DOCSLIB.ORG

An Exploration of Transgender Individuals' Negotiation of Identity Through BDSM Practices

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Exploration of Transgender Individuals' Negotiation of Identity Through BDSM Practices Minnesota State University, Mankato Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects Capstone Projects 2018 Productive Paddles and Productive Power: An Exploration of Transgender Individuals' Negotiation of Identity Through BDSM Practices Riley Zahn Minnesota State University, Mankato Follow this and additional works at: https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds Part of the Gender and Sexuality Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, and the Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons Recommended Citation Zahn, R. (2018). Productive Paddles and Productive Power: An Exploration of Transgender Individuals' Negotiation of Identity Through BDSM Practices [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/809/ This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects at Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. Productive Paddles and Productive Power: An Exploration of Transgender Individuals’ Negotiation of Identity through BDSM Practices By Riley Zahn A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts In Communication Studies Minnesota State University, Mankato Mankato, MN April 2018 ii April 25, 2018 Productive Paddles and Productive Power: An Exploration of Transgender Individuals’ Negotiation of Identity through BDSM Practices Riley Zahn This thesis has been examined and approved by the following members of the student’s committee. ________________________________ Dr. Justin J. Rudnick, Advisor ________________________________ Dr. Kristen P. Treinen, Committee Member ________________________________ Dr. Jaime Madden, Committee Member iii Abstract Productive Paddles and Productive Power: An Exploration of Transgender Individuals’ Negotiation of Identity through BDSM Practices by Riley Zahn is a thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato in April of 2018. It explores the ways in which transgender individuals negotiate their identities through BDSM practices. To collect data, eight semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted revealing four key themes: BDSM as identity negotiation, BDSM as power enactment, embodied confirmation, and BDSM as trauma survivorship. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications, limitations and future avenues of research for this project. iv Acknowledgements This project would never have been possible without for the support of many people in my life. Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Justin Rudnick. Your feedback, unwavering encouragement, and patient understanding of my mental health issues were all invaluable. You made me a better writer and provided a model of mentorship I hope to emulate for others. Thank you to Dr. Jaime Madden and Dr. Kristi Treinen for your guidance and feedback that helped make this project what it is. Also, thank you to Dr. Nick Clarkson, for discouraging me from taking on a different project that would have been disastrous for my mental health and introducing me to the Stryker (2008) article that inspired this project. Thank you to my family, Ralph, Peg and Whitney Zahn. Your love, support and encouraging helped propel me through this project. You are, and have always been, my biggest supporters, both academically and personally. I would not be getting a master’s degree without you. Thank you to my partner, PJ Glover. Over the past year, you have been my rock, my biggest cheerleader, and the person I trust more than the anxious thoughts in my head. Also, thank you for letting me write about our sex life. Finally, thank you to the 11 people who reached out to me when I posed a concerning message about my mental health. There have been times in the past year where I wasn’t sure if I would live to see the end of this project. You, and everyone previously mentioned, helped me get here in some way or another. Last, and least, thank you to the transphobic “feminists” of GenderTrender.com. Your body shaming, moral disgust, and sexual harassment made me a stronger, more resilient person, and proved valuable in shaping my analysis for this study. v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Chapter One: An Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Purpose of Study ............................................................................................................. 2 Literary Foundations ....................................................................................................... 2 Significance of Study ...................................................................................................... 3 Objectives of Study ......................................................................................................... 3 Precis of Chapters ........................................................................................................... 4 Chapter Two: Literature Review ........................................................................................ 6 Identity Formation .......................................................................................................... 7 The Process of Socialization ....................................................................................... 8 Identity Negotiation .................................................................................................... 9 Construction of Gender Identities ............................................................................. 12 BDSM ........................................................................................................................... 15 BDSM as a Stigmatized Practice .............................................................................. 18 Navigating Marginalized Identity Through BDSM .................................................. 21 BDSM as Healing ..................................................................................................... 24 Chapter Three: Methods ................................................................................................... 26 Qualitative Research Methods ...................................................................................... 27 Positionality of the Researcher ..................................................................................... 29 Participants and Recruitment ........................................................................................ 33 Interviewing Practices ................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Four: Analysis ..................................................................................................... 38 BDSM as Identity Negotiation...................................................................................... 39 Escaping Roles Imposed by Society ......................................................................... 40 Playing with Identities .............................................................................................. 42 Enactment of Power ...................................................................................................... 46 Not Punching Down: Maintaining Geniality with Marginalized Partners ................ 47 Punching Up: Suspending Geniality with Cisgender White Men ............................ 51 vi Embodied Confirmation................................................................................................ 54 De-gendering Acts of BDSM.................................................................................... 55 Selecting Affirming Partners .................................................................................... 56 Eliciting Embodied Responses ................................................................................. 58 BDSM as Trauma Survivorship .................................................................................... 61 Chapter 5: Conclusion....................................................................................................... 68 Implications................................................................................................................... 68 The Process of Identity Negotiation ......................................................................... 68 Reconciling Perception and Reality .......................................................................... 69 Unpacking the Politics of Power Enactment ............................................................ 70 Limitations ...................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Workbook Please Visit the Last Page
    SUPER SEX S.U.P.E.R Sex is an acronym created by Shan Boodram over ten years ago to discuss the various elements that are crucial to a healthy and happy intimate life. Set your terms Use protection Pleasure Emotionally wise Responsible By combining traditional sex education, psychology and everyone’s right to individualism S.U.P.E.R Sex works as a base for anyone seeking to understand their own sexuality plus intimate needs and how those things can interact with others in a healthy, optimal way. For more information about Shan and the primary resources used to create this workbook please visit the last page Set Your Terms Let’s discuss boundaries, expectations, needs, wants, setting/ framing and intent Love Languages (circle two) Gifts Acts of Service Physical Touch Words of affirmation Quality Time Sex Language (circle two) Mental - a mental connection is necessary to create a satisfactory physical connection Direct - straight to the point is how you like it Cat - you have to be the one to approach someone, you prefer to initiate intimacy on your time and terms Sensual - the stage has to be set: laundry folded, place smelling clean, music playing, candles burning! You like all of the senses to be engaged before sexual intimacy occurs Negotiator - sex itself isn’t very motivating for you BUT if you know it can be used as a bargaining chip to achieve something you do want, they you are incentivized Kinsey Scale (circle one to represent your action and star one to represent your fantasy) X - asexual 0 - strictly heterosexual 1 - Mostly heterosexual and incidentally homosexual 2 - Heterosexual and more than incidentally homosexual 3 - Bisexual 4 - Homosexual and more than incidentally heterosexual 5 - Homosexual and incidentally heterosexual 6 - strictly homosexual Boundaries 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Wignall, Liam (2018) Kinky Sexual Subcultures and Virtual Leisure Spaces. Doctoral Thesis, University of Sunderland
    Wignall, Liam (2018) Kinky Sexual Subcultures and Virtual Leisure Spaces. Doctoral thesis, University of Sunderland. Downloaded from: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/8825/ Usage guidelines Please refer to the usage guidelines at http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/policies.html or alternatively contact [email protected]. Kinky Sexual Subcultures and Virtual Leisure Spaces Liam Wignall A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Sunderland for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 2018 i | P a g e Abstract This study seeks to understand what kink is, exploring this question using narratives and experiences of gay and bisexual men who engage in kink in the UK. In doing so, contemporary understandings of the gay kinky subcultures in the UK are provided. It discusses the role of the internet for these subcultures, highlighting the use of socio-sexual networking sites. It also recognises the existence of kink dabblers who engage in kink activities, but do not immerse themselves in kink communities. A qualitative analysis is used consisting of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 individuals who identify as part of a kink subculture and 15 individuals who do not. Participants were recruited through a mixture of kinky and non-kinky socio-sexual networking sites across the UK. Complimenting this, the author attended kink events throughout the UK and conducted participant observations. The study draws on subcultural theory, the leisure perspective and social constructionism to conceptualise how kink is practiced and understood by the participants. It is one of the first to address the gap in the knowledge of individuals who practice kink activities but who do so as a form of casual leisure, akin to other hobbies, as well as giving due attention to the increasing presence and importance of socio-sexual networking sites and the Internet more broadly for kink subcultures.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Arousal, Orgasm and Pleasure, As Much As Possible Using a Prospective, Laboratory Paradigm
    AN INVESTIGATION OF SELECTED TRADITIONAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT SEXUAL AROUSAL, ORGASM AND PLEASURE LAUREL Q. P. PATERSON B.A. Department of Psychology McGill University Montréal, Québec, Canada April 2013 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Laurel Q. P. Paterson (2013) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who have helped me complete this thesis. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Irv Binik, for his invaluable guidance and support throughout my PhD, and for his enthusiasm about bringing the study of orgasm back into the laboratory. I have been fortunate to share my laboratory with a wonderful group of researchers and friends: my fellow graduate students, Seth Davis, Melissa Farmer, Alina Kao, Tuuli Kukkonen, Marie-Andrée Lahaie, and Sabina Sarin; our dedicated research coordinators, Natalie Cartright, Marie Faaborg-Andersen, Jackie Huberman, Caroline Maykut, and Louise Overington; and my research assistants Ayelet Germanski, Ellie Shuo Jin, Natalie Stratton, and Lindsay Sycz. These bright women and man have stimulated research ideas, pushed me to overcome logistical obstacles, and made the laboratory a fun place to work. I will forever be grateful for the friendship and support of my classmates, Crystal Holly, Ilana Kronick, and Julie Mercier. Finally, I would like to thank my family and Peter for their unwavering support and encouragement. Throughout my graduate studies, I have been supported by generous research scholarships from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), McGill University Faculty of Graduate Studies, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRSQ), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
    [Show full text]
  • Kinky Checklist
    Sex Gets Real invites you to... Get Your Kinky On Ready to explore some edgy, kinky play in the bedroom? This comprehensive checklist is the perfect way for you and your lover to discover fantasies you may have in common, and to help launch a more open discussion about desires and needs. Remember - our limits and desires change over time. Use this periodically to check in and try new things! Time to get sexy... sexgetsreal.com Copyright 2016, Sex Gets Real, LLC Welcome to your kinky, juicy checklist of fun. Before we begin, let's go over a few tips and guidelines to ensure you get exactly what you want out of this list. 1. Different strokes for different folks. What follows is a collection of sweet, intimate, edgy, invasive, loving, violent, and dangerous types of play. Keep an open mind, but never do anything you aren't ready to explore. 2. Do it alone, or with others. Use this list to check in with yourself. What interests you? What scares you, but sets your body on fire? Or, make a few copies, and have your lover complete one, as well. Compare notes, and see what you may have in common. 3. You determine the intensity. Honor your body. Respect your limits. This is not about harming yourself or others. This is about having fun and making sex into an adventure. If you see something like biting or flogging or hair pulling, those things can be done so lightly they almost tickle. Rape play sounds scary, but what if it's just you blindfolded and your lover wearing new cologne so they smell like a stranger? Get creative.
    [Show full text]
  • Split Identification: Representations of Rape in Gaspar Noé's Irréversible
    DOUGLAS KEESEY California Polytechnic State University Split identification: Representations of rape in Gaspar Noé’s Irréversible and Catherine Breillat’s A ma soeur!/Fat Girl ABSTRACT This article critically examines rape scenes in two films of the ‘new extreme cinema’, Gaspar Noé’s Irréversible (2002) and Catherine Breillat’s A ma sœur!/Fat Girl (2001). On the surface, Noé’s disturbing long-take rape scene is clearly designed to foster empathy with the woman’s experience and to induce a physical aversion to rape. However, a deeper examination of the scene’s ambiguous techniques reveals that they actually work to split the viewer’s identification between the rapist and the woman he attacks. One function of this split is to lead the viewer – who is presumed to be male – along an emotional path from lustful aggression towards empathic understanding. Similarly, the film also provides audiences with a transitional figure – a male character who is almost raped – as someone with whom they can identify on the way towards identifying with the female. But this male character ultimately serves as a negative example when he moves to take revenge – an act which is shown to be an extension of the rape, part of the same masculinist ideology or myth of male inviolability perpetuated through the violation of others. Furthermore, the revenge is revealed as being the male character’s denial of his own complicity in the rape and of his own participation in ‘rape culture’. The rape scene in Breillat’s 1A ma sœur! also induces in the viewer a split identification with the rapist and with the female subjected to attack – in this case a young girl who disturbingly seems to ‘acquiesce’ to the assault.
    [Show full text]
  • Fashion, Bodies, and Objects
    Studies in 20th Century Literature Volume 20 Issue 2 French Issue: The Object in France Today: Six essays collected and edited by Article 7 Martine Antle with five essays on French narrative 6-1-1996 Fashion, Bodies, and Objects Jean-François Fourny Ohio State University Follow this and additional works at: https://newprairiepress.org/sttcl Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, and the French and Francophone Literature Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Fourny, Jean-François (1996) "Fashion, Bodies, and Objects," Studies in 20th Century Literature: Vol. 20: Iss. 2, Article 7. https://doi.org/10.4148/2334-4415.1397 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Studies in 20th Century Literature by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Fashion, Bodies, and Objects Abstract This essay is based on the assumption that the body has undergone a process of fragmentation that started with "modern" art and commodity fetishism that is being amplified today by an increasingly fetishistic high fashion industry itself relayed by music videos and a gigantic pornography industry. This article begins with a discussion of fetishism and objectification as they appear in high fashion shows where underwear becomes wear (turning the inside into the outside), thus expanding (or dissolving) the traditional notion of pornography because they are both reported in comparable terms by mainstream magazines such as Femmes and less conventional publications such as Penthouse.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Fantasy and Masturbation Among Asexual Individuals: an In-Depth Exploration
    Arch Sex Behav (2017) 46:311–328 DOI 10.1007/s10508-016-0870-8 SPECIAL SECTION: THE PUZZLE OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION Sexual Fantasy and Masturbation Among Asexual Individuals: An In-Depth Exploration 1 1 2 Morag A. Yule • Lori A. Brotto • Boris B. Gorzalka Received: 4 January 2016 / Revised: 8 August 2016 / Accepted: 20 September 2016 / Published online: 23 November 2016 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract Human asexuality is generally defined as a lack of pants(bothmenandwomen)wereequallylikelytofantasizeabout sexual attraction. We used online questionnaires to investigate topics such as fetishes and BDSM. reasons for masturbation, and explored and compared the con- tentsofsexualfantasiesofasexualindividuals(identifiedusing Keywords Asexuality Á Sexual orientation Á Masturbation Á the Asexual Identification Scale) with those of sexual individ- Sexual fantasy uals. A total of 351 asexual participants (292 women, 59 men) and 388sexualparticipants(221women,167men)participated.Asex- ual women were significantly less likely to masturbate than sexual Introduction women, sexual men, and asexual men. Asexual women were less likely to report masturbating for sexual pleasure or fun than their Although the definition of asexuality varies somewhat, the gen- sexualcounterparts, and asexualmen were less likely to reportmas- erallyaccepteddefinitionisthedefinitionforwardedbythelargest turbating forsexualpleasure than sexualmen. Both asexualwomen online web-community of asexual individuals (Asexuality Visi- andmen weresignificantlymorelikelythansexualwomenand
    [Show full text]
  • How to Feel Like a Woman, Or Why Punishment Is a Drag Mary Anne Franks University of Miami School of Law, [email protected]
    University of Miami Law School University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository Articles Faculty and Deans 2014 How to Feel Like a Woman, or Why Punishment Is a Drag Mary Anne Franks University of Miami School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.miami.edu/fac_articles Part of the Law and Gender Commons, Law and Society Commons, and the Sexuality and the Law Commons Recommended Citation Mary Anne Franks, How to Feel Like a Woman, or Why Punishment Is a Drag, 61 UCLA L. Rev. 566 (2014). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty and Deans at University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Articles by an authorized administrator of University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. How to Feel Like a Woman, or Why Punishment Is a Drag Mary Anne Franks ABSTRACT If a man in prison says that he was made -to feel like a woman," this is commonly understood to mean that he was degraded, dehumanized, and sexualized. This association of femininity with punishment has significant implications for the way our society understands not only the sexual abuse of men in prison but also sexual abuse generally These important implications are usually overlooked, however, because law and society typically regard prison feminization as a problem of gender transposition: that is, as a problem of men being treated like women. In contrast, this Article argues that feminization is punitive for both men and women.
    [Show full text]
  • The Art of Flogging 101 Demostration
    Flogging is considered in the leather kink and fetish communities as one of the most common BDSM physical activities; however, it is fast becoming one of our most important lost arts. The Art of Flogging 101 Demostration Presenter: Sir Isaac Wesley Ottawa Knights Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 The Flogger ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Role in sensation play ........................................................................................................................... 3 Characteristics of floggers .................................................................................................................... 4 Other characteristics .............................................................................................................................. 4 Techniques .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Horizontal flogging ................................................................................................................................. 5 Targets ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 The safe targets .....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Therapy for Convicted Sex Offenders: Pursuing Rehabilitation Without Incrimination Jonathan Kaden
    Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 89 Article 7 Issue 1 Fall Fall 1998 Therapy for Convicted Sex Offenders: Pursuing Rehabilitation without Incrimination Jonathan Kaden Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation Jonathan Kaden, Therapy for Convicted Sex Offenders: Pursuing Rehabilitation without Incrimination, 89 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 347 (1998-1999) This Comment is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. 0091-4169/98/8901-0347 THE JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW & CRIMINOLOGY VoL 89, No. I Copyright C 1999 by Northwestern University, School of Law Prntd i U.S.A. COMMENT THERAPY FOR CONVICTED SEX OFFENDERS: PURSUING REHABILITATION WITHOUT INCRIMINATION JONAAN KADEN "Mea culpa belongs to a man and his God. It is a plea that cannot be exactedfrom free men by human authority."1 I. INTRODUCTION The Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination is a fundamental protection against government abuse of an indi- vidual's autonomy, privacy, and dignity.2 Courts, however, have unevenly applied the right to convicted sex offenders who, as a condition of court-ordered therapy, must admit responsibility for their crime.3 In some cases, if an offender does not admit 'Abe Fortas, The Fiflh Amendment: Nemo TeneturProdereSeipsum, 25 CLEv. B. ASS'NJ. 91, 100 (1954). "Mea culpa" is a Latin expression meaning "a formal acknowledg- ment of personal fault." WEBSTER's THIRD NEW INTERNATIONAL DIcTIoNARY 1397 (1966).
    [Show full text]
  • Loving BDSM Checklist
    Loving BDSM Checklist We wish we could list every single kinky act and fetish out there, but since almost anything can be made a little kink, it’s impossible to list everything. This, however, should be a good starting point if you’re new. How to use the checklist: ● Print as many copies as you need ● Read each activity ● Choose how you do or might want to interact with the activity: give (G), receive (R), or both (B) ● Write Y or N whether you’ve tried it or not ● Check whether like it, feel “meh” about it (neutral), or dislike it ● For things you haven’t done, write Y or N on whether you’d be willing to try it ● If you know you’re a hard no on an activity, check the hard limit box at the end. ● Use the notes section at the back to write down ideas. items not on the list, things to research, and any topics you want to discuss with your partner. Once you and your partner(s) are done, it’s time to compare notes. Talk about what you love and hate. Research anything you’re unsure about. For anything that’s new to you and you want to try together, consider this your first kinky bucket list. You don’t have to like everything your partner does in order to have kinky fun. You don’t have to be really experienced, either. BDSM and D/s are about growing as individuals and together. This is simply a tool to help you on your path.
    [Show full text]
  • Clinical Practice Guidelines for Working with People with Kink Interests DECEMBER 2019
    Clinical Practice Guidelines for Working with People with Kink Interests DECEMBER 2019 Developed by the Kink Clinical Practice Guidelines Project kinkguidelines.com Clinical Practice Guidelines for Working with People with Kink Interests Table of Contents Kink Clinical Practice Guidelines Project ................................................................................................. 4 Citation: .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Purpose .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Cultural and Professional Context for Developing these Practice Guidelines ............................ 5 Process of Developing these Practice Guidelines ............................................................................ 6 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Working with People with Kink Interests ....................................... 8 Guideline 1: Clinicians understand that kink is used as an umbrella term for a wide range of consensual erotic or intimate behaviors, fantasies, relationships, and identities. ................... 8 Guideline 2: Clinicians will be aware of their professional competence and scope of practice when working with clients who are exploring kink or who are kink-identified, and will consult, obtain supervision, and/or refer as appropriate to best serve their clients. .... 10 Guideline 3: Clinicians understand
    [Show full text]