Sex Matters: Essays in Gender-Critical Philosophy

Sex Matters discusses the conflict of interests between rights based on sex and rights based on gender identity, including theoretical questions such as who has the more ambitious vision for women's liberation, and applied questions such as should there be a right to exclude biologically male people from women-only spaces. Holly Lawford-Smith takes an analytic philosophical approach to defend a gender-critical position.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 12 July 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Sex Matters delves into a complex array of interconnected inquiries stemming from the clash of interests between rights based on sex and rights based on gender identity. Within this realm, several thought-provoking questions emerge, including: who holds the more ambitious vision for women's liberation, gender-critical feminists or advocates of gender identity? How do each of these groups understand the concept of gender? What are the arguments put forth in support of the assertion that trans women are indeed women? Do these arguments hold weight? Furthermore, the book addresses more practical concerns in law and policy, such as whether there should be a legal right to exclude biologically male individuals from women-only spaces. It explores the intricate trade-offs involved when transitioning from a sex-based basis of self-inclusion to a gender identity-based one, particularly in the context of bathrooms. The book also examines the role of transition, or gatekeeping requirements, in providing assurance to women who are asked to accommodate the inclusion of transwomen in women-only spaces. It questions whether such assurances are sufficient and explores the potential limitations of such approaches. Additionally, the book addresses the controversial topic of whether TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) is a slur or a harmful term. It examines the perspectives of radical and gender-critical feminists who argue that it is a derogatory term used to silence and marginalize trans women. The book also considers whether gender-critical speech can be classified as hate speech, as some social media platforms have categorized it. In order to address these complex issues, Holly Lawford-Smith employs an analytical philosophical approach, drawing upon ideas from political philosophy, philosophy of biology, philosophy of language, second-wave feminist theory, and empirical literature. Through a series of essays, all but one of which were previously unpublished, Lawford-Smith articulates a gender-critical position in response to these multifaceted inquiries.

Weight: 496g
Dimension: 242 x 162 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192896131