknowledgment of
transsexual positions,or is transgender theoryprimarily aboutinvalidating
(as not politicallyaware) thosetranssexuals who pass? How mighttrans-
gendertheorizing be enhanced by a more eclecticpoliticsratherthanrein-
forcing an "us and them" hierarchy?

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 506 I Roen

TransgenderpelspeClives
WhileI thinkthereis an interesting
developmentofa politicized
identity
... I aminterested
inwherethisleavesthoseofus whochooseto live
as men(orwomen)andunambiguously layclaimto therightsand
ofthosepositions....I'mwaryofthe"queering
obligations of
andI'mwaryofanytheoretical
transsexualism" positionthattriesto turn
intosomevanguard
transsexuals ofthe"GenderRevolution." Mostofus
to liveourlives.
arejusttrying
-Rubin 1995

A wordofwarning to the"monomorphs": menaceis

thetransgender
amongyou and we recruit!
-Nataf 1996,58

While Henry Rubin and ZacharyNataf's commentsrepresentdiverse

pointsalong a politicalspectrum, I focuson argumentsthatdivergefrom
one another in more subtleways.JayProsserstatesthat"prominent writers
in thetransgender movementall emphasizepassingas politically incapaci-
tating"(1998, 158), citing Kate Bornstein, Leslie Feinberg, and Natafas
I
examples. highlightaspects of Bornstein's and Nataf's arguments forthe
sakeof thepresentdiscussion.
Bornsteinis one transgenderist who clearlysetsout to maketranssexuals
into vanguardsof the "gender revolution."In GenderOutlaw (1995),
Bornsteinwages war against"genderterrorism," thatis, the social pres-
suresenforcinggendernormativity throughviolenceagainstthose who
transgender. She triesto make thisa simpleissueof"us" and "them,"where
"we"5are the genderoutlawsand "they"are the genderdefenders. How-
ever, there is some unacknowledged confusion about exactlywhere she
drawsthe line betweenthe outlawsand the defenders.On the one hand,
she explainshow manytranssexuals fearrecognition,hidingeven from
each otherforthesake of exposure.This "silent"majorityof transsexuals
appears committedto maintainingthe "gendersystem."On the other
hand,she listspost-and preoperative transsexuals (along with"transgen-
ders,"she-males, dragqueens, out transvestites,and "closetcases"- "trans-
vestiteswho hidetheircross-dressing" [68]) as "genderoutlaws."So there
is some ambiguity as to whetherthe"silentmajority"countsas outlawsor
onlyserveto maintainthe "gendersystem"(69). Bornsteinalso refersto
thisnewlyconstructed "us" as belonginggenerically to "categoriesoftrans-
gender"(69), arguing thatto divide gender outlaws intocategoriesis im-
possible. Bornstein writesthat to "attempt to divide us intorigidcategories
... is liketryingto applythe laws of solidsto the stateof fluids:it'sour
fluiditythatkeeps us in touch with each other.It's our fluidityand the

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 I 507

principlesthatattendthatconstantstateoffluxthatcould createan innova-

tivetransgender community"(69).
Given Bornstein'soverallargument,resistingthe divisionof gender
outlawsintocategoriesmakessense. But how does such a strategy repre-
sent the politicsof those transsexuals who do not wish to be clustered
withothercategoriesof transgender? Do thesetranssexuals haveanyvoice
withinthe "community"Bornsteindepicts?She tellsthe reader,"I really
wouldlike to be a memberof a community, but untilthere'sone that's
based on theprincipleof constantchange,themembership would involve
more rules,and the rulesthatexistaroundthe subjectof genderare not
rulesI wantto obey" (69; emphasisin original).But to whatextentwould
a "community. . . based on theprincipleof constantchange"appeal to or
includethosetranssexuals who seekto passunproblematically, to be(come)
the woman (or man) nextdoor? For whom does Bornsteinpropose to
stand?
In a laterchapter,Bornsteinclearlydesignatespassingtranssexuals as
gender defenders or nonsupporters of the "revolution in deconstructing
gender" (134). As to who would supportsuch a revolution,Bornstein
writes,"Supportersof a movementto deconstruct gendermightbe found
withingroupsof people who are lookingbeyondgenderforidentity-
some moreliberalor radicalsegmentsof theS/M and bisexualcommuni-
ties,forexample,or radicalqueerelementswho wantto do awaywiththe
rigidcodes ofgenderand sexuality"(133-34). Here sheredefines transgen-
derto encompassthosewho share"the stigmaof crimesagainstgender"
(134). So transgender- formerly definedto includeclosetedtransvestites
and passing transsexuals--nowincludes all gay, lesbian, bisexual,and
transpeoplewho are potentiallyperceivedas violating"gender codes."
Bornsteinsuggeststhat,iftransgendered means"transgressively gendered,"
thenit is moreinclusiveand represents a largergroupof"supporters." Yet
passing transsexuals have alreadybeen described as "nonsupporters" the
of
revolutionBornsteinenvisages.She has also alreadydiscussedways in
whichaspectsof lesbianand transgender communities would be mostun-
likelyto form an allegiance.So, what is the purpose here? To envisagethe
of
largestgroup people who could be loosely definedas "genderoutlaws,"
or to definea group of people who mightplausiblywantto be regarded
as the "us" for whom Bornsteinstands?In eithercase, it seems that
Borstein gets caughtout playingher own numbersgame. And she fails
to accountforthe resistanceshe will meet in tryingto standforothers
throughtheconstruction of a "we" who are the"genderoutlaws."
Bornsteindescribes"belongingto gender"as beingsimilarto belonging
to anysocialor culturalgroup.She pointsout thatbelongingto genderis

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 508 I Roen

morelike beingpartof a cultwithregardto how difficult it is to "leave

gender" and how manypressures there are to conform to gendernorms.
"In a cult... day-and-night participation is often a requirement forcontin-
ued membership.Similarly, withinthe cult of gender,membersare re-
quiredto weavethecontinualmaintenance ofthecultintotheirdailylives"
(Bornstein1995, 103). For Bornstein, therefore, livingas either/or consti-
tutesan investment in thesystemthatperpetuates theoppression,through
silenceand invisibility, of transpeople.She arguesthatthe "either/or" of
genderoperatesas a controlmechanism.For Bornstein,passing"becomes
theoutwardmanifestation of shameand capitulation.Passingbecomessi-
lence.Passingbecomesinvisibility. Passingbecomeslies. Passingbecomes
self-denial" (125). Whilethisanalysisofthepowerdynamicsthatmaintain
"gender"is important, it seemsperilouslyclose to accusingpassingtrans-
sexualsof havingfalseconsciousness.
I supportBornstein'sanalysisof genderas a controlmechanism,and I
thinkitis important to articulate thesearguments in termsthatbothprivi-
lege transsexuality and are accessible outside of academia. I also empathize
withBornstein'squest forbringingtranssexuality out of thecloset.How-
ever,I am waryof therisksof an insufficiently carefulcritiqueof passing.
If passing is cast as politicallyincorrect--asthe path of lies and self-
denial-what does thissay about transpeoplewho, forwhateverreasons,
choose to pass?Whatdoes thissayabouttranssexuals who pass selectively,
carefullymanaging their male, female, and trans identities? How does
Bornstein's critiqueof passingmerelyreinforce hierarchies of politicalcor-
rectness, thuscreatinganothersetof restrictive gender norms? Whatis the
of a
point articulating politics that potentially denigrates those forwhom
it claimsto be liberatory?
In thecourseof discussingherconcernsaboutthepoliticaldeployment
of queer,JudithButler (1993) challengesthe promotionof "outness."
Here, outnessmeans being "out as [an identitylabel]" (227). Since the
evolutionof transsexualand transgenderpoliticshas been concurrent
withqueer (poststructuralist) critiquesof identity, usingtranssexual/trans-
gender terms as identity labels is necessarilyproblematic.As discussed
throughout Bornstein's text,transgender people cannoteasilybe divided
intomeaningful identity categories. Nor does itmakesenseto depicttrans-
sexualor transgender as categories,forthesetermsare fartoo broad and
mobile.Butlerdiscussesaspectsof thisproblemwithreference to identity
in
politics general. She acknowledges that it is important to use identity
categoriesforpoliticalpurposesbut also to rememberthatwe cannotal-
wayscontrolhow themeaningsof thoselabelsand categorieswillchange

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 1 509

over time.Therefore,it is importantto be awareof the risksassociated

withidentitycategories.Butlerwritesthatalthough

identitytermsmust be used, [and] as much as "outness"is to be

affirmed, thesesame notionsmust become subjectto a critiqueof
the exclusionary operationsof theirown production:For whom is
outnessa historicallyavailableand affordable option?Is therean un-
markedclasscharacter to theterm,and who is excluded?For whom
does the termpresentan impossibleconflictbetweenracial,ethnic,
or religiousaffiliation
and sexualpolitics?... In thissense,thegene-
alogicalcritiqueof the queer subjectwill be centralto queer politics
to theextentthatit constitutes a self-critical
dimensionwithinactiv-
a
ism, persistent reminder to take thetime to considertheexclusion-
aryforceof one of activism's mosttreasuredcontemporary premises.
(1993, 227)
So perhapsbringinga queer critiqueto Bornstein'snotionsof transgen-
derismand promotionof"outness"willbe informative to transgender the-
orizing.Perhaps Bornstein'smode of to
approach transgender politicsalso
goes some way towardexplainingthe warinessof things"political"ex-
pressedbythosetranspeopleI interviewed.
Some transgender and transsexual people who prefernot to be out are
forcibly outed; forexample,throughbeingthevictimof transphobic vio-
lence or throughunsoughtmedia attentionto legal battles.These trans-
people maythenbe heldup as vanguardsofthegenderrevolution.Perhaps
havingone's positionproclaimedas politically salienthas moreto do with
being in thewrongplace at the wrong time than to do withpoliticalaware-
ness.The esteemedboth/neither stanceis sometimesnot soughtby,but is
imposed on, transpeople.
What is needed, therefore,is a way of bridgingthe gap between
Bornstein'sradicalpoliticsof outnessand Butler'sconcernsabout theun-
criticalvaluingof outness.An authorwho goes somewayto bridgingthis
gap is Nataf.Nataf(1996) presentsvarioustranspersons' insightson trans-
genderism. Nataf attempts to be sensitiveto the diversity of (trans)gen-
dered subjectivities and politicalperspectives, while acknowledgingthe
kindsof politicalhierarchies thathave come into beingwithintranscom-
munities."In the 1990s, alongside queer directaction groups such as
Queer Nation and LesbianAvengers,transgender directactiongroupslike
TransgenderNation, Transsexual Menace and TransgenderRights ...
weresetup in directresponseto thetransphobiaexperiencedbytranssex-
ual people daily.Beingout and proudversuspassinghas becomethemea-

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 510 I Roen

sure of the politicalconsciousnessand commitmentof transgendered

people,buttheoptionof beingout of theclosetwithoutseriousrepercus-
sions in theirlivesis stillnot possibleformany"(Nataf 1996, 29). Like
Bornstein,Nataf acknowledgesthe politicalimportanceof visibilityand
theneedto bringtranssexuality out ofthecloset,thusexposingtheoppres-
sivepowerrelationsthatconstruct "closets"in thefirstplace.
transsexuals'
LikeButler,Natafis sensitiveto therisksofoutness(risksto personalsafety
as well as the conceptualrisksof identifying witha givenlabel at a time
when identitycategoriesand labels are in such flux)and the social and
economicfactorsdetermining who can affordto be "out."
Natafdescribesthesocialchangesthatmighteventually occurthrough
increasedtranssexualvisibilityin envisaginga politicallyempowering
third-gender space:
Thirdsex/gender does not implya singleexpressionof an androgy-
nous mixing.... The thirdgendercategoryis a space forsocietyto
articulateand make sense of all its variousgenderedidentities,as
more people refuseto continueto hide themor remainsilenton
the margins.... If moretranssexual people were able to identifyas
and
transgendered express their thirdgender categorystatus, instead
offeelingforcedto slotintothebinarybecauseofthethreatsofpun-
ishmentand loss of social legitimacy,thatthirdcategorywould be
farmore peopled than one mightimagine.People could be given
legitimacy by thisthirdcategory,ifsocietyrecognisedgenderdiver-
sityalongsideethnicor religiousdiversity.(Nataf1996, 57-58)
The "thirdgender"Natafdescribesis one versionof theboth/neither po-
sition.Nataf,like Bornstein,seems to envisagea genderrevolutionoc-
curringthroughtheproliferation of genders.The first,
and mostobvious,
problem with thisis hintedat in Nataf'slast sentence.If genderdiversity
wereas well recognizedas ethnicor religiousdiversity, how muchwould
actuallyhave been achieved?Verylittle,if the long-standingand well-
entrenchedprejudicesamong ethnicand religiousgroupsare anyindica-
tion. As Butlerobserves,simplypromotingdiversity does not deal with
of
problems discrimination, prejudice, and relatedinequities."Genderop-
pression"(Bornstein1995, 69) willnot disappearthroughthemereprolif-
erationof genders.
UnlikeBornstein, Natafdoes not takeup an us-and-them stance.How-
ever, he does identify ways that riftsoccur among transpeople.For in-
stance,one of thetransgenderists Nataf quotes,RikiAnnWilchins,identi-
fies the selectiveavailabilityof sex reassignmentsurgeryas one factor
creatingdivisionsamongtranspeople.She argues:"It used to be thatwe

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 I 511

wereall gendertrashrejectstogether.... Whenwe startedto getempow-

eredforhavingsex changesurgeryall of a suddenthedistinction between
post-op and pre-op became extremely as a
important, postoperativeyou
got certainprivilegesand power.Essentiallysurgerybreaksdown forme
as a class and race issue. People who are economicallyempoweredand
wantsurgery, get it. Whichmeans,essentially, people who are whiteand
educated and largely middleclass" (Nataf1996, 31).
If, as Tania and Tracey'sexperiencessuggest,some transsexuals regard
accessto sexreassignment surgery,and an effort to pass, as measures ofthe
degree to which one "counts"as transsexual, and ifWilchins's observations
about accessto sexreassignment surgeryareaccurate,thenthequestionof
who countsbecomesa questionof raceand classas muchas a questionof
outness.This harksbackto Butler'scommentthatthepossibility of being
out could be partiallydictatedby issuesof class and race.We mightbest
understand theroleof raceand classnot simplyin termsofwho can finan-
ciallyaffordmedicaland legalcostsof transition but also in termsof who
can affordto takethediverserisksassociatedwithbeingout. It would be
oversimplistic, forexample,to assumea linearrelationship betweenaccess
to financialresourcesand opportunities to liveas an out transperson.
To reiteratethe centralconcernhere: two hierarchiesare established
throughtranssexualand transgenderdiscourses.Transgenderism(the
both/neither stance)exaltsoutness,fluidity, and transgression. Therefore,
who counts(as a genderoutlaw) dependson how possibleit is to be out.
Who countsas transsexual(in the sense of the either/or stance)restson
who can pass,whichdependspartially on who has accessto reassignment
technologies,and is therefore influencedby class,race,education,and so
on. This suggeststhattheboth/neither positionand theeither/or position
are problematicin termsof exclusivity and theirfailureto accountforso-
cioeconomicfactors.

Researchparticipants'perspectives
If thereis anynotionthattranssexualpoliticsof either/or
and transgender
as
politicsof both/andoperate discreteor mutually exclusivearguments,
the researchparticipants'commentswill surelyexpose this as a fallacy.
Throughouttheinterviews I conductedwithtranspeoplein thecourseof
my doctoral work,research engagedin thedebatesthatarethe
participants
focusof thisarticle.For many,the acknowledgment thatone was both/
neitherseemedimportant, thoughonlyone participant soughtto express
thisin thepublicforum.For some,shifting betweena senseof beingboth/
neitherand being a woman or being a man seemed to be part of the

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 512 I Roen

ongoing processof livinga transgendered life.For others,therewas an

adamantrefusalof anyconnectionwiththepoliticsof beingboth/neither.
The empiricalaspectof thisresearchprojectinvolvedone-to-oneinter-
viewswithelevenself-identified transsexualand transgender people and a
singlediscussiongroupwithfourresearchparticipants. Each methodolog-
icalapproachto listeningto transpeopletalkaboutgenderoffered different
materialforanalysis.One-to-oneinterviews an
provided opportunity for
researchparticipants to talk,in a fairly
open and relaxedsetting, abouttheir
own experiences,perceptions,and identification. The discussiongroup
was held afterthe interviews had been completedand analyzed.The pur-
pose of thisgroup was to set up a situationwherethepoliticaland concep-
tualtensionsidentified throughinterviews could becomethecenterofdis-
cussion.Researchparticipants werechosenforthisgroup on the basis of
theirdiversity,in termsof their(politicaland self-identificatory) position-
ings, and on the basis of theirabilityto discusstheirvariousexperiences
and perspectives articulatelyand respectfully together. Throughoutthere-
search,participants were chosen on the basis thattheyrepresented a di-
versegroup,in termsof age, culture,sexuality, and genderidentification.
Kal was themostoutspokenof the researchparticipants when it came
to assertingher/his rightto be both/neither. S/hehad numerousstoriesto
tellabout her/hisattemptsto bringabout politicalchangethroughliving
as an "androgyn"or a thirdsex existingoutsideof the categories"man"
and "woman."One of her/his subversive maneuversis to refuseto catego-
rizeher/himself forothers'convenience.S/heturnstheobligationto label
backon theotherperson.Kal said,"Whenit comesdown to [people ask-
ingme] 'Whatwould you liketo be called?'[I say]'You makethedecision,
and you thencan'tblameme!"' Recentlythiscaused some concernat an
educationalinstitution whereKal was trying to enroll.On tellingadminis-
trativestaffthats/hewishedto enrollwithouttickingeitherthe "M" or
the "F" box, Kal describeshow the concernedenrollmentofficer"asked
me whatwould I wearto class.And I said'clothes.She said,'I meanwould
you come as [yourfemalename] or as [yourmale name]?"' Kal replied,
"WhateverI feellike puttingon is whatyou'llsee me in ... and believe
me,itwillbe above here[Kal'sthighs]and belowhere[Kal'sneck]- don't
worryabout the rest!"In recountingthisstory,Kal concluded:"I didn't
get acceptedintothecourse."This is one exampleof thebarriersfacedby
transgender people who publiclychoose a both/neither identity.
During the groupdiscussion,one interviewee, Mimi,seemedintrigued
by Kal's insistenceon maintainingan androgynousstance.Mimi had al-
readyindicatedthathersenseof havingto presentherselfas a womanhad
diminishedovertime.Mimi explained,"I guessit'scome to a stagein my

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 1 513

lifenow whereI feelI don'tneed to proveto everybody thatI'm a woman.

When I firststartedgoingthroughthechange,I feltthatI neededto wear
makeupand high-heeledshoesand stockingsand skirtsand dressesand all
therestof thestuff, and haveverygood controlof myvoice and manner-
ismsand behaviorand thewayI movedand walkedand all of that.But as
I becamemoreconfident in who I was as a person,thoseposturalthingsI
foundno longernecessary." However,Mimi said that,to some degree,she
stillfeltforcedto choose. She said,"I feellikeI'm forcedbecauseof social
conditioningto choose one or the other.I can'tbe anywherein between
and be well-accepted withinsocietyand functionwell in society,so I sort
of haveto choose."
Mimi has developeda strategy fordealingwiththetensionbetweenher
personal ambivalence about fittingwell into the category"woman" and
hersense of beingobligedto make a definitechoice.This involvesselec-
tivelycomingout to people (to reducehersenseof beingobligedto pass
as a woman),thusenablingherto talkmorefreelyabout herpast.This is
in contrastto Bornstein'sdepictionof passingtranssexuals as constantly
living a lie. As Mimi said,"If I meet people and decide,yesyou'resomeone
thatI'm likelyto wantto be friendswith, then I'll let themknowstraight
up becauseit makesit too difficult forme ifI haveto policewhatI say.If
it'speople thatI'm just going to occasionallymeetand not going to deal
withthemover long term,thenI won't tellthem."One of the FTM re-
searchparticipants, Tim,pointedout repeatedly thatbeingFTM meanthe
was in a significantly different positionfromMTFs. Becausedifferent kinds
of cues are requiredforone to pass as a man or as a woman,and because
(in termsof normativesocial schema) masculinity appearsas the default
option,Tim, likemanyotherFTM transpeople,findsit relatively easyto
pass as a man. Although he is short in stature and had not had any surgery
whenwe met,thepresenceof his beardappearedto enablehimto pass as
a manin a variety ofsocialcontexts.Thismaybe contrasted withtheongo-
ingstrugglethatMTF transpeople mayfacein learningwhatto do in order
to be perceivedas women. The relatively minorstrugglethatTim went
through in order to pass as a man enables him to takeup the stancethat
he does in the current debate, a stance so flexibleas to appear almost
contradictory.
On theone hand,Tim is concernedto pass as a man and be acceptedas
such, and he is surprisedat Mimi's suggestionthatshe intendsto come
out to thoseshe is workingwith.But,on theotherhand,he acknowledges
theimportanceof "owning"bothmasculineand feminineaspectsof him-
selfand thinksthatmale/female labelingon identification papers,forms,
and public toiletsshould be eradicated.Tim also said "I identifyas just

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 514 I Roen

beingme ... justforthesimplereasonthatgenderchangesand there'sno

pointin categorizing myselfas this,that,or theother.[I] justgo withthe
flow."Perhapshe can afford thisdegreeof flexibility becauseit has been so
relativelyeasy for him to pass. As he described his transitionto livingas a
man,he has readily"fitinto the straightheterosexualstreamof things-
withtheblinkof an eye- offthroughtheturnstile." Thus, he has no per-
sonal incentiveto live as both/neither, but he will casuallydiscusshow
ridiculousis theimperative to liveas either/or. We maytakeTim'sassertion
thatitis different forhimthanforMTF transpeopleas a reminder thatthe
issue of either/or and both/neither is not merelya questionof conceptual
or politicalpositioning.Rather,it is somethingthatgets playedout via
sexedbodies. There is no way,giventhe diversity of sexed embodiment,
thateither/or and both/neither could simplybe two discretestancestaken
up by two discrete groups people.LikeTim,someMTF researchpartici-
of
pants drew selectivelyfromdiscoursesofboth/neither and fromdiscourses
of either/or.
Tania (who was interviewed individually)describedherselfas "neither
man nor woman but a unique combination," yetshe spentmuch of the
interview describing her considerable efforts
to pass as a woman. She said,
"therearewomenwho I would liketo emulate.I look at themand I think,
well,whatis it thatI wantto emulateabout you?And theyalwaysseem
to have a presenceabout them.They fillthe room."On the otherhand,
Tania said thatshe is creatingher own genderedway of being,withthe
understanding thatotherswillfitin aroundher.She explained,"I can'tcall
on a commonsisterhoodbetweenyou and myselfand say 'theseare the
thingswhereyou and I come togetherand therefore we'resisters.'I can't
do that.I can call on all thatI know,all thatI've experienced, and define
myselfin relationto the restof theworld,and thenhave otherpeople fit
in aroundme. This whole 'feminine'buzz, I've got to internalizeit first
and makesenseof it forme and thengo out there... and say'Well,this
is whatI am,who I am,now workout whereyou fitaroundme as bestyou
can." When I expressedmy confusionabout the apparentcontradiction
betweenherboth/neither politicsand her efforts to attaina distinctly ei-
ther/or presentation, she said: "I know that I'm a combination of both,
but it's not as if I'm going to go aroundwith a sign on my head with
'transsexual'[on it]. All [onlookers]are goingto perceiveme as is one or
theother.To themthereis no transgender option.For themtherearejust
the two choices.But forme thereis a privatethirdchoice, and that'sa
combinationof the two." Here, the self-perception as both/neither is
clearlya privatechoice, and it is this of
veryaspect privacy that distin-
guishesTania's articulations of being both/neither fromBornstein's.For

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 I 515

Bornstein,the verypurposeof takingup a both/neither stanceis public:

publicizing and making visible the power relations that keep transsexuals
in theclosetand thatmaintainoppressivegenderrelations.For the inter-
viewees,however,it was a quest forpersonaltruththattook priority over
publicaction.Describingoneselfprivately as both/neither was an attempt
to articulate thepersonalsenseof beingin betweenor in transition. Here,
thesenseof both/neither is clearlydistinctfroma politicalstatement.
Taniaexplained,"I don'tfeeltheneedto feedintoanybigpoliticalthing
and hold myselfup as a role model."A FTM researchparticipant, Billy,
also made the comment:"I don'thave to makepoliticalstatements to be
happyabout beingmyself." He elaborated,saying,"I'm not saying[trans-
genderistscan] standforme. Theycan do whatevertheywant.But I just
acceptmyself thewayI am."Bornstein's visionsoftransgender community
may crumble under theoverwhelming responseof transpeoplewho refuse
to articulatetheirsense of both/neither in politicalterms.Yet, as a re-
searcherworkingwithtranscripts of interviews withtranssexual people, I
can see how temptingit is to readtheircommentsthrougha highlypoliti-
cizedlens.It would be veryeasyto quote and discusstranscript excerptsas
politicalstatements, some of which would to
appear supportboth/neither
politics.But in orderto represent thequotationsfairly, I mustalso discuss
theircontext.Researchparticipants' statements about identity wereoften
articulated in thecontextof an explicitrefusalof the"political."
Not needingor wantingto "be political"was a recurring theme.Jim
suggestedthathe could empathizewiththe urge to be politicallyout as
both/neither, but he thoughtthaturgewas drivenby exhibitionism and
thatno amountof carein articulating a both/neither stancewould prevent
some observersfromsqueezing one into the either/or framework. Pri-
vately,he said he perceivesthat, "we'reboth and we're neither,
transsexuals;
we're both and we're neither."He even elaboratedon this,saying,"for
wantof a betterword,yes,I'm a transsexual. I will be a transsexual tilthe
dayI die. In fact,whenI'm dead and underthegroundand mybones dry
out and someonewillcome and look at mybones later... they'llsee just
a woman'sbones."Here, as withTania,the both/neither talkis produced
in thenameof expressing an underlying truth, a truth that goes all theway
throughJim'sexistence,rightdown to his bones. Jimexplainedhis choice
to live as a man (while perceivinghimselfas both/neither) by saying,"I
don'tthinkthatI fitin beinga maneither.I stillfeel... not belonging...
not belonging.But I'd ratherbe seen as a man because there'sno way I
could be a woman. I mean,when I was a woman [people] thoughtI was
a man and thoughtI was different or I was a lesbianor I was something,
but I wasn'ta woman. At leastI'm dressedcomfortably--Idresstheway

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 516 I Roen

I wantto - and people see me,mymannerisms and everything, people see

me as a man." So, forJim,being "both and neither"is about knowing
aspectsof oneselfthatotherscannotsee: knowingthatone's biologyis
(or bones are) "female,"knowingthatno matterhow one dressesone has
difficultybeingreceivedas a woman,and knowingthatone prefers to live
as a man.
Myrareiterated, moreoftenthananyotherinterviewee, thepointthat
she did not want to expressher transgenderism in a public or political
forum.Nevertheless, in herprivatelife,she is perhapstheinterviewee who
has livedwiththemostgenderambiguity forthelongesttime.(Myrahad
begun at leasttwentyyearsago to presentherselfvisibly,outwardly, and
in
purposefully ways that challengedothers'reading of her as a "man."At
thetimeof theinterview, Myrahad been takinghormonesforsevenyears
and had been appearingas a woman in some aspectsof her lifeand as a
man in otheraspectsforat leastthislong.) She identifies as transgendered,
arguingthatthereis no need to have sex reassignment surgery. Myrasaid
she is stillworkingup to "goingone hundredpercentof theway,"which,
forher,meanslivingfulltimeas a woman and does not implyanymoves
towardsurgery.Despite Myra'sattitudestowardtransition--her private
viewsimplya both/neither stance-Myra is adamantabout hernonpoliti-
cal orientation, saying,"I'm not rebellious.... I'm shy.I am a backroom
person.... I've watchedparadesgo by,but I've neverbotheredto pluck
up the courage join in. I don't need to. It's nice to see otherpeople
to
articulate[politicalviews],but I'm quitehappyto just be myself, myown
way, without needing to overstate anything, upsetanybody, be flag-
or or
waving." She beganmaking these comments about not being"rebellious"
beforeI askedherabout herfeelingstowardtransgender politics.When I
did beginto talkexplicitly about transgenderism as a politicalmovement,
shepointedout thatthoseweretheverysentiments psychomedical profes-
sionals could be checkingforin theirassessmentof transsexuals. It had
appearedto herthatthepsychomedical professionals she saw soughtsome
kindof assurancethatshe was not livinga transgendered lifeforpolitical
reasons.Perhapsit is herethatBornstein'sboth/neither politicsconnect
mostcloselywiththeboth/neither stancesof some of theinterviewees.
Manytranspeople, whetheror not theyconsiderthemselves as partof a
transgender politicalmovement,are likelyto seekpsychomedical services
at some time.It is in thiscontextthatthequestformaintaining a personal
truthmeetswiththepublicrealm.It is in thepsychiatrist's officethateach
transperson must cruciallydecide whether to expresshis/her senseofbeing
both and neither. Like my research interviews, the visit with the psychia-
tristis bound by rulesof confidentiality, and it is farfromthe realmof

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 1 517

mediapublicityand politicalouting.Yet,insofaras thesuccessof thepsy-

chiatrist's
visitdeterminesthe clientsaccess to technologiesrequiredfor
passing,describingoneselfas both/neither in thiscontextmayconstitute
a "public" statement.In the psychiatrist's office,whetherone is "Kate
Bornstein"or "Myra,"anyexpressionof a both/neither stancemayarouse
suspicions about political involvement. It is here,as much as in theirper-
sonal livesor in their(political)careers,thattranspeoplemustdecidejust
how theywant to be "out" if at all. Given what is at stakeduringthe
psychiatrist'svisit,it is littlewonderthatmost transpeopleare "closeted"
abouttheirboth/neither sentiments,and thosewho do come out oftendo
so long aftersex reassignment surgery.
By the timeI had heardMyra'scommentsagainst"being political,"I
was certainly becomingwaryof whatthe"political"mightmean to those
being interviewed. Clearly,what each of themwas sayingto me in the
relativeprivacyof an interview was highly,and oftenradically, political(in
termsof challenginghegemonicassumptionsabout gender).Yet,veryfew
ofthemwantedto perceiveit as such.I was remindedofBornstein's obser-
vationson whytranssexual people mightprefer to be silent and invisible,
and of theisolationof manytranssexuals fromone another,whichfurther
reducesthelikelihoodthattheywillseeka politicalmediumforexpressing
theirviews.Duringour groupinterview, Sarahsaid thiswas thefirsttime
she had been amongothertranssexuals forseveralyears,explaining,"My
goal was to liveas an ordinarywoman . . . and ordinarywomen don'tmix
in transsexual circles."
It was difficult to ascertain,in thecontextof one-to-oneinterviews, the
boundsof each interviewee's conception of the "political."But, in thecon-
textof the group discussion,I was able to sit back and listenwhile the
participants talkedamongthemselves, graduallybuildinga pictureofwhat
constituted the"political"and whatobligationthereapparently was to "be
Here
political." is one thread of the discussion thatrelates to how each of
theparticipants viewedher/his relationship to the"political":

Mimi: I guessI see myself as a rolemodelinthesensethatI partic-

ipatein this[research].... I've done myopen politicalbit.No doubt
therewill come a timewhen I'll need to out myselfat [mywork-
place],but I'll choose thetimeand place.
Tim: Whydo you feelyou haveto do that?
Sarah:Yeah,why?
Tim: ... I don'ttellpeople unlesstheyspecificallyask me: direct
and on thehead. Most people are in oblivion.
Mimi: It depends on the situation.... At [myworkplace]I'm

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 518 I Roen

going to be thereforat leastfiveyears.A lot of the people in that

time,I'm going to see forthewhole fiveyears.It's verydifficult to
police what I say to them all thetime. It's much easierat some stage
to turnaroundand say: Well,I don'tcare anymore.I'm just going
to be me! You'rejustgoingto haveto acceptwhatI say....
Kal: Froma politicalpointofview,someonehas to do it.Butthen
again,you'vegot to make sureyou'rementallystrongenough that
you can do it.The wayI look at it: I've losteverything I could possi-
blyeverlose. There'sonlyone thingI've neverlost, and that'sme.
So now,it'stimeto be proud of who I am personally. I know I can
deal with it. I know there'sgoing to be a lot of struggle.I know
there'sgoingto be a lot of backstabbing or pain, [but]I believeI can
do it.... Someone has to do it foreveryoneelse that'scomingup.
Or else we're all going to stillface the same issues time and time
again ....
Sarah: I went through[transition]in a verypublicway because
[of myjob]. And one yearI changedwho I was [in thepubliceye],
and thatwas a verypublicthingto do, and I'm a veryprivateperson,
and thatwas an enormousthingforme to have to do. Now, I've
done mypoliticalbitthere.I didn'tdo whatI did to be a transsexual.
I did what I did to be a woman. I've done my politicalbit. I just
wantto be thewomannextdoor.So, sorry, I'm not doinganymore!

Here, the "public" and the "political"go hand in hand. For each of the
participants speakingabove (as forBornstein),beingpubliclytranssexual
is a formof politicalaction.Sarah and Tim clearlydo not wantthiskind
of role and have neversoughtit,whileMimi and Kal takeup thisrole to
varyingdegrees.Kal aspiresto a visionof social changethroughgreater
transgender Mimi seeksto be able to liveherlife,makingsmall
visibility.
contributions to thewidercause,withoutmakingoutnessherraisond'&re.
Tim enjoystheanonymity thatpassingeasilyas a heterosexual
manaffords
himand cannotunderstand whyMimiwould evenconsideroutingherself
to anyone.Sarahhas been veryout againstherwill and has been working
hard for some yearsto retreatinto the anonymity of the "woman next
door."Sarah feelsthe need to apologize forthis.This offersa glimpseof
how Sarah becamepositionedwhen politicalissueswere beingdiscussed
in thegroup.In thiscontext,notwantingto be out amountsto a position
of falseconsciousness.For most of the group discussionparticipants, it
would seemthatbeingpoliticalwas definedby beingout, and thehierar-
chyof transgender politicalactivismwas in place.
It was also in thecontextof thegroupdiscussionthatI could askques-

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 I 519

tionsabout each participant'svisionsof social change.Kal said thatthere

should be the option of identifying legallywith an intermediate gender
option, to which Mimi added thatthereshouldbe a legaloptionof both/
neither.Thereseemedto be generalagreementthata psychomedical pro-
cedurerequiringone to live fortwo years"in the posttransition gender"
was highlyproblematic in itsassumptionthata posttransitiongendercould
be attainedat thatstage.As Kal said,"You can'tliveas a woman.You can
perceiveyourselfas a woman fortwo years.And I thinkthat'sone thing
theyneed to changewhen theysayyou have to live as a woman fortwo
years,because you'renot, you'relivingas a transgendered person [and]
that[means]gettinga lot ofcrap."Sarahrecountedherexperiences of"liv-
a
ing as woman" fortwo yearspriorto surgery, adding:
And thenI had otherhurdlesput in frontof me thatI foundreally
quite awful.I had to provideevidencethat,in thecommunity I was
livingin, I was acceptedand doing OK as a woman.And then I had
to showthatI was performing, not [just]"OK" [butthat]I was above
averageperformance in myjob, withall thissortof crapgoing on!
And none oftheguysI workwithhad to showthattheywereabove
average,and none of themhad to show evidencethattheywerefit-
tinginto theirlocal communityOK. And I don't thinkit's so bad
now, but [I had to do] all of thisto get the OK to go to another
countryto have [sexreassignment surgery]!I couldn'tgetit done in
New Zealand,and yetI had to do all thesethings!

Clearly,each participant
was highlyawareof his/her own aspectsof both/
neither.Reducingthe conceptualpossibilitiesto either/or seemed to be
littlemore thana game dictatedby psychomedical professionals.
Making
changesto thepsychomedical constructions of transsexuality(and thereby
makingchangesto thepolicingof transsexuals) werecentralaspectsof the
futurevisionssuggestedby the participants. In a one-to-oneinterview,
Mimi also suggested,"I thinkour societyneeds to be challengedin its
identificationof gender.... However,my perceptionof... societyand
thedepthof theentrenchment of genderpolarityis thatI don'tthinkin a
thousandyearsit'sgoing to make [much] difference. I thinkwhatyou'll
end up withis ... a group in themiddle,but they'llalwaysbe identified
as thefreaks."I sensethatthiscommentmade byMimi reflects theviews
of mostof the researchparticipants: thatsocietalattitudestowardstrans-
sexualitydo need to change,but it is goingto be a veryslow process,and
thatunderstanding oneselfas both/neither maybe personallyimportant,
butpoliticalactivismbased aroundthiswillneverremovethestigmafrom
thosewho liveas both/neither.

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 520 I Roen

Althoughmost researchparticipants were willingto talk about their

livesin termsofboth/neither (whilesimultaneously minimizing the"polit-
ical" implicationsof that),thisline of thinkingwas by no means unani-
mous. The oldestpersonI interviewed, Jean,who was fifty-fiveyearsof
age,describedgendercategoriesin a waythatarguablyconforms to a more
rigidconceptualization.She made thetwo followingcomments, whichsit
together most ironically:
I thinkthatpeople who are transgendered ... should be able to
interrelatewith each other,but there'stoo much cattinessand
bitchinessand jealousy.But if theycould communicatewith each
other,I thinkthatwould makea big difference.

I've come acrosstransvestites

who thinkthatthey'retranssexual,
and
when you say "well do you wantyourcock cut off?"and theysaid
"no, and I said"wellyou'renota transsexual!"
They'rejustconfused,
that'sall.

In the firstcomment,Jeanis referring to a vision of transcommunity

wherethereis open and friendly communication about transissues.This
would seemto be consistent withan aspirationto promoteunderstanding
withina diversegroupofpeople and maybeevento developsome political
goals.However,in thesecondcomment,Jeanundoesherown good inten-
tions by drawingfirmlines (betweentranssexuals and transvestites) that
dividetranscommunitiesand by suggestingthatpeople who sit on the
boundariesare simply"confused."For Jean,social changeis about chang-
ing societalattitudes.This may be done throughdirectcommunication
and by beingout as transsexual. In termsof herrole in thischange,Jean
said thatshehad at timesfeltobligedto "helppeoplewiththeirconfusion"
by beingout as transsexual and therebyeducatingothers.
Although I can read various interviewees'positionsin termsof trans-
genderpolitics, thatdoes not mean theirmotivationsforarticulating polit-
icallyradicalideas have anythingto do withan interestin social change.
As Myra suggested,as faras social changewas concerned,societyonly
reallyneededthe"occasionalnudge,"and she was happyto leave thatjob
up to othertransgender people.
Perhapsa more persistent motivationthananyvisionof social change
is theurgeto finda placeto call"home."For some,thatplacecomesin the
formof a word or socialgroupwithwhichto identify. For others,it may
come in a decisionthat"beingoneself"is more importantthanpassing.
As Ami said,"It's actuallyimportant forme to be me.... You can tryand
pass, whichreallymakesyourlifeharder.... For my mentalhealthand
sanity,[it] is importantmostlythatI go out and be me, so I don't have

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 S I G N S Winter 2002 1 521

to denyanything. I don't have to lie about thingsor feellike I'm hiding

something." But as Mimi observed,"No matterhow farwe go to[ward
social] change,it's not going to changethe basic deep-rootedsense that
therearetwo sexes."

Conclusion
Transgenderism is a politicalmovementseekingto challengethebeliefthat
everypersoncan be categorizedsimplyas one of two sexes.One political
strategyinstituted bytransgenderists has been to promotetranssexual visi-
in to
bilityand, particular, encourage transsexuals to be out as both and
neither.This both/neither stancehas come to be privilegedoverpassingas
women and men.Those who seekto pass as womenor men aredescribed
as being"closeted"or having"falseconsciousness."
Being out is necessarily difficultforall and impossibleformany,yetit
is oftentakenas the measureof transgendered politicalawareness.May
transgenderism, then,be subjectto Bornstein's critiqueof"cults"(and par-
ticularly as a
gender cult)?Perhaps there is a oftransgenderism
variety that,
in seekingto fightthe "gendersystem,"institutesits own group norms
whosemaintenancerequiresconstantvigilanceon thepartof itsmembers.
The currentresearchdemonstrates how individualtranspeoplesituate
themselves in relationto thepositionsof either/or and both/neither.Some
researchparticipants veryflexiblydeployapparently competingdiscourses,
about passing and about crossing,in order to situatethemselves.This
servesas a reminderthattransgender activistswho exhorttranspeopleto
takeup a positionofboth/neither (1) failto takeintoaccountthediversity
ofcontextand experienceoftranspeopleand (2) do notaccurately concep-
tualizehow agenticsubjectsmaneuveramong apparently competingdis-
courses.While some transgender activistsset up an oppositionbetween
passing and crossing forthe sakeof developinga politicalargument, many
transpeoplestrategically agilely withaspectsofpassingand aspects
and live
of crossingin theirlivesand mayregardabandoningeithercomponentas
idealisticor impossible.Crossingopenlymay be necessaryand usefulin
some circumstances(whetheror not for reasons of politicalactivism),
whilepassingmaybe essentialin manycircumstances. An important reso-
lutionthatmaybe reachedthroughacknowledging theneed of transgen-
deredsubjectsto takeup different discoursesfordifferent purposeswould
be to minimizetheexcludingpracticesand politicsthatleave some trans-
people withoutadequatesupportwithintranscommunities.
SchoolofSocialand CulturalStudies
VictoriaUniversity
ofWellington
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 522 I Roen

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