Epistemic violence as feminist tactic in transgender inclusion debates: The case of the Gender Recognition Act in the UK

The concept of epistemic violence has been used to describe how privileged groups reinforce their position in a social hierarchy and participate in oppression by denying epistemic agency to less privileged “others.” I investigate the mechanics of epistemic violence when used as an intentional political strategy and the structural conditions that enable it to become embedded in state policy. I use the case of Gender Recognition Act (GRA) reform in the United Kingdom (UK), first proposed in 2017 with the goal of reducing the barriers for transgender people to obtain official recognition of their gender identity. These reforms were largely abandoned in 2020, following mobilization by various feminist groups that formed with the purpose of excluding transgender women from women-only spaces. Using data from two government-led consultation processes, and in particular claims made about transgender women in sport and prisons, I show how techniques of silencing, objectification, and fact fabrication were central to the campaigns of feminist lobby groups. I argue that the decision of the government to ignore majority opinion in favor of the position of anti-trans feminist groups constituted a form of institutionalized violence.

Lien zoom : https://unil.zoom.us/j/5325862929?omn=93607837972