I had a truly wonderful conversation with @mburkephd.bsky.social about their book. We talked about everything from Beauvoir, to how anti-trans twist feminism for their own ends, to an ethics of affirming gendered existence. When the world is chaos, this philosophy helped me feel grounded.

We’ve Psychologized ENM. What About Ethics? Why internal work isn’t the same as relational ethics, and why that distinction matters.

this is my first post (stack?)— read, share, subscribe? please and ty🙏✨🌈
open.substack.com/pub/memyself...

Megan Burke | Substack Simone de Beauvoir fangirl, philosopher, former tenured professor, and seeker of flawless macarons. Mostly here to obsess over the ethics of ethical non-monogamy, but you might catch me musing and ran...

given that my intellectual world is changing a lot because of getting the 🪓, i started a #layoffera Substack 😝 i’m hoping it will be a good space for conversation, even if just with myself, for a book project i’ve had in the works on ENM. memyselfandothers.substack.com

BECOMING A WOMAN: SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR & THE POLITICS OF TRANS EXISTENCE by Megan Burke. Cover has a photo of Beauvoir with a trans flag draped over her shoulders like a shawl on a black background.

Highly recommend Megan Burke’s BECOMING A WOMAN: SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR & THE POLITICS OF TRANS EXISTENCE. Burke draws on Beauvoir’s existentialist ethics of ambiguity to argue for trans first-person authority (trans FPA) & the “commitment to gender self-determination” as social practices.

While Tables Burn: On the (Non) Existence of Trans People and the Failure of Philosophy (guest post) - Daily Nous “There are indeed consequences when we punch down or pretend that what is, in fact, a hostile attack, is merely ‘inquiry for inquiry’s sake.’ Aside from the emotional wounds we inflict on actual peopl...

"It is a common assumption in philosophy that absolutely everything is up for grabs... there is something right about that. What I am now inclined to doubt, however, is that... any one philosopher can [ethically] open a critical challenge to absolutely anything..."

Notably, my department has been profitable, as have the majority of departments slated for annihilation.

SSU president says ‘there is not a Plan B’ as students, faculty lambast budget cuts, transparency Hundreds packed Seawolf Plaza to watch a virtual town hall hosted by Sonoma State University Interim President Emily Cutrer Thursday, with 1,410 more attending on Zoom.

www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Facing Huge Deficit, Sonoma State University Makes Massive Cuts, Ends Athletics Facing a $23.9 million deficit, Sonoma State University will enact large budget cuts, including laying off faculty and eliminating its intercollegiate athletics program.

for more on the situation:

www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

Sign the Petition Saving SSU Philosophy

Consider signing and circulating this statement of support for my department as we are facing full annihilation by the CSU. It’s a cruel move and a worrisome sign about the reality and future of higher ed.

www.change.org/p/saving-ssu...

The #SSU cuts weren't random, but drawn from across the liberal arts and sciences. Pre-professional programs were spared. The agenda is to replace higher education with vocational education, and not just at SSU. CA Legislature: In an age of misinformation, we need higher education. #SonomaState

Stoked for this!

according to SSU President, cutting my department (philosophy) and WGS (and many other programs) “will help us ensure long-term fiscal stability,” and will help the campus “meet the changing needs of future generations of students” ….

what a sad state we’re in.

Book on table: Becoming a Woman: Simone de Beauvoir and the Politics of Trans Existence by Megan Burke

Just arrived in the mail: new book by Beauvoir scholar @mburkephd.bsky.social on becoming and the politics of trans existence!

truly honored to have you read and teach my book @amymarvin.bsky.social

my colleagues and collaborators in WGS at Sonoma State deserve support 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

As one of the five tenured faculty in the PHIL department at Sonoma, I can confirm we all received lay off notices yesterday that terminate our contracts as of July 2025

Philosophy Major and Department at Risk in Sonoma State Budget Bloodbath - Daily Nous The philosophy major at Sonoma State University is among several degree programs slated for elimination at Sonoma State University, and the philosophy department is one of six that will be closed, acc...

Sonoma State president proposes eliminating philosophy and other departments and majors...

well. today my entire department (all tenured faculty) received notice that our department was being eliminate and we were being layed off. no more philosophy at a public institution that claims to value liberal arts and social justice. not exactly how i imagined my academic career but here we are

i always look forward to reading anything by @perryzurn.bsky.social. can’t wait for this one.

Book cover of Post-Nonmonogamy and Beyond

I didn’t imagine thinking about post-nonmonogamy while doing that research/reading thing for a new book project on ethical nonmonogamy. But I came across Post-Nonmonogamy and Beyond by @andreazanin.bsky.social and I’m so glad I did. Voice, style, content… I felt held by it all the entire time.

doing a rapid 48 hour stop in London next week before 4 days in Edinburgh (never been!)
food, fun, etc. recs welcome.

My new book with
@politybooks on Beauvoir, trans antagonisms, and gender freedom is now out in the UK.

US release is January 2025. 🏳️‍⚧️

Through a careful examination of Simone de Beauvoir's philosophical and political commitments, Becoming a Woman explores the significance of her notion of becoming not only as affirmative of trans women, but also as an ethical demand to affirm trans possibilities.

See more: www.politybooks.com/...