M. J. Murphy
Mar 3, 2021

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Interesting question: no matter where you draw the line, any kind of separate space is going to exclude someone. Even an all inclusive LGBTQIA+ campground is going to exclude cisgender heterosexual people. This is why I think "exclusion" or "discrimination" shouldn't be the main criterion for acceptability when we're evaluating minority separate spaces. Better ones might be, "What purpose is this space serving and is the exclusion necessary for that purpose to be served?" I feel excluding same-sex attracted/gay-identified transmen from gay men's campgrounds is probably not justified, given the purpose of most gay men's campgrounds. But that doesn't mean calls for inclusion won't be resisted. These spaces have a legacy. They mean something to those who patronize them. Ignoring that is probably not the path to needed change.

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M. J. Murphy
M. J. Murphy

Written by M. J. Murphy

Professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies, Univ. Illinois Springfield

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