Enemy of a Nation: Intersectional Theories of Oppression Within Trans-Exclusionary Lesbian Feminisms
Location
Ponderosa Room B
Presentation Type
Presentation
Presentation Topic
History, Psychology, Sociology, Gender Studies, Politics, Sexuality Studies, Women's Studies
Start Date
6-3-2026 2:30 PM
Event Sort Order
42
Abstract
In the 1970s, lesbian-feminist communities in the United States of America struggled to integrate the complexities of the intersectionality of gender and sexuality. The nature of this relationship is inextricably interlinked with the search for a nonmedicalized and empowering lesbian identity, which was a prevalent topic during the peak of lesbian-feminism in response to centuries of lesbian erasure and criminalized homosexuality. Rather than focusing all efforts on confronting oppressive institutional and social structures that rendered them psychologically perverse, extremist lesbian feminists created a new enemy, popularizing a demonized representation of transgender women as “aggressive sexual predators” that infiltrated national discourse. In part, transphobic lesbian-identified individuals collectively heightened their social standing through further oppressing transgender individuals, reproducing the same systems that once rendered them marginalized through the othering of individuals with whom they once shared oppressive status with. However, the majority of lesbian organizations with transgender exclusive policies inspired division between marginalized groups, empowered anti LGBTQ+ rhetoric further, and cultivated their own downfall. The attempted methods of liberation used by these extremist groups perpetuate a one-dimensional understanding of multiple systems of domination that have historically impacted all LGBTQ+ individuals. I argue that this single-axis framework contributed to the foundation of contemporary transphobic policies, conversations, and ideologies that label transgender women as sexual predators, and aided in the empowerment of anti-LGBTQ+ structures. This research employs an intersectional analysis of trans-exclusionary lesbian-feminist involvement in framing contemporary depictions of transgender women as predatory, which ultimately further disempowers the entirety of the LGBTQ+ community. Research methods utilize an intersectional framework in integrating comparative historiographical analyses of secondary and primary literature reviews and oral history. This research contributes to broader discussions of intersectional theory, transgender and lesbian history, and studies on the theories of oppression.
Enemy of a Nation: Intersectional Theories of Oppression Within Trans-Exclusionary Lesbian Feminisms
Ponderosa Room B
In the 1970s, lesbian-feminist communities in the United States of America struggled to integrate the complexities of the intersectionality of gender and sexuality. The nature of this relationship is inextricably interlinked with the search for a nonmedicalized and empowering lesbian identity, which was a prevalent topic during the peak of lesbian-feminism in response to centuries of lesbian erasure and criminalized homosexuality. Rather than focusing all efforts on confronting oppressive institutional and social structures that rendered them psychologically perverse, extremist lesbian feminists created a new enemy, popularizing a demonized representation of transgender women as “aggressive sexual predators” that infiltrated national discourse. In part, transphobic lesbian-identified individuals collectively heightened their social standing through further oppressing transgender individuals, reproducing the same systems that once rendered them marginalized through the othering of individuals with whom they once shared oppressive status with. However, the majority of lesbian organizations with transgender exclusive policies inspired division between marginalized groups, empowered anti LGBTQ+ rhetoric further, and cultivated their own downfall. The attempted methods of liberation used by these extremist groups perpetuate a one-dimensional understanding of multiple systems of domination that have historically impacted all LGBTQ+ individuals. I argue that this single-axis framework contributed to the foundation of contemporary transphobic policies, conversations, and ideologies that label transgender women as sexual predators, and aided in the empowerment of anti-LGBTQ+ structures. This research employs an intersectional analysis of trans-exclusionary lesbian-feminist involvement in framing contemporary depictions of transgender women as predatory, which ultimately further disempowers the entirety of the LGBTQ+ community. Research methods utilize an intersectional framework in integrating comparative historiographical analyses of secondary and primary literature reviews and oral history. This research contributes to broader discussions of intersectional theory, transgender and lesbian history, and studies on the theories of oppression.
Presenter Bio
Ashley Wood is a Senior Undergraduate student majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a researcher for the Departments of History and Psychology at the University of Central Oklahoma Women’s Research and BGLTQ+ Student Center. Ashley is a member of the National Organization for Women, Phi Alpha Theta Historical Honor Society, and the Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship Organization. She is also the Vice President of a university political organization (Nov 2024-Aug 2026) and was an admissions recruiter for the University of Central Oklahoma (Jan 2023- May 2025). Ashley is a recipient of the Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activities Grant from the University of Central Oklahoma (Aug 2025- May 2026). She has held internships at the Diversity Center of Oklahoma (May-Aug 2025), Sexual Health Ambassador Program at the University of Central Oklahoma (Aug 2025- May 2026), and the Clara Luper Freedom Center Archives (Jan-May 2026). Ashley recently presented at the 10th Annual International Gender and Sexuality Studies Conference (Oct 2025) and has been accepted to speak at two upcoming conferences. She plans to begin her Graduate studies in History in the Fall of 2026. A fun fact about Ashley is that she almost became a train conductor in Alaska.