Daniel Raygoza, contributor

CW: References to Sexual Assault

Black transgender women have always taken a special place within societal structures, and by no means are they void of the troubles that come alongside womanhood. That is, the rampant issue of misogyny. When further investigating into the culture that surrounds misogynistic behaviors, there happen to be ties between the hatred of femininity and women, and the hatred of brown and Black individuals within the same community, especially when they are openly transgender-identifying. This has also had disastrous effects on cisgender women, but let me explain before I get ahead of myself.

Transmisogynoir (also written as trans-misogynoir) can be defined as “the specific oppression of Black trans feminine people where anti-Blackness, cissexism, and misogyny form a unique system of oppression” according to an article from the Transgender Law Center titled “Black Trans Women and Black Trans Femmes: Leading & Living Fiercely.” What does this matter, when all queer individuals are at risk of oppression? Well, statistically speaking, not all queer people face the same level of oppression. In the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 42% of respondents who identified as Black claimed they have suffered some from of sexual abuse, whilst another 42% stated that at some point they have been homeless. It is evident that Black transgender people suffer more at the hands of systemic oppression — but how does this relate to and affect various cisgender women?

Recently, one of the most focal talking points made across multiple social platforms has been regarding the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif who participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Multiple claims regarding her identity arose after her sparring match with (white) Italian boxer Angela Carini, where Carini forfeited the match only 45 seconds in, breaking down into tears on the ground. This resulted in an automated win for the Algerian boxer, which ignited the initial sparks of controversy regarding her assigned sex at birth. Immediately, radical feminists such as J.K. Rowling took to X to complain of the “barbaric” nature of the match, claiming that Khelif had been born a man. 

Claims such as these were only fueled through the means of delusion, and held no true basis. The action of questioning a person’s assigned sex is commonly referred to as transvestigation, where non-eurocentric features on women are considered masculine. In reality, these traits can be assigned to any sex, regardless of what they were assigned at birth. Oftentimes, Black women are more at risk for transvestigation, especially those who are the complete opposite of the feminine ideals and beauty standards that white men have placed in society. 

At the end of the day, harmful rhetoric and stereotypes of how the ideal woman should appear only harm those who are marginalized, and the interconnection of racism and transphobia is deep-rooted into contemporary society.