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WOMEN'SRIGHTS

LAW

REpORTER

KeynoteAddress:TransLawReformStrategies,Co-Optation,andthePotentialforTransformativeChange

DeanSpade

RutgersSchoolofLawNewarkVolume30Winter2009

KEYNOTEADDRESS:TRANSLAWREFORMSTRATEGIES,CO-OPTATION,ANDTHEPOTENTIALFOR

TRANSFORMATIVE

CHANGE

DeanSpade'

INTRODUCTION

Thissymposiumoccursinaninterestingmomentfortheinstitutionalizationorconsolidationoftheconceptoftransgenderlaw.Thissemester,threesymposiafocusedontranslawtookplaceatthreeseparatelawschools,andanadditionalsymposiumonthistopicisplannedforFall2008.

Tomyknowledge,nopriorsymposiafocusedexclusivelyonthistopichaveoccurred.Thesuddenpopularityofthistopicsuggestsanemergenceofattentiontotransgenderissueswithinthelegalacademy.Behindthatphenomenon,andurgingitforward,isarangeoftransadvocacyandactivism.Nodoubtthisisanexcitingmoment,wherewecanimaginetransanalysisofferingnewinsighttoarangeofexistingdebatesandcontroversiesaboutthelaw,includingquestionsabouthowlawadministersidentityclassifications;questionsaboutbodilyautonomyandself-determination;questionsabouthowexpertiseandspecificallymedicalexpertiseandauthorityestablishadministrativenormsthatharmmarginalizedpeople;questionsaboutthe"realness"ofgenderandhowweshouldunderstandgenderintherangeofareasinwhichlawreliesonitasaclassificationtool;questionsaboutaccesstohealthcare;questionsaboutthedistributionofwealthandresources;questionsaboutmigration;andquestionsaboutcriminalizationandvulnerablepopulationsincriminal

DeanSpadeisanAssistantProfessoratSeattleUniversitySchoolofLaw.In2002,ProfessorSpadefoundedtheSylviaRiveraLawProject("SRLP"),anonprofitlawcollectivethatprovidesfreelegalservicestotransgender,intersexandgendernon-conformingpeoplewhoarelow-incomeand/orpeopleofcolor.

HarvardLawSchoolLambdaLegalAdvocacyConference:Translaw(Feb.29-Mar.I,2008);RutgersSchoolofLawWomen'sRightsLawReporterSymposium:LegalGender:LimitationsofaMale/FemaleBinary(Mar.28,2008);UniversityofCalifornia,HastingsCollegeoftheLawSymposium:Transposium:AConferenceonTransgenderandIntersexRightsinthe21stCentury(Apr.

iO,

2008);TempleUniversity,BeasleySchoolofLawPolitical

CivilRightsLawReviewSymposium:IntersectionsofTransgenderLivesandtheLaw:CriticalPerspectivesonLegalandSocialChallenges(Nov.8,2008).

No.2]

TransLawReformStrategies

289

punishmentsystems.Therearecertainlymanyareasofexistingscholarshipthatcanbeenhancedbyaskingthequestionsthatemergewhenwethinkabouttheexperiencesoftranspopulationsconfrontinglegalsystems.Thesecontroversiesmaybeparticularlyinterestingandurgentbecausetranspeopleexistatajunctureoferasureandhyper-regulationinthelaw.?Lookingatthehistoryofadministrativeregulationofgendercategoriesrevealsthatsinceasearlyasthe1950s,andexplodinginthe1970s,bureaucratsintheU.S.havebeencreatingdetailedrulesandregulationsregardingtherecognitionorrefusaltorecognizeidentitiesoftranspeopleinvariousadministrativecontexts.

Twosimultaneousthreadsofpolicydevelopmenthaveemergedinthisarea.Ontheonehand,weseehyper-regulation,whichhastakentheformofhundredsofconflictingpolicies,allofwhichrelyonmedicalauthorityanddocumentationinovertlycontradictorywaystoestablishgenderreclassificationinvariousrecordkeepingandidentityverification/surveillancesystems.Ontheotherhand,weseearangeofpolicies,lawsandpracticesthatrefuseanyrecognitionoftransidentities.Thecombinationofconflictingpoliciescomprisesanincoherentregulatorymatrixthatexposestranspeopletoeconomicmarginalization,discriminationandviolence.Thesesimultaneousstrainsofhyper-regulationanderasure,eachwiththeirownvulnerability-producingresults,leavemuchworkforlawyersandlawscholarsseekingtobuildananalysisoftranslaw.Muchoftheincreasedvisibilityoftransissuesisbeingstimulatedbyatrendofinstitutionalizationoccurringintranspoliticsinthelasttwodecades.Advocacyandactivismontheseissueshavegainedmomentumandnonprofitorganizationsfocusedspecificallyontransrightsandtranslawhaveemerged.Inthelastsixorsevenyears,neworganizationsfocusedspecificallyontranslawandpolicyhavedeveloped,includingtheNationalCenterforTransgenderEquality,"SylviaRiveraLawProject

A1isaBierriaetal.,

ToRenderOurselvesVisible:WomenofColorOrganizingandHurricaneKatrina,in

WHATLIESBENEATH:KATRINA,RACE,ANDTHESTATEOFTHENATION31-47(SouthEndPressCollectiveed.,2007).Theauthorsdiscusshowsimultaneoushyper-visibilityandinvisibilityimpactwomenofcolor,poorpeople,peoplewithdisabilitiesandblackpeopleabandonedinNewOrleansduringandafterHurricaneKatrina.Thesimultaneousinvisibilityofthesepopulations,allowingtheirvulnerabilitytoabandonmentanddeathandalloftheconditionsleadingtoit,wasjuxtaposedbytheirhyper-visibilityinthemediaafterthestormwhenimagesoftheirsufferingwerecirculatedforthetitillationofviewers,ofteninwaysthatcontributedtoracist,sexist,andc1assiststereotypes.Thiserasure/sensationa1istexposurecombinationimpactsmanymarginalizedandoppressedgroups.

Id.