“… I wish that I could send this book back in time to my younger self – and to all the trans women longing for a clearer reflection of our lives. This [book] stands powerfully alongside the work of thinkers such as Vivian Namaste, Mirha Soleil-Ross, and Julia Serano.” – Kai Cheng Thom, author of Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars

Can a synthesis of trans liberation and feminism be easily arrived at? This collection asserts that, as a matter of fact, we possessed the answer to that question decades ago.

Second-Wave feminism is, today, nearly synonymous with ‘transphobia’. Any mention of this era or the movement of ‘radical feminism’ conjures images of feminists allying with right-wingers and the authoritarian state, providing legal justification for outlawing gender-affirming care and spreading deeply evil caricatures of trans women to rationalize their exclusion as feminist subjects. In the ensuing struggle to reconcile trans rights with feminism, the specter of the trans-exclusionary radical feminist has often reared its head in opposition. One may be tempted to conclude that the Second Wave, as a whole, has done irreparable harm to feminist, queer and trans politics, and must be discarded entirely.