--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Gender reassignment is an exorcism of the…" description: "\"Gender reassignment is an exorcism of the mother\" — Germaine Greer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/germaine-greer-1521_exorcism_gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-th_2132071.png" --- # Gender reassignment is an exorcism of the mother ![“Gender reassignment is an exorcism of the mother” quote by Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/germaine-greer-1521_exorcism_gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-th_2132071.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/germaine-greer-1521_exorcism_gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-th_2132071.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/germaine-greer-1521_exorcism_gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-th_2132071.png) > “Gender reassignment is an exorcism of the mother” [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gender reassignment is likened to an exorcism of the mother archetype. **In simple terms:** Changing gender is seen as rejecting maternal influence. Key Takeaway Question societal norms. Themes gender identity motherhood Mood critical provocative Type theoretical controversial When to use this quote - therapy - family dynamics - cultural debate Key Concepts feminist theory psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - What does “exorcism” imply? - How do cultural narratives affect gender? A Different Perspective Highly controversial and metaphorical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exorcism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exorcism/) [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Not unlike gender reassignment surgery, someone determines that they are of a different race on the inside and they wish to surgically correct that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-row/not-unlike-gender-reassignment-surgery-someone-determines-that-they/) [Jess Row](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-row/) > [I could have hidden in Boston and lived at home for three years, gone through my transition, taken voice lessons to make my voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-nef/i-could-have-hidden-in-boston-and-lived-at-home-for-three-years-gone/) [Hari Nef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-nef/) > [In school I was always being cast as the clown. And then I did 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose,' and once people hear you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-carpenter/in-school-i-was-always-being-cast-as-the-clown-and-then-i-did-the/) [Jennifer Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-carpenter/) > [I was a scared kid... I think I was born a nervous wreck, and I think movies were one way to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-was-a-scared-kid-i-think-i-was-born-a-nervous-wreck-and-i-think/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“This resentment you feel toward Father Henrique is another example," Holtzman said. "What did the man ever do to you? Nothing. So he botched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/this-resentment-you-feel-toward-father-henrique-is-another-example/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Of course, certain religious expressions are fine. If a tribe of Aqualishes wants to boil rhino horns in frog saliva on the National Mall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-parker/of-course-certain-religious-expressions-are-fine-if-a-tribe-of/) [Kathleen Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-parker/) > [“Only after you've done the exorcism, then you'll understand that ghost's also a species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/only-after-you-ve-done-the-exorcism-then-you-ll-understand-that-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“This book, for me, is less an exercise in recall than exorcism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-book-for-me-is-less-an-exercise-in-recall-than-exorcism/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [Danced healing rituals (in African village compounds, temple courtyards, dance-therapy studios, public theaters, and other social settings) reinvoke old traumas for exorcism and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lynne-hanna/danced-healing-rituals-in-african-village-compounds-temple-courtyards/) [Judith Lynne Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lynne-hanna/) > [Every book for me is an exorcism in some way or another, working through my feelings at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/every-book-for-me-is-an-exorcism-in-some-way-or-another-working/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/and-as-the-hour-approached-for-the-execution-in-his-own-mind-collins/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Performing an exorcism was like changing your oil. It's a drag, but necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/performing-an-exorcism-was-like-changing-your-oil-it-s-a-drag-but/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [I had a full exorcism performed on me from an archbishop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zak-bagans/i-had-a-full-exorcism-performed-on-me-from-an-archbishop/) [Zak Bagans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zak-bagans/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I began with small roles in successful movies like 'No Country For Old Men' by the Coen brothers; but it was 'The Last Exorcism'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-landry-jones/i-began-with-small-roles-in-successful-movies-like-no-country-for-old/) [Caleb Landry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-landry-jones/) ## More by Germaine Greer > [You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/you-re-only-young-once-but-you-can-be-immature-forever/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Is it too much to ask that women be spared the daily struggle for superhuman beauty in order to offer it to the caresses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/is-it-too-much-to-ask-that-women-be-spared-the-daily-struggle-for/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [“Female castration results in concentration of her feelings upon her male companion, and her impotence in confrontations with her own kind. Because all her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/female-castration-results-in-concentration-of-her-feelings-upon-her/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness-and-duplicity-since-the-dawn/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [“Psychologists cannot fix the world so they fix women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/psychologists-cannot-fix-the-world-so-they-fix-women/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Bras are a ludicrous invention; but if you make bralessness a rule, you're just subjecting yourself to yet another repression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/bras-are-a-ludicrous-invention-but-if-you-make-bralessness-a-rule-you/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-essence-of-pleasure-is-spontaneity/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [If a person loves only one other person, and is indifferent to his fellow men, his love is not love but a symbiotic attachment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/if-a-person-loves-only-one-other-person-and-is-indifferent-to-his/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Gillard is as likeable as Rudd is charmless. She is self-deprecating; he is ludicrously vainglorious. She is a mistress of understatement; he is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/gillard-is-as-likeable-as-rudd-is-charmless-she-is-self-deprecating/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [“Liberty is terrifying but it is also exhilarating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/liberty-is-terrifying-but-it-is-also-exhilarating/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [It is often falsely assumed, even by feminists, that sexuality is the enemy of the female who really wants to develop these aspects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/it-is-often-falsely-assumed-even-by-feminists-that-sexuality-is-the/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Women who were housewives, who were pretty miserable ... felt inspired by her book and their life changed. They didn't become megastars, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/women-who-were-housewives-who-were-pretty-miserable-felt-inspired-by/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [It is in our interests to let the police and their employers go on believing that the Underground is a conspiracy, because it increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/it-is-in-our-interests-to-let-the-police-and-their-employers-go-on/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Rescuing women from their burden of unwarranted guilt is going to require 'educational practices and socializing agents' even more effective than the ones that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/rescuing-women-from-their-burden-of-unwarranted-guilt-is-going-to/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Men have still not realized that letting women do so much of the work for so little reward makes a man in the house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/men-have-still-not-realized-that-letting-women-do-so-much-of-the-work/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) [Explore all 232 Germaine Greer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) ## More Exorcism quotes > [I began with small roles in successful movies like 'No Country For Old Men' by the Coen brothers; but it was 'The Last Exorcism'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-landry-jones/i-began-with-small-roles-in-successful-movies-like-no-country-for-old/) [Caleb Landry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-landry-jones/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I had a full exorcism performed on me from an archbishop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zak-bagans/i-had-a-full-exorcism-performed-on-me-from-an-archbishop/) [Zak Bagans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zak-bagans/) > [Performing an exorcism was like changing your oil. It's a drag, but necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/performing-an-exorcism-was-like-changing-your-oil-it-s-a-drag-but/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/and-as-the-hour-approached-for-the-execution-in-his-own-mind-collins/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Every book for me is an exorcism in some way or another, working through my feelings at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/every-book-for-me-is-an-exorcism-in-some-way-or-another-working/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [Danced healing rituals (in African village compounds, temple courtyards, dance-therapy studios, public theaters, and other social settings) reinvoke old traumas for exorcism and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lynne-hanna/danced-healing-rituals-in-african-village-compounds-temple-courtyards/) [Judith Lynne Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lynne-hanna/) > [“This book, for me, is less an exercise in recall than exorcism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-book-for-me-is-less-an-exercise-in-recall-than-exorcism/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Only after you've done the exorcism, then you'll understand that ghost's also a species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/only-after-you-ve-done-the-exorcism-then-you-ll-understand-that-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Of course, certain religious expressions are fine. If a tribe of Aqualishes wants to boil rhino horns in frog saliva on the National Mall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-parker/of-course-certain-religious-expressions-are-fine-if-a-tribe-of/) [Kathleen Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-parker/) > [“This resentment you feel toward Father Henrique is another example," Holtzman said. "What did the man ever do to you? Nothing. So he botched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/this-resentment-you-feel-toward-father-henrique-is-another-example/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [I was a scared kid... I think I was born a nervous wreck, and I think movies were one way to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-was-a-scared-kid-i-think-i-was-born-a-nervous-wreck-and-i-think/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [In school I was always being cast as the clown. And then I did 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose,' and once people hear you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-carpenter/in-school-i-was-always-being-cast-as-the-clown-and-then-i-did-the/) [Jennifer Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-carpenter/) > [One of the things people don't know about exorcism, is that you can't really use exorcism on things that are older than Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-ashcroft-nowicki/one-of-the-things-people-don-t-know-about-exorcism-is-that-you-can-t/) [Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-ashcroft-nowicki/) > [I was haunted by a bear attack that happened in Algonquin Park in 1991. The problem was that I don't believe in ghosts, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-cameron/i-was-haunted-by-a-bear-attack-that-happened-in-algonquin-park-in/) [Claire Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-cameron/) [Browse all 86 Exorcism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exorcism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Gender reassignment is an exorcism of the mother", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Germaine Greer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-the-mother/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exorcism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-the-mother/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/germaine-greer-1521_exorcism_gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-th_2132071.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/germaine-greer-1521_exorcism_gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-th_2132071.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/germaine-greer-1521_exorcism_gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-th_2132071.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Gender reassignment is an exorcism of the mother” — Germaine Greer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Germaine Greer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Gender reassignment is an exorcism of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-the-mother/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/gender-reassignment-is-an-exorcism-of-the-mother/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```