Emma

[Emma @emmakgsws]

Weston’s concept of “families we choose” reminds me of Tatum’s “The Complexity of Identity” and how individuals from subordinate groups instinctively band together for kinship and protection. Dominant understandings of “family” directly necessitate this. #familiesGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

Stacey and Davenport’s discussion of whether queer marriage is too assimilationist to be fought for is very interesting. I personally think that the validity of queer identity need not rest on constant activism/subversion. I find that view itself to be oppressive. #familiesGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

which is why it is impossible to, for example, talk about plastic surgery without talking about the patriarchy, white supremacy, cisnormativity, ableism, etc (2/2) #spacetimeGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

I’m intrigued by the idea of “bodily flexibility as a commodity,” and how this is specifically true of oppressed groups. Bodily flexibility is so valuable because it allows one to contort to fit the mold of dominant groups and/or their expectations, (1/2) #spacetimeGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

not only reinforces misinformed generalizations about certain types of spaces, but also severely limits imaginings of how queer people can move through spaces, thrive in them, and claim them as their own. (2/2) #spacetimeGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

Halberstam’s discussion of gay male accounts of space reminds me of the metrocentrality of queer coming out fiction. This trope, which often dictates that a queer character move out of their homophobic small town to the diverse and accepting big city (1/?) #spacetimeGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

their power while simultaneously attaining a new sense of moral superiority, which is SO counterproductive and dangerous. (2/2) #feminismGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

Ahmed’s discussion of how DEI measures are used as a form of PR has me thinking about performative activism. The reason we perform it is because we know it’s important, yet there’s little action despite this understanding. It allows dominant groups to keep (1/2) #feminismGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

and as a way to reinforce structures of power by demanding that the marginalized physically shrink their bodies. (2/2) #feminismGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

When Ahmed wrote “gendering operates in how bodies take up space,” I was reminded of fatphobia, body shaming, and how bodies aligned with femininity are often most brutally exposed to these things. Fatphobia really can function as a form of gendering, (1/2) #feminismGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

Przybylo’s discussion of ace POC not feeling at home under the label due to its whitewashing reminds me of the reading on quare. White supremacy changes the way POC are able to relate to these terms, and I never see intersectional ace discourse that addresses this. #asexualGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

In “Compulsory Sexuality,” I’m not sure how I feel about Emens’ inclusion of ways for allosexual people to “validate” or “rationalize” asexuality (attraction lacunae, etc). Empathy and recognition shouldn’t have to come through the lens of one’s own experience. #asexualGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

Jacob Lau’s “Trans” has me thinking about how the word “trans” stems from relativity to “cis,” and how transness is often discussed relative to cisnormativity instead of as a distinct standalone way of identifying. It’s important to decenter cis in trans discourse! #transGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

and I am reminded of Audre Lorde’s idea of difference not being the thing that divides, but attitudes around it. (2/2) #transGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

The idea expressed by Terese de Laurentis in “Technologies of Gender”—that gender is not inherently a tool of oppression—really resonates with me. Gender as a productive tool of self-actualization is something we have observed for generations, (1/2) #transGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

I really appreciate Johnson’s approach to making queer discourse more intersectional! Though “queer” feels all-encompassing to some, it isn’t for all, and we need to consistently examine queerness in a way that accounts for intertwined racial & class identities. #queerGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

I was disturbed by the reading’s account of an ongoing debate about the decriminalization of sex work that barely includes the voices of the sex workers whom new legislation would affect. As Armstrong points out, these women are only listened to when it’s convenient. #sexGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

I’m left with a lot of questions about how these arenas of power interact as dictated by the patriarchy and the gender binary. In other words, what is the relationship between misogyny and discrimination against GNC folks? (2/2) #binaryGSWSBC

[Emma @emmakgsws]

I’m intrigued by the way the gender binary manages to both privilege and oppress many people who fit inside it. For example, gender-conforming women are oppressed by the patriarchy, but have the privilege of conforming to the binary #binaryGSWSBC (1/2)

[Emma @emmakgsws]

Our week on performativity made me think a lot about the concept of choice. At a different point, I would’ve told you that doing my makeup and shaving my legs were choices, but if it weren’t for pressures to perform my gender, I probably wouldn’t do these things at all! #GSWS1101