The truth is, Dworkin’s views on trans women were later influenced by Janice Raymond. In the publication Chrysalis, Raymond published an article titled “Transsexualism: The Ultimate Homage to Sex Role Power.” In it, Raymond attacked Dworkin for claiming “that until sex roles disappear (and thus also transsexualism), sex-change operations should be provided ‘by the community as one of its functions.’”

While Raymond’s article generated a lot of outrage from many cis lesbian-feminists, Dworkin actually went on to give her assistance to Raymond in the writing of the Transsexual Empire, particularly “Chapter IV: Sappho by Surgery.” It’s in this chapter that Raymond writes, “All transsexuals rape women’s bodies by reducing the female form to an artifact, appropriating this body for themselves. However, the transsexually constructed lesbian-feminist violates women’s sexuality and spirit as well.” Raymond then goes on to suggest that it is impossible for trans lesbians to have a consensual sexual experiences with cis women.

Dworkin, in fact, gave a glowing endorsement to the The Transsexual Empire when the book was originally published in 1979. other than one patronizing quote from Woman Hating, over the next three decades Dworkin was totally complicit with all the attacks on trans women, and trans people generally, by her closest friends and colleagues.

By allying herself with Raymond, instead of challenging her transphobic misogyny, Dworkin herself helped to perpetuate a society where all trans women are framed as sexual predators and denied access to survivor services and programs that help (cis) women survive in a misogynistic society. While trans women are largely targets of sexualized violence, the framing of trans women as rapists simply for existing makes it an impossible to address sexualized violence against trans women. In turn, this rhetoric is being used by the far right in it’s own campaigns against legislation that would protect trans people from institutionalized discrimination. Attacking what they call “bathroom bills,” the right also characterizes trans women as rapists.

Also, I think Dworkin’s militant advocacy for replacing the sex binary with a monolithic compulsive androgyny is terrifying. Androgyny as the socially enforced norm would lead to something like the gender repression featured in “The Outcast” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, or Tobi Hill-Meyer’s The Genderfellator.

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