Transgressive definitions: Kimberly Nixon and the sociological effects of language imprecision

In 1995 Kimberly Nixon, a transsexual woman, attempted to become a peer counsellor at Vancouver Rape Relief Society. Based on that organization's restrictive definition of the term `woman,' she was denied this opportunity based on her previous male identity. This thesis looks at the use of language in identity and category construction, using the Nixon case to ground theoretical work. It also uses the concept of vagueness to investigate the nature of categorical boundaries, and queer theory to propose possible solutions to problems of identity labelling.