Sociopolitical Sexualities, Changing the Subject, and the Negotiation of Gender Perspectives

Abstract

In Sexual Orientation and Identity , Matt Andler opposes the trans-exclusionary view that trans women ought to be excluded from lesbian spaces, contending that sexual orientation is sociopolitical. His arguments prompt the trans-exclusionary charge that he is “changing the subject.” This paper examines the dialectical significance of that charge and Andler’s response. I argue that, if the subject matter of this exchange is indeterminate, as the evidence suggests, the dialectic is defective. To address this defectiveness I propose, drawing on Kevin Richardson’s The End of Binaries , that the exchange be regarded as a negotiation of its own subject matter.