Under Construction

Many things have been on my mind lately, but my energy has been spent in other places. Yet today I can not let the idea of gender being constructed socially pass by. Today alone I have had 3 conversations that can boil down to the social construction of gender in Western societies. The more people who seek my advice (independently of each other and without my prompting), the more interested I become about gender neutrality.

The other day, I watched Hedwig and the Angry Inch, where gender is presented through sex changes, cross-dressing and through a mixture of them both. These active potrayals of gender are combated with Plato's symposium idea of gender where we are seeking to fin our other half to become one whole again. The idea of gender neutrality is present throughout the movie, and it begins my though process of gender neutrality outside of the trans community. It is not a Western phenomenon to transition genders, yet the idea of sex transitioning remains a euro-centric feat, perhaps due to the level of modern medicine required.

I question our gender constructions more and more, with individuals well outside of the trans community approaching gender in a more neutral way. Admitting to not liking pronouns, or to having never fully fit into the conceptions of gender society has placed on them. The are considering embracing gender neutrality, without huge coming our parties or vocabulary to define themselves. This some what sudden surge of gender neutral feeling individuals in my life got me thinking, perhaps it is human nature to be neutral. This would make the social ideas of gender precisely constructed. Not only that though, it makes our sexualities and other identities constructed as well.

Many of these individuals do not have queer identities, and are truly keeping gender and sexuality separate. This is the ideal situation that I want to be in, yet I find that my gender often defines my sexuality. I am well past defining my gender, and now I am starting to drop the identifying factors of my sexuality as well.

It does not seem worth the time or effort any more.
I'd rather be a gender neutral sexual individual than most anything else.
I also hope the conversations about gender continue in my life, especially with folk outside of the queer and trans community. Maybe we will all be neutral someday, and the word neutral won't even be necessary to signify between those who are and are not.

Of course biological sex will remain present, but in my postmodern world that isn't a problem anymore either.

Gay Diaspora

I sometimes forget that I live in Iowa, and that this place is more progressive than a lot of the nation gives it credit for. I don't think about the fact that gay marriage is legal here, where in the majority of states it remains illegal and unsanctioned. Today I was doing a lot of thought about the gay/queer diaspora and how during the HIV crisis larger cities with gayborhoods such as the San Fransisco's Castro, Chicago's Boystown, and New York's Greenwich Village were battle grounds and places of refuge. These cities became what queer rural youth longed for and were reminded of. They were considered by many as a place to go to feel a sense of belonging. They became the sites of the gay diaspora. Iowa City (where this picture was taken) was also a gay paradise during that troubling time with a leading research hospital at the University, which until a few years ago was still one of the most active institutions for HIV/AIDS research.

I think we take for granted our safety in the middle. Iowa has become a place where coming out in rural areas is not hard as many other states. It is still not easy, we are a long way off from it being as normal as heterosexual identities but we are further than many areas of Nebraska, the Dakotas, Missouri and Kansas. I am happy now to see the gay diaspora in Iowa, where now the right to marry, regardless of sex, sets this state apart. Where people are feeling a sense of belonging, and don't feel like they have to run to a coastal city in order to be who they are.

Iowa, sometimes I really love you.

Lesbians and Justin Beiber

You may ask what Lesbians and Justin Bieber have in common. This is a fair question to have and until 20 minutes ago I would not have had an answer. Actually, the existence of Justin Bieber was not apparent to me until about 22 minutes ago, so why now do I care about popular culture and this American Idol sensation?

Well, thank you for asking.
I am trying to have a go at writing an article(s) for Bitch Magazine a feminist magazine with a unique perspective on popular-culture. However, in order to even consider writing for them I ,of course, have to know a little more about what is popular right now. Hence, my stumbling upon the new internet sensation that is, Lesbians who look like Justin Bieber.

Initially, I was hesitant of the idea but the trend is remarkable and there are dozens of spin off post and blogs dedicated to this topic. It gets me thinking not only about the visual appeal of the lesbian culture, but also about how popular culture is starting to almost embrace lesbianism. There are hundreds of American followers to the blogs, and though many of them may identify as lesbians themselves there is not doubt about their viability. Each on of the pictures has at least 10 comments on it, and only one or maybe two of the pictures are of famous lesbians (eg. Ellen). I read through the blogs in amazement at the positive lesbian community surrounding the idea that Justin Bieber looks like a lesbian. Which adds a second layer to my observation, which is we as a society now have an idea constructed of what a lesbian looks like. In this case it is a shaggy haired skinny androgynous figure who wears fitted boy cut clothing. The problem is, that is how most of my lesbian friends, including myself, dress! So Justin Bieber looking like a lesbian may be an internet phenomenon, but there is some underlying truth to the whole matter.

And this time, I don't think I am upset about the lesbian publicity and visibility. It's just too bad Justin Bieber doesn't look like a fem-lesbian, they sure could use some popular visibility too.

The Long Dark Winter is Over

This is a picture of where I have been doing my writing, when I am not in the coffee shop. I really like this space, and the way I work with the table, it's really zen. I can keep my books open for as long as I want and no one minds. Plus I have a constant supply of tea, coffee and of course water. The table has only been in my life since January, but I don't think life would be the same without it.

Alas! Spring is in the air and I have beat the winter blues. I am happy to say that I've kept up on my Spring cleaning through being a minimalist this year. I took it upon myself not to buy more things until having through each purchase through. This means I have not accumulated much over the school year, and I am very happy about that. I do need to spring clean my reseach tabs in zotero and my bookmarks, but this isn't a process I will be doing all at once.

Goals for April
1. Finish 5 short stories
2. submit to GoGo and The Grinnell review
3. buy a glass tea pot
4. Take and post 20 good pictures
5. get rid of everything I haven't used in over a year

p.s. next month is May!
only 2 months until I move into an apartment!