ABSTRACT

Philosophical third wave feminism seems particularly related to queer theory because of its socially constructive approach to gender, its radical element, its interdisciplinary ethos and intersectionality theory. Third wave feminism has focused upon the positive effects of identifying and accepting contradiction where no rational aeiological explanations are forthcoming or where such explanations may merely serve to cause divisions. This kind of philosophical perspective would allow Halley to take a break from the prescriptive enclaves she perceived that feminism and gay rights had become in the US. According to McAdams, individuals may gain subjectivity through agency, meaning their positioning in power relationships through experience of acceptance, achievement and access, and/or through communion, referring to relations of love and intimacy. Communion is not necessarily more desirable for trans subjectivity and feminism than agency but is something that can temper the excesses of domineering agency.