“The Serious World of Cis”

Megan Burke, Sonoma State University

This talk considers anti-transgender legislation, particularly that which targets trans kids, as an institution of cis meaning. It is argued that cisness is a “serious world” instituted and maintained by a structure of meaning that enforces a closure of lived space and time. Accordingly, it is suggested that gender freedom, and the freedom of trans kids in particular, has much to do with how and to what extent adults impose meaning onto kids. This account leads to a consideration of the value of gender affirmation in the lives of trans kids as a condition of possibility for moral freedom.