To Render Gender (Invisible)

[bcholmes]

So I snarked at Fiona Patton, yesterday.

There was a panel at Gaylaxicon yesterday called "Constructing a Third Gender". Four panelists, none of them self-identified as trans, all wondering: "if there was a third gender, what would it look like?" Which, um, given that human culture contains several examples of third gender and that it's a big part of my life and the lives of several people I know, kinda made me feel a bit invisible.

Y'know: I'm Irish. I'm other things, as well (a Canadian mutt), but Irish was the only cultural identity that was strongly embraced in the household of my childhood. And, in the recent cultural appropriation discussion on LJ, I found it painful to hear people bring up the "special case of Irish" in those discussions. I think that the analogy is flawed. And I agree, strongly, with the voices that say that "stop trying to lay claim to authority in the cultural appropriation debate, and listen ferchrisakes."

But, sitting in this panel, I had this strong feeling, that I can't fully explain, that my gender identity was being appropriated. Part of it might have been that after raising a point about lack of awareness of third gender cultures, Caro Soles said (I'm paraphrasing), "Research doesn't matter; what matters is the story. All I'm obligated to do is use what works for my story." To which, my immediate gut reaction was: "how dare you?"

I've been trying, for a while, to figure out what made me react so strongly to that panel. I'm sure part of it was the complete absence of trans people on a third gender panel at a queer sf convention. And a big part of it was their lack of awareness of any third-gender writings outside of sf.

And to be clear, I don't think that what I felt was "the same as" cultural appropriation. I don't think I can adequately articulate what I perceive to be the differences at this time, but I feel confident that those differences exist.

Comments

[lcohen]

I don't think I've encountered any NotTrans people who identify as "third gender", but I suppose it could happen.

i actually have in that i have met people who identify as third in the sense of "both, but not both at the same time." and i would never want to try to explain what they mean by that on their behalf, either.