Abstract
Academics and activists are witnessing a rewrite of significant issues about and around gender identity. Related to its history, such notion displays itself as a struggle arena. While different meanings are in tension, worldwide legal advances intervene, leaving marks on the debate. In this paper, I will focus on the Argentinian Gender Identity Law in order to argue that gender identity is biotechnologically and legally produced. What is more, I will hold that identity is not only produced, it is also violently produced, given that neither biotechnology nor the laws are free from violence. Finally, I will reflect that the text of the law challenges the violence with which identities are constituted.
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Notes
- 1.
Even though I will analyse the case of Argentina, it is necessary to turn to some academic discussions that took place in Europe and the United States, since important notions proposed on such debates are constantly rewritten in South America. Nonetheless, I will not make a state of affairs or summarize the more relevant positions. A detailed conceptual history can be seen in Bettcher 2014.
- 2.
To see some interventions on the debate: Revista Intersecciones. Teoría y Crítica Social: http://intersecciones.com.ar/index.php/articulos/148-el-nuevo-nombre-del-transodio-y-el-abolocionismo-radfem, F.R.I.A.: https://friargentina.wordpress.com/2018/02/26/manifiesto-fria-difamaciones-feminismo-radical-radfem/, Agencia Presentes: http://agenciapresentes.org/2019/01/28/al-calabozo-no-volvemos-nunca-mas-y-al-biologicismo-tampoco/.
- 3.
See, for instance, episode 3 “Intersex” of Season 1 of the Netflix documentary “Follow this” regarding intersex claims in Germany. See also BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45914813. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lgbt-new-york/new-york-city-creates-gender-neutral-x-option-for-birth-certificates-idUSKCN1MJ2OP.
- 4.
In Argentina, identification papers (birth certificate and identification card) must express male or female as a registered “sex”.
- 5.
The case is different for underage children (under 18 years old), who can get access to treatments and change their identification papers, but judiciary authority must intervene.
- 6.
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Córdoba, M. (2019). Making Genders: The Biotechnological and Legal Management of Identity. In: Loh, J., Coeckelbergh, M. (eds) Feminist Philosophy of Technology. Techno:Phil – Aktuelle Herausforderungen der Technikphilosophie, vol 2. J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-04967-4_12
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