May 30th, 2008 Sassafras
As always passing is something that I’ve been thinking a lot about this week. It’s something that has come to the forefront of my thoughts as I’ve been examining the ways in which for me passing has shifted over time in relationship to my identities (both femme and not) and the ways in which passing is complex and not always a bad thing. For example, at times passing can be about safety, where at the doctors office my partner is never denied access to see me when we are passing as straight (though there were times before we passed as straight that this was a huge worry for us). There are other times, like moments I have addressed in past blogs where passing feels very alienating, and I feel as though I’m loosing a place in the queer community when people fail to see me. Passing also takes on many forms, for example for the years that I spent as an FTM, passing was about gender and my sexuality was always read as queer. Now, as a femme, although I identify as genderqueer, that aspect of my identity is very seldom recognized (and when it is, it tends to be in conjunction with folks talking about my FTM past) and my sexuality is also often not read as queer. It is without a doubt an interesting, and thought provoking place to find myself.
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May 27th, 2008 maggie
I want to write more on passing because it’s a hot topic around here lately and there are some in depth and thoughtful comments.
Freedomgirl said: If I have to go through that just like every other lesbian, do I really have to take crap from said lesbians because I don’t look right???
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May 23rd, 2008 Sassafras
Three inch stilettos, platform sandals, spike heels, and running shoes? Last weekend I spent hours in Manhattan’s eight floor Macy’s looking for shoes with support to replace my old falling apart running shoes. I had no idea that this process would be so incredibly complex, but the shoe shopping experience in many ways became an embodiment of my biggest body issues and the ways in which they intersect with my femme identity.
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May 22nd, 2008 Jenn
The Inside Out lesbian and gay film festival takes place every year starting in the second week in May in Toronto. I am always excited about the festival; it provides ample opportunity to see new work by queer filmmakers, to dress up and connect with other folks in the community.
So you can imagine the excitement to flip through the program when it comes out. I rip through the pages every year hoping for some new and exciting films that present fresh ideas and issues. This year I wasn’t let down.
This year an exciting edition I do not remember previously being part of the program is an entire program of shorts on femme identities. And there was also one solo short, “be safe and considerate†by Anna Peak as part of the “Let’s Get Physical†program. Read the rest of this entry »
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May 21st, 2008 maggie
The Femme Show: Call for Proposals
The Femme Show is currently accepting proposals for artists to join the existing cast for our 2nd Annual Boston-area show at the Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre on October 10 and 11, 2008. This is an amazing chance to join cutting edge queer artists in a show that is going places in 2008!
With film, dance, literary readings, burlesque, drag, and performance art from award winning artists, the Femme Show offers a variety of diverse perspectives on femme identity with subject matter that is at times thoughtful, sad, sexy, funny, and fun. Read the rest of this entry »
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May 19th, 2008 maggie
A while ago I was hanging out with some queer and queer-supportive middle school teachers, and they loved to talk about the gender-variant, visibly future queer kids, girls who played sports and boys who played the lead in musicals. They loved those kids, and looked out for them especially. Teaching ballet, I have very few such students. I get a very self-selected group, mostly girls, who are inspired by the pink cotton candy vision of ballet they see in picture books.
I was listening to the middle school teachers and thinking that I didn’t have any baby dykes lining up at the barre in black leotards and pink tights, but then I remembered that I had been a baby dyke ballerina, awkward and shy and the worst in the class at first, then confident and loud, rainbow and pro-choice stickers on my makeup case.
I’m glad my friends who are teachers are looking out for the visible potential queers, but I wonder how we can look out for the invisible ones, the baby femmes and the baby queers who aren’t so gender variant in childhood. Read the rest of this entry »
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May 15th, 2008 Sassafras
Last Saturday Kestryl and I were wondering around Trader Joes filling our shopping cart with apples, cheese, pasta and all the rest of our favorite weekly foods when a butch walked by with pallet of bread. As pronoun passed they smiled and nodded at us! Later, when Kestryl was off grabbing us free samples the same butch now sans bread hurried back the other way but while passing, caught my eye and grinned! Now for many folks this doesn’t sound particularly special, but for me as a femme who on my own continually passes as straight, and as the partner of a passing transgender butch we are almost exclusively read as straight these moments tend to stand out.
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