When boys are ‘girls’

[LostInTime]

Sometimes, subverting a stereotype just turns into sexism. Have you ever heard someone called a 'total girl' for being strong and powerful?

The "Troy" cartoon that appeared in last week's Southern Voice is one of those. The syndicated strip is reprinted on this page so you can see for yourself how buff Rigo sobs when his boyfriend, Jorge, repeatedly calls him "a total girl" and a big "woman" for being sensitive and worrying about a friend. Jorge uses the term as criticism, and Rigo takes it as an insult.

Think it's not sexist? When was the last time you heard someone called a "total girl" when they were being strong and powerful?

AND IT'S NOT JUST gay men. Even as a lesbian, I am sometimes shocked by how much I can absorb the anti-woman bias that still exists in dominant society.