Trans liberation Movement-

Before reading the writings of Leslie Feinberg, I was unaware that a Trans liberation movement was happening. I like how Feinberg describes the movement as, “We are again raising questions about the societal treatment of people based on their sex and gender expression…And trans communities are carrying out these mass conversations with the goal of creating a movement capable of fighting for justice—of righting the wrongs” (Feinberg, pp. 5). Based on what Feinberg had to say on her societal treatment because of gender expression, many wrongs need to be made right.
I was shocked when I read that she was denied treatment from a doctor and outwardly told to leave, in which case she could have died. The most sickening part of that story though was how the doctor went on to be seductive with a female nurse. This just shows the harshness people who go against the “norm” face on a daily basis. After reading this story, I acknowledged something in a first-hand account that (although not a case of life and death) reflected the discrimination Feinberg writes about.
I work as a server and one of my coworkers, born a male, dresses up as a female much of the time. He pondered what the case would be if he dressed female when coming into work and decided to question a manager about it. The manager told him that if he were to decide to work and dress as a female, there would have to be a separate bathroom built for him, and that he would have to shave his face in between shifts if he worked all day. The manager also informed him that if this was something he was going to go through with, it would not be surprising if he were fired before the process could start for other unsaid reasons. This story shows how strongly our born sex plays the majority of how we are supposed to identify as a gender. He would have lost his job if he wanted his outward appearance to reflect his self-identified gender.
Something else that I think is interesting in the Feinberg book is how she writes about the identity from birth of pink and blue, but to take the concept further than the colors is the celebration of sex among infants. Everyone has seen the balloons that exclaim, “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” What balloon is bought for the baby who cannot be labeled immediately based on genitals? The stigma surrounding these types of situations will follow a person who is transgender or a person with multiple sex organs from birth and throughout their lives.
Feinberg seems to clearly know what is expected from her as a born female, yet does not mind to go against the grain or many norms. Similarly to Feinberg writings is Susan Stryker’s definition of queer. She says that, “If you are queer you are aware of where your boundaries are, and when you cross them” (Stryker). I see the truth in this statement daily, and hope that Feinberg and others will continue the fight for social justice so that people are no longer policed for who they are.

An article that steers me in the direction that trans liberation is becoming a progressional and acknowledged movement.


Works Cited:
Feinberg, L., We are all works in progress. Transliberation.
Stryker, S., Definition of queer.

Violence and Women

The readings, acknowledging violence done unto women, tell the stories of violence from different perspectives. Violence against women is situational and although some cases of violence can be similar, there are also striking differences. It is made clear in Kimberle Crenshaw’s article, “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color,” that violence can be all the more difficult to overcome for women of color.
It is white females whose voices get heard most often when speaking out against physical and verbal abuse, although it affects a spectrum of women. Shocking to me, Crenshaw documents a case of a Spanish speaking woman who struggled to find shelter, saying, “Despite this woman’s desperate need, she was unable to receive the protection afforded English-speaking women, due to the shelter’s rigid commitment to exclusionary policies” (Crenshaw, pp. 204). Wouldn’t it be assumed that shelters would want to help all abused women, and not discriminate against the already beaten down and discriminated?
I never thought about the difficulties women of color and non-English speaking women face when trying to overcome their hardships. It is as if women who already have much working against them: low income, impoverished, English language learners, and so on, have yet another barrier to go up against. The way systems are set-up, this cycle will become a never ending process, and the same story will continue to be told if an action isn’t taken against it.
Following with the theme of violence affecting intersectionality among women is Dorothy Allison’s Two or Three Things I Know for Sure. Her story is not one from a woman of color, but rather a woman of lower economic status. She came from women who accepted the hand they were dealt, so to speak. They never took the initiative to fight against the demeaning mean in their lives, and Allison was beaten and sexually abused by her stepfather. I believe that is issues like this that need to be addressed most often. Allison writes about her account of rape, telling, “that thirty years later one of my aunts could still say to me that she didn’t really believe it..” (Allison, pp. 42). If a five year old girl is being abused and the only people she is surrounded with find no truth in what she is saying, where does she find an outlet? Where does she find strength?
The women who are writing the books and articles we read are where the strength lies for some women. It is having the courage to tell the story of abuse and rape, because if you are writing the story, you have survived. The abuse, violence, and rape are the obstacles to overcome, but it is the survival, the determination, and the fight that should be most acknowledged. By hearing the triumphant stories of these women, the oppressed and beaten down women will be exposed to the hope that can come from there situations. These survivors can be heroes.
My mom has become one of these heroes for me. She hasn’t told her story to the masses, but by trusting me with her experience with rape and violence, I have a first-hand account of how a woman can be strong enough to come out of any situation. Stories like this will continue to empower.

Included is a link to stop Violence against Women.

Cited from:
Crenshaw, K. 1991. Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color. Introduction to Women's Studies. 200.

Dorothy, A. 1995. Two or Three Things I Know for Sure. 43.

Oh-so-sweet society

After reading Evelyn Alsultany, Lauren Martin, and Eli Clare, I noticed a commonality among all of the readers: society’s impact on body image, gender, and sexuality. Throughout Alsultany’s “Los Intersticios,” she talks about her identity—the way others view her. It’s as if the richness of her as an individual is swept away when someone wants to put her into one category. She was a different person in different scenarios. Something she writes that was gripping to me is, “I seek to decolonize these essentialized frameworks, so that I can move through public space without strategizing a performance, selecting a mask for each scenario” (Alsultany, p. 295). She claims separate identities depending on who she is around. I struggle with the idea of “colorblindness” while reading this article.
I used to think that being color blind was a good thing. How idealistic to see the world in one color. As I have grown more as a person, it is the color and the experience that I appreciate. Alsultany’s color/culture and background is what makes her a significant individual. She says that her identity is split between Cuban, Arab, and American, yet it is this combination that makes her who she is. However, she is forced to identify with one more than another from others, while identifying with all of them through her own lenses. The reason this mix of identity complicates her life is because each culture she identifies with wants to put a specific label on her. If people could be more open minded and accept and be interested in the multitude of qualities that form a person, the world could be a much better place. I think the phrase “color” awareness and acceptance is much more effective than colorblindness. (Color being used as a blanket term for background)
Eli Clare’s article, “Gawking, Gaping, Staring,” goes hand in hand with the common theme of societal views. The article covers how he, Eli, (once known as Elizabeth) is viewed by his peers. Who is he to identify with? Some call him a butch, and others a feminine homosexual. He writes, “Whom do we shape our masculinities, our femininities, after?” (Clare, 227). These features are shaped by the qualities we see among others in our culture or society. He knows where he identifies but someone has to mold him and label him in some way. It is as if society gets temperamental when they have no group to put you into.
After reading these articles, I think about all the ways society puts us into groups in order to label us or pin us down: race, culture, gender, socioeconomic class, and the list could go on and on. My question is why do we have to be so specifically categorized? We are all people and share the commonality of humanity, but also are different in infinite aspects. When will a person have the ability to walk down the street freely and not be whispered about, “Is that a boy or a girl?” in Clare’s case, or have their cultural identity questioned like Alsultany.

A link I have included is about Eli Clare more as an individual that I found interesting.

Works Cited
Alsultany, E. (n.d.). Los Intersticios: Recasting Moving Selves. 295.
Clare, E. (n.d.). Gawking, Gaping, Staring. 227.

You wanna know bout' me? Let me tell ya.

Three random things about yours truly...

1. I love creative writing; I write about everything. So, I will probably write about you...
2. I have a one year old labrador who I have accepted as my son :).
3. I'm a coffeeaholic and currently eating chocolate covered espresso beans.