Open Thread for Personal Stuff: January 2014 Pretty Cats Make Hats Edition

@ katz:

I should clarify I only have experience in the US military, and I cannot remember where you are posting from, so I apologize for making that assumption.

@ Argenti Aetheri

Probably so. Living around it day to day, I tend to think in informal instead of formal/ceremonial context.

@ Robert Ramirez:

Awesome! Those are great, when the whole class is talking in target language. I have to run to work for a fewhours, but meantime, have you ever heard of Pleco or MDBG? Pleco is an awesome free dictionary app for smartphones and tablets, and MDBG is a desktop program with all kinds of great features. I will talk more on this later tonight. Jia you!

@Bonelady

Hey. I wonder if anyone can help me? I teach a college level course in human diversity. One of the topics we talk about is sexual diversity. I’m an archaeologist, although I was trained as an anthropologist as well, but that was over 35 years ago. I could really use some suggestions for basic readings on LGBTQ folks, particularly the BTQ end of the spectrum, for both me (can be long and scholarly) and for my students (basically mostly white, middleclass, with many first generation college attendees). I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

Some books I recommend:

– Sexing the Body by Anne Fausto-Sterling (PDF book is accessible here)
– Evolution’s Rainbow by Joan Roughgarden*
– Whipping Girl by Julia Serano*
– Cross Dressing, Sex, and Gender by Vern L. Bullough and Bonnie Bullough

*I have these as PDF books on my laptop if you want them. You can email me at aaliyahsyed94[at]gmail[dot]com and I’ll send them to you via an email attachment.

Anne Fausto-Sterling’s work on gender and sex is very insightful in that it attempts to deconstruct the male-female sex binary.

I haven’t read Evolution’s Rainbow yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it since it approaches issues pertaining to sex and gender from an evolutionary biology perspective. I don’t know if it would be relevant for you since you’re an anthropologist (although I may be mistaken), but it’s worth checking out regardless.

Whipping Girl is a very flawed book for several reasons (if you’re curious about why I’m critical of the book, I’ll be happy to discuss it with you), but Serano’s critique of queer theory conceptions of sex and gender is interesting and reflects a common disagreement among trans/queer activists. I personally value this book because it helped me realize I was trans, but aside from personal preferences, one reason I value it is that its criticism of anti-trans psychological research and the cis-centric psychiatric community is insightful and very well-argued.

The last book on the list approaches the topic stated in the title from a primarly sociological perspective. The authors explore the various gender dynamics that shaped discourse surrounding gender, gender roles, gender expression, sex as a medical construct, and gender non-conformity in general. It’s a fantastic book for anyone interested in studying those topics, even though it’s kind of old.

Ally, I’m interested in your take on Whipping Girl. Reading it now.

@cloudiah

Basically, Serano reduces transmisogyny to femmephobia (hatred for the femme), which is inaccurate in my view. Femmephobia is certainly an essential component of transmisogyny, but it’s not the only component.

If transmisogyny were only a result of femmephobia, then one would expect cross-dressing men and AMAB trans women to be treated in very similar ways. But despite the conflation of cross-dressing and transness, we are treated worse than cross-dressing men. In fact, the insults directed at cross-dressing men are almost always transmisogynistic in nature – such as the slurs “tr*nny” and “shemale.”

I also disagree with Serano’s bio-centric perspective. She is a biologist, and so I understand why she would take a position that centers biology, but her arguments for the biological cause of transness aren’t too persuasive (even though I sympathize with them because, like her, I feel that bio-centric narratives of transness are comforting in some ways). And although certainly some social constructionists have used their philosophy to marginalize and talk over trans people, it’s still possible to conceive of both sex and gender as social constructs in a way that isn’t cissexist.

There are other criticisms I have, but my mind is kind of rusty right now because I haven’t read the book in ages. Ultimately, I suggest is that you don’t take Whipping Girl as the most authoritative book on trans/queer activism. I used to think that everything I needed to know about trans/queer activism in that book, but having read many other things on the subject (particularly post-structuralist critiques of sex and gender – I’m not talking about Judith Butler here), I now think otherwise.

By the way, AMAB stands for “assigned male at birth.” I should have mentioned that.

AIT — oh that’s fit, you’re military too huh? Sorry, I’m used to pecunium being the (retired) service member around here. You can just call me Argenti btw, and I use gender neutral pronouns (ze, zir), you?

@cloudiah

Sent! I added a little bonus PDF book as well.

@BreakfastMan
“Anyone else here a hardcore gamer, movie nerd, or metal-head”

I’m not sure I would classify myself as a hardcore gamer, it’s well.. too hardcore for me. I do love RPGs though and any game with a great story line. What games do you play?

I’m also more of TV-aficionado than a movie buff and prefer rock and/or blues over metal.

Is any of those pdfs a good introductory one for the general reader, Ally? I’d love to get some info but without plunging into social science language that’s going to leave me going Wut?

@kitteh

Whipping Girl and Sexing the Body are accessible to most readers. They’re well written and not loaded with undefined jargon. I’ll happily send them to you if you want plus a bonus PDF – one that I used to find great difficulty in trying to access. 🙂

I’m trying to find your email on FemBorg but I’ve had no luck so far. X_X I’m not sure why. It would probably easier if you emailed me so I can use your address.