Critical reflections on sex eliminativism

This article offers a basic characterization and typology of contemporary theories of sex eliminativism while critically examining their scope and limitations. Through an analysis of the work by Evron, Watkins and DiMarco and Ciccia, I assess whether sex eliminativism constitutes a viable epistemological and ontological strategy. I argue that, while these approaches allow us to problematize the naturalization of sex and reveal its role in the reproduction of social hierarchies, they also face major theoretical and empirical challenges, particularly in their most radical versions. Finally, I propose a minimal pluralist realism as an alternative that preserves the critical power of these approaches without falling victim to an empirically and epistemologically weak approach.