my sisters...

The Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity reading reminded me of several class discussions in one of my courses last semester. In Black Female Body in American Literature, we often discussed, not just the Black female body, but the bodies of women in general. This reading allowed for me to interpret the body differently-- seeing the skin as boundaries and the curves as codes of cultural coherence (497). I appreciate the discussion of AIDS and how its viewed at a pollution that invades the boundaries. I agree with notion that many people in this era still believe AIDS in merely a homosexual disease. Heterosexuals are not exempt! All the stereotypes about the disease and the lifestyles of homosexuals need to be squashed. These stereotypes were also seen in the Transgender Butch reading. Many people are uneducated about what it is truly like to feel like you were born into the wrong body. Halberstam's explanation of the conflicts between the butch community and the FTM community was unique. I didn't know what FTM stood for, so I researched the definition. I, like many others, tend to forget about transgender Females to Males. I normally think of males transforming into women. I learned about the FTMs.
My favorite reading...
The Woman- Identified Woman was an interesting piece. Although some of the creative language caught me for a minute, I was able to comprehend and relate the piece to everyday life. The interpretation of how women are forced to relate to other women and themselves through male societal views made perfect sense to me. The most memorable aspect of the reading was on page 241. “The man confers on us just one thing: the slave status which makes us legitimate in the eyes of the society in which we live. This is called ‘femininity’ or ‘being a real woman’… we are authentic, legitimate, real… [once] we are property of some man whose name we bear”. Because I am already a stubborn woman who has decided to reject many feminine roles “expected” of me, I completely agree with the above quote. I am firm in my “anti-marriage” and “anti-child bearing or caring” stance, not because I feel so oppressed by the male society I was raised in, but for personal reasons that many people over time have disagreed with. I agree, also, with the writer’s point that “as long as we are dependent on male culture for [the definition of what it means to be ‘real women’], for this approval, we cannot be free” (241) . I think it is important for us, as woman, to find our independency, and reject all the negative aspects our culture has taught us about ourselves. We should not fear or avoid our sisters or their stories just because we can’t handle the truth. We must face the oppression within ourselves and our sisters. I admire the writer’s emphasis on joining in the fight WITH our sisters.