16. An American’s View of Trans* Emergence in Africa and Feminist Responses

Transgender is now one of the more contested issues in feminist theory and practice. In this chapter I argue along with Deyi that “Transgender feminists are not agents of patriarchy or a mockery to feminism.” Instead they need to be seen as “a celebration of the central principles that feminists have long sought to have recognized … that self-determination is a principle worth fighting for, that we as feminists in all body forms have become a social movement that can create spaces that enable those that are differently gendered to express their true selves” (Deyi 2012). As Van der Merwe poignantly states, “I am that transgender woman featured in so many Ph.D dissertations, HIV research, and documentation of violent experiences [but] I have a face, I have a name, and I have an identity.” In this chapter I also argue along with Van der Merwe that “We transgender women must be seen in our racial, class, and other diversities. Ultimately, it is we who are the relevant stakeholders in our struggle for equality and rights” (Van der Merwe and Leigh 2013).