Terrorizing Gender: Transgender Visibility and the Surveillance Practices of the U.S. Security State

The increased visibility of transgender people in mainstream media, exemplified by Time magazine's declaration that 2014 marked a "transgender tipping point," was widely believed to signal a civil rights breakthrough for trans communities in the United States. However, in Terrorizing Gender, Mia Fischer challenges this narrative of progress by analyzing the cases of Chelsea Manning, CeCe McDonald, and Monica Jones, and exposing how media and state actors collude in the violent disciplining of these trans women. Fischer argues that the heightened visibility of transgender people has actually occasioned a conservative backlash characterized by increased surveillance of trans people by the security state. The book concludes that the current moment of trans visibility constitutes a contingent cultural and national belonging, given the gendered and racialized violence that the state continues to enact against trans communities, particularly those of color.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 284 pages
Publication date: 01 May 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

The National Communication Association presented the 2020 Diamond Anniversary Book Award to "Terrorizing Gender," a groundbreaking work by Mia Fischer that challenges the prevailing narrative of progress for trans communities in the United States. Fischer's book explores the cases of Chelsea Manning, CeCe McDonald, and Monica Jones, drawing from transgender, queer, critical race, legal, surveillance, and media studies to analyze how media and state actors collude in the violent disciplining of these trans women. Through a comprehensive analysis, Fischer exposes the traps of visibility, demonstrating how dominant representations of trans people as deceptive, deviant, and threatening are essential to justifying, normalizing, and reinforcing the state-sanctioned violence enacted against them.

Fischer argues that the increased visibility of transgender people has led to a conservative backlash characterized by heightened surveillance by the security state. This backlash is evident in debates over bathroom laws, the trans military ban, and the rescission of federal protections for transgender students and workers. "Terrorizing Gender" concludes that the current moment of trans visibility constitutes a contingent cultural and national belonging, given the gendered and racialized violence that the state continues to enact against trans communities, particularly those of color.

This book is a crucial contribution to the field of gender studies and social justice, shedding light on the ongoing struggles and challenges faced by trans communities in the United States. Fischer's interdisciplinary approach provides a rich and nuanced understanding of the complex factors that contribute to the violence and discrimination experienced by trans people. "Terrorizing Gender" is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of gender identity, sexuality, and the intersection of race and gender in contemporary society.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496230539