Kajsa Ekis Ekman - On the Meaning of Sex: Thoughts about the New Definition of Woman

On the Meaning of Sex by Kajsa Ekis Ekman is clearly written, thoroughly researched, and one of the most intelligent and impressive trawls through the madness of gender ideology to date. Anyone in two minds about whether or not trans orthodoxy causes harms wont be after reading this book.

Julie Bindel, journalist and author of The Pimping of Prostitution and Feminism for Women

Kajsa Ekis Ekman describes the ascent of gender essentialism, jettisoning us into a brave new world where those deemed insufficiently masculine or feminine are encouraged to take hormones and have surgery. It can only be hoped as many people as possible read this book and are made aware of the full horrors taking place in the guise of what purports to be a progressive ideology. Ekmans clear analysis demonstrates how the trans movement is working to effectively dismantle feminism and guilt trip and coerce women into their own erasure. One day we will look back in wonder on a time when people were ready to recognise a persons sex on the basis of their say-so, ignoring the evidence of their own senses and disregarding cautionary instincts developed to safeguard women and children from male sexual predators.

Anna Kerr, Principal Solicitor, Feminist Legal Clinic

In this book, Kajsa Ekis Ekman uses her piercing intelligence to provide an excellent overview of how we have come to such a sorry pass, in which men who pretend to be women and their supporters have been able to smash feminism and overturn womens rights. She focuses on issues that have not yet been treated by other feminist critics with such forensic attention, such as why transmen are ignored and treated with contempt, as women always are, while their brothers, the transvestites, have become the pin-up girls of culture. In a gripping chapter on the creation of the cis-person, Ekman examines what happens to women when they are downgraded and erased by transgender politics, to great and frightening effect. Kajsa Ekis Ekman has written a fascinating book.

Sheila Jeffreys, author of Penile Imperialism: The Male Sex Right and Womens Subordination

Kajsa Ekis Ekman has provided what so many people confused by gender identity theory need: A critical assessment that is fair and blunt, analytically precise and unafraid of challenging both liberal AND patriarchal dogma. On the Meaning of Sex is a brilliant examination of the intellectually incoherent and anti-feminist ideas of gender identity theory. Ekmans clear thinking and clear prose are a much-needed antidote to the muddled conversation about sex and gender in mainstream culture. Many of us encounter gender identity theory and think, But that doesnt make any sense. Ekmans account of history and science explains why in a way that helps everyone, including people who identify as trans.

Robert Jensen, Emeritus Professor, University of Texas at Austin; author of The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men

On The Meaning of Sex chronicles this centurys return of regressive stereotypes of women to western culture through a close examination of transgender ideology and the scientific hokum being churned out of academic institutions and corporate media that reverse the advances made by the Enlightenment where science has been erased by the cult of emotion and misogyny. Ekman brings a refreshing analysis to how the creation of the trans person necessitates the conterminous invention of the cis-person that together cannibalise the biological and political realities of women and girls in order to gender wash male violence as female within a movement that portrays itself as progressive when it is anything but.

Julian Vigo, anthropologist, journalist, writer, editor of Savage Minds

Kajsa Ekis Ekman is a Swedish author and journalist, born in 1980. She has written four books on womens rights, capitalism and economic crisis. Her book Being and Being Bought: Prostitution, Surrogacy and the Split Self was published by Spinifex Press in 2013. She lectures internationally on trafficking and surrogacy and her TEDx talk Everyone talks about capitalism, but what is it? has been seen by 250,000 people. She is a critic at the Swedish major daily Aftonbladet and the founder of the workers blog portal arbetarbloggen.se.

Other books by Kajsa Ekis Ekman

Om knets existens tankar om den nya synen p kn, 2021

Bokfrlaget Polaris, Stockholm

[Swedish edition of On the Meaning of Sex: Thoughts about the New Definition of Woman]

Sobre la existencia del sexo Reflexiones sobre la nueva perspectiva de gnero, 2021

Translated by Carolina Morena

Ediciones Ctedra, Universitat de Valncia

[Spanish edition of On the Meaning of Sex: Thoughts about the New Definition of Woman]

Skulden eurokrisen sedd frn Aten, 2014

Leopard Frlag. Stockholm

[The debt: The euro crisis seen from Athens]

Being and Being Bought: Prostitution, Surrogacy and the Split Self, 2013

Translated by Suzanne Martin Cheadle from Varat och Varan

Spinifex Press, Melbourne

We respectfully acknowledge the wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their custodianship of the lands and waterways. Spinifex offices are located on Djiru, Bunurong, Wadawurrung, Eora, and Noongar Country.

First published by Spinifex Press, 2023

Spinifex Press Pty Ltd

PO Box 5270, North Geelong, VIC 3215, Australia

PO Box 105, Mission Beach, QLD 4852, Australia

www.spinifexpress.com.au

First published in Swedish by Bokfrlaget Polaris as

Om knets existens tankar om den nya synen p kn

Translated from Swedish by Kristina Mki

The publication of this book has been supported

by a translation grant from the Swedish Arts Council

Copyright Kajsa Ekis Ekman, 2023

Copyright Translation Kristina Mki, 2023

The moral right of the author and translator has been asserted.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of the book.

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Edited by Renate Klein, Pauline Hopkins and Susan Hawthorne

Index by Aviva Xue

Cover design by Deb Snibson

Typesetting by Helen Christie, Blue Wren Books

Typeset in Albertina

ISBN: 9781925950663 (paperback)

ISBN: 9781925950670 (ebook)