What's it all about?

If Anthropology gave me wings, Gender Studies knocked me silly. Coming back to school after a ten-year trip to some place far, far away, I was planning on going into Interior Design. Right. My first Anthropology class reclaimed me for its pursuits in a matter of weeks, considerably less than the six weeks the class lasted, actually. I had quite forgotten my passions of yesteryear for just about anything anthropologically oriented and my relationship with science and academic thought in general had withered from neglect. Anthropology woke me up,nourished me, and had me flying through realms of theory, perception, and really cool cross-cultural data in no time. It was grand, and I was on my way to discover, ponder, and publish. Then I took a Gender Studies course in my third year. The ground did not fall out from under me, so much as collide with me rather unexpectedly.

Gender Studies was just as fascinating as Anthropology, and the two informed each other constantly for me, right into complete confusion. Gender (and lots of other stuff) may seem a clear-cut matter to some, perhaps most, people, but feminist theory and Queer Theory can destroy that illusion quite easily. Nothing is quite what it seems; one must always question what is seen, heard, thought, perceived as reality. This blog is an attempt at autoethnography as I continue with my undergraduate explorations of gender utilizing both anthropological and feminist thought and methods. It is impossible to tell what may be uncovered along this journey through the gender landscape. I am hoping to recover my senses, which I expect will be more finely tuned when I get them back, as well as my wings. Flying always gives such an interesting view of the landscape!

I will be examining concepts of gender, sex, and sexuality, with a special focus on transgender and transgender issues. There will be discussions of academic work, including the indespensible Judith Butler, the writing and activist work of Riki Wilchins and others, trans memoirs, other blogs that cover these issues, and my own random musings on these topics. Ideally, this blog will be a place for discussion of relevant issues and concepts, not just me sitting here typing away into the void. Comments, suggestions, criticisms and large donations (just kidding, save it for the activists) are all welcome, so long as the content is thoughtful and not hurtful.

This blog is not meant to be a voice of authority, at least not entirely so. I may be convinced I know exactly what I’m talking about from time to time. However, when speaking about the experiences of others, experiences I have not gone through, I can never be more than an informed observer, at best. If you are one of those people and think I’ve got it all wrong, or wonder who I think I am, talking about other people’s experiences, I welcome a dialog with you. I ponder everyone’s existence as my fellow human beings. Please don’t take offense.

I do hope to help people who are interested to set off in a helpful direction as they explore gender and its related topics for themselves. I believe any study of this field necessitates a good hard look at oneself and how these issues are at play in one’s own life. I hope my readers will find the posts thought provoking, if nothing else.