The Trans* Demands of the Chilean Feminist Tsunami: Signs of a Transfeminist Dialogue from Activism and Research

Abstract

From a situated posthumanist perspective, this essay analyzes some of the signs of the dialogue between trans* activism and non-hegemonic feminisms in Chile. In light of her personal experience as a teacher, activist and trans* graduate student, the author proposes an interpretation of the effects, tensions and precedents of the trans* demands of the Chilean feminist movement of 2018 so-called Feminist Tsunami focusing on the recognition of equal rights for trans* identities in education. Considering this, the demands for recognition of trans* people’s social name and the incorporation of inclusive language in formative educational processes are presented as a reflection of the social justice nexus formed between feminist movements, sexual  dissidences  and  diverse  gender  identities.  After addressing political differences between women’s feminism and transfeminist proposals, two guidelines were analyzed, namely, the ‘off-field’ of the “Procedimiento de Uso del Nombre Social de Estudiantes Trans” of UNAB (2019) and the concept of “cisgender social expectation” in the Panorama del reconocimiento legal de la identidad de género en las Américas of OEA (2020). With that aim this essay concludes that the principles of inclusion should be conceptualized beyond the restrictions of the “cisnormative consensus”.