Rachel's Paideia Blog

Jesse Daniel Ames Lecture

It's so interesting to me how relevant a lot of what we discuss in our Paideia cohort relates to what I'm learning in several classes as well as what I'm discussing with my friends. Just a few weeks ago my friends in Austin and I had a very heated discussion on gender and sexual identity that I felt pertains so, so much to what we are studying. I've also discussed some of the same issues of race and gender in my anthropology class. It's so cool to me that interesting topics like this broach so many subjects!
Though I was hoping to fully agree with all of what was discussed in "Transgenderism and Citizenship: A Dialogue Between Eli Clare and Matt Richardson," I really didn't. I may have a little more knowledge than the average heterosexual female about transgenderism and "Other" sexuality, but I never considered citizenship to be a priority in the fight for equality. I think maybe that's part of the point though: that those on the forefront of the gay/lesbian/bisexual rights movement are upper middle class white people who have an entirely different set of priorities than maybe the majority of those who identify as queer. And if the conversation is about citizenship, then I agree that that should mean legal protection of all citizens. The idea of "state-sponsored violence" was kind of difficult for me to grasp, but I can see the point. I don't know exactly how it affects the queer community as much, simply because it isn't brought to my attention nearly as often as say, racism in the legal system. I absolutely believe that violence against any minority is perpetuated not necessarily by laws, but by many of the people who enforce them. There are laws that make it difficult for anyone who is not well-versed in the legal system or with enough money to make their way through it. I have a lot of pent-up feelings about the corruption of the legal system from experience, but let me just say this: when I got in trouble, it was very, very difficult to prove myself and make things right within the legal system, but if I were not an intelligent, upper middle class white person (with my father on my side helping me), things would have been infinitely more difficult for me.
I hope I'm not getting off topic, but I think there is a lot to be said on many subjects that were brought up by this lecture. I also want to mention that gender is something that I feel is perceived so strangely in the Western world (and the U.S. in particular). We tend to see it as binary: male or female. Sometimes really "cultured" or "sensitive" people recognize a "something in between" gender, but even that isn't really accurate in my opinion. I don't think anyone is to say how a person should be forced to define themselves, especially in terms of something that's SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED like gender. If biologically not everyone fits into two genders, it is completely ridiculous to assume everyone would feel like they are one or the other.

posted by Rachel @ 8:37 AM