The Big Silence – in ‘Trans Philosophy’

‘Trans philosophy’ is mostly silent about its critics; that is why I put it in quotation marks in the title of this essay. At present it can only be called ‘trans theory’, rather than ‘philosophy’. The term ‘philosophy’ should be reserved for those who engage with their critics. The sad lesson is: trans allies in academia/philosophy see it as part of their job to silence gender-critical (or sex-realist) voices. They are exercising ‘epistemic violence’. The long philosophical tradition of engaging with your (strongest) critics does not apply, when it comes to trans theory. Here, philosophy makes an exception - and fails to uphold its own norms.