Transsexual : Transgendering and Transcending the gender Discrimination of Patriarchy in KalkiSubramaniam’sPhallus I Cut

Abstract

Transgender studies evolved as a separate discipline when writers like Judith Butler in her preface to the second edition of her work, “Gender Trouble” published in 1990 remarked that “If I were to rewrite this book under present circumstances, I would include a discussion of transgender and intersexuality”. This marks the emergence of transgender studies as a distinct discipline.  Her work, “Gender Trouble” is a foundational work for queer theory and laid bases for researches in gender studies and queer theory.  Judith Butler’s Undoing Gender created a lot of controversy when it was published in 2004. The recent reflections on gender and sexuality in the society focuses on breaking the stereotyping role of a gender Undoing Gender answers the issues and challenges raised by Gender Trouble published by Butler. The term “undoing gender” is a challenge to the gender norms and gender performativity fixed by the society discussed in Gender Trouble by Judith Butler. The new gender politics that emerged in the recent years in society and reflected in many literary works focusing on gender issues have paved way to undoing gender in the society. This gender politics has led to transgender, transsexuality, intersex and has led to complex relations to gender and queer theory. Butler has analyzed the terms of recognition and desire in the problem of gender. This research paper analyzes the transgender issues faced by the persona in KalkiSubramaniam’sPhallus I Cut.