Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"Understanding conservative legal arguments against SB 179 requires uncovering under-studied aspects of U.S. law regulating gender authenticity and gender vulnerability. Since the colonial era, codes regulating dress have been part of managing racial hierarchy, gender conformity, and class difference. These laws treated transgressing race and gender boundaries not only as ' fraud' -- passing oneself off as someone else -- but often as ' theft' -- stealing identities that come with explicit and implicit power advantages. Contrary to conservative views, however, changing one's identification to align with one's gender isn't concealing anything -- it brings identifying documents into line with actual identity. Far from enabling 'fraud,' SB 179 eliminates the fraudulence of fixed-at-birth binary gender classification for gender minorities." -- Nadja Eisenberg-Guyot, "From Masquerade Laws to Bathroom Bills: The ugly legal history behind the opposition to California's new trans rights bill.", 2017-12-08