News and Events => Opinions & Editorials => Topic started by: Shana A on December 29, 2010, 09:23:21 AM Return to Full Version
Title: 'Gender is a performance - for everyone, not just transsexuals'
Post by: Shana A on December 29, 2010, 09:23:21 AM
Post by: Shana A on December 29, 2010, 09:23:21 AM
'Gender is a performance - for everyone, not just transsexuals'
Juliet Jacques had always wanted to take to the stage, and now the time finally seemed right.
* Juliet Jacques
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 29 December 2010 09.00 GMT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage)
After living in fear for so long, coming out had been hugely liberating, but I gradually forgot that as I addressed the many challenges it raised. Once I realised that I could progress through the medical pathway more easily than I'd thought, and after I'd ensured that my relationships with family, friends and colleagues would not break down, I began to consider what possibilities transitioning might open up for me.
During my teenage years in the closet, I had a complex relationship with the drag queens I saw on TV. The trashy British acts alienated me, with their clichéd caricatures of femininity: my gender issues felt serious, and the mockery these performers invited didn't seem too helpful. I liked the more self-respecting Americans, though: I never wanted to be exactly like the more 'fabulous' drag artists (such as RuPaul), but I admired their conviction that you shouldn't let your detractors stop you from being yourself, and the panache with which they expressed it.
Juliet Jacques had always wanted to take to the stage, and now the time finally seemed right.
* Juliet Jacques
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 29 December 2010 09.00 GMT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage)
After living in fear for so long, coming out had been hugely liberating, but I gradually forgot that as I addressed the many challenges it raised. Once I realised that I could progress through the medical pathway more easily than I'd thought, and after I'd ensured that my relationships with family, friends and colleagues would not break down, I began to consider what possibilities transitioning might open up for me.
During my teenage years in the closet, I had a complex relationship with the drag queens I saw on TV. The trashy British acts alienated me, with their clichéd caricatures of femininity: my gender issues felt serious, and the mockery these performers invited didn't seem too helpful. I liked the more self-respecting Americans, though: I never wanted to be exactly like the more 'fabulous' drag artists (such as RuPaul), but I admired their conviction that you shouldn't let your detractors stop you from being yourself, and the panache with which they expressed it.
Title: 'Gender is a performance - for everyone, not just transsexuals'
Post by: Butterfly on December 29, 2010, 05:31:54 PM
Post by: Butterfly on December 29, 2010, 05:31:54 PM
'Gender is a performance - for everyone, not just transsexuals'
By Juliet Jacques
29 December, 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage)
After living in fear for so long, coming out had been hugely liberating, but I gradually forgot that as I addressed the many challenges it raised. Once I realised that I could progress through the medical pathway more easily than I'd thought, and after I'd ensured that my relationships with family, friends and colleagues would not break down, I began to consider what possibilities transitioning might open up for me.
By Juliet Jacques
29 December, 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/29/gender-performance-stage)
After living in fear for so long, coming out had been hugely liberating, but I gradually forgot that as I addressed the many challenges it raised. Once I realised that I could progress through the medical pathway more easily than I'd thought, and after I'd ensured that my relationships with family, friends and colleagues would not break down, I began to consider what possibilities transitioning might open up for me.