Lately I've had this proposition thrown my way in the case of trans people. They say that trans people are gender conformists because they begin to act like the stereotypes of the gender they're transitioning to, and that somehow goes against the deconstruction of gender norms that feminism works to achieve. I do think it's a genuine question that requires an honest answer. However, I advise you all to remember that I'm a cis female, and that what I tell you is not to be taken as the be-all and end-all of the matter. All I'm gonna do here is give my educated insight on gender conformity and how its connection to transgenderism isn't that clear cut.
Firstly, we must analyse what gender conformity is. Gender conformity is, as you would assume, adhering to what society deems you to be according to your gender. It's like if I remained a housewife and my husband was the breadwinner; we'd be following gender norms that have existed for years. And since trans people, namely trans women, tend to act a lot more like feminine stereotypes, it could come off as them being gender conformists. But just because something feels a certain way, doesn't mean it is that way. I'm womanly as fuck. Sure I do things that could be considered masculine, but I never let anyone forget I'm a woman, I'm far too proud to be one. And whilst I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, I do sometimes act like a stereotype, as in I like to embrace a more vulnerable appeal. Mostly because my husband treats me extra special because of it :D.
But this question stems from a rather big misunderstanding of why people transition in the first place. Transgenderism isn't just an obscure personality trait, it stems from psychological confusion, either through gender dysphoria or social conditions (please keep in mind that not every trans person has dysphoria, and that having dysphoria doesn't automatically link to transgenderism). Trans people don't transition because of some arbitrary reason, they transition because they feel they'd be happier if they were the opposite gender. As such, they act in a way that corresponds to their preferred gender. So if a trans woman feels she has to be womanly by wearing dresses and pouring on a megatonne of makeup, let her. In regards to how this contradicts feminism, I answer that with this; feminism has no problem with women or men adhering to gender norms. They only feel the need to step in when it's done some sort of damage. Feminism lets women choose if they wanna be vulnerable housewives or tough breadwinners, that's all up to them. The thing with gender conformity is that it's almost always forced, and that's where feminism comes in. Feminism also allows people to define their gender identity anyway they like. Trans people also do such. Trans women can still do masculine things and trans men can still do feminine things. That's not exactly rocket science. And let's not forget one of the most important factors:
NOT EVERY TRANS PERSON IS A FEMINIST.
I can't believe I had to say that, but it's true that some trans people are against feminism. Either because they don't know what's good for them (ahem Blaire White) or for some unfortunately valid reasons. Some gender critical feminists and TERFs argue that trans women are really just men disguising themselves as women so they can infiltrate women-only spaces and rape them. Now, that's obviously a heap of bigoted bollocks, but it's equally as important to stress that the chances of a trans person running into one of those undesirable elements is pretty low, and there are many more feminists that would welcome them with open arms, me being one of them.
Now it's time to render a verdict. I vote in favour of the idea that trans people are not necessarily gender conformists on the account that any person can identify their gender anyway they wish. Trans women can be stereotypical princesses, and trans men can be stereotypical sports fanatics. As long as they're not hurting anybody, it shouldn't matter whether they are adhering to gender norms or not.
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