1. Why is it ethical for women to exclude transsexual women from their festivals? Shouldn’t they be embracing the fact that someone would like to experience womanhood and sees the male sex as inferior?
I ask this question because it does not make sense as to why women would not be accepting of those who see the beauty and have an obvious connection with the female body. This was in Emi Koyama’s piece about the Womyn’s festivals. Koyama quoted a woman saying that even in Camp Trans, “It was also between the post-ops telling the pre-ops that they weren’t really women” (699). As I have interpreted it, these women are lesbians and have undoubtedly dealt with diversity and felt uncomfortable in their own bodies…wouldn’t they have some sort of connection with someone who has undergone serious surgery to truly be happy with his/herself?
2. Why do the festivals find it necessary to separate into categories of “women of color” etc…aren’t these supposed to be places of embracing women as a whole/an opportunity to share experiences and ideas about womanhood from different backgrounds and heritages?
I was intrigued by the black woman who stood up and pointed out that she felt uncomfortable and no one was able to help her to feel that she could fit in or give her words of encouragement so she felt the need to add, “but it was lesbians who kept the American discussions on racism and classism alive” (702). Once again, these women are focusing only on one kind of lesbian, when what they’re really supposed to be fighting for is equality for people who live life outside of the “norm” so to speak. It just seems very contradictory. How do they KNOW that women of color need their own space.
3. My last question is very general: How is it possible to get the truth out about people who are GLBTQ so that it is no longer seen as a disease but a part of life?
As I have mentioned in my previous blog and we discussed in class, people have been institutionalized for Gender Identity Disorder, because it has been labeled just that: a disorder. That was evidenced in the movie “But I’m a Cheerleader” when she had to be sent away in order to “heal” and change. People are constantly viewing homosexuality as a disease, but even as it is becoming more and more prevalent in society, people are just as un-willing to accept it. I know there are many movements, organizations, bills etc that have been in the works for years, but how do we remove the stigma of it being an illness?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteYour first question is one that also baffled me. I understand that the women on The Land wanted it to be a place for WOMYN to go and rejoice in their identities, but it seems to me that transsexual women would also be welcomed. It is discriminatory to even ask a woman to verify her biological sex, anyway. It was reassuring, in some ways, to hear that it is sort of a “Don’t ask; don’t tell” policy, but this is the exact policy that homosexuals in the military branches have been fighting against for years. I would like to see society as a whole take a giant leap in social acceptance.
With your second question, it didn’t dawn on me that the women of color were being discriminated against. I think we agree that it is sad to see women uniting, and still discriminating. When will white women not hold the authority among all women? I am constantly pondering whether or not “races” will ever fully be seen as equal. What makes white so pure and perfect?
Hopefully as time goes on things only continue to change for the better. Although I know things have changed significantly, I am still constantly shocked by the new information I hear in class regarding the oppression of races. Such as sterilization?!?! Craziness.
Thanks for the thought provoking questions!
-Brittany