DOCSLIB.ORG

Scrutinizing Gender Realities Through the Effeminate and Femme Fatale Archetypes 1Arsha Subbi, 2K

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Scrutinizing Gender Realities Through the Effeminate and Femme Fatale Archetypes 1Arsha Subbi, 2K International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Volume 119 No. 16 2018, 5413-5424 ISSN: 1314-3395 (on-line version) url: http://www.acadpubl.eu/hub/ Special Issue http://www.acadpubl.eu/hub/ Scrutinizing Gender Realities through the Effeminate and Femme Fatale Archetypes 1Arsha Subbi, 2K. Balakrishnan, 3Bincy Mole Baby and 4Kavya Purushothaman, 1Department of English and Languages, Amrita School of Arts & Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India. 2Department of English and Languages, Amrita School of Arts & Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India. 3Department of English and Languages, Amrita School of Arts & Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India. 4Department of English & Languages, Amrita School of Arts & Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India. Abstract A rereading of human psyche and their general behavioral patterns demonstrate a concealed counterfeit image of gender psychic reality.Since archaic times the idea of archetypes have made its strong base within the psychological working of human civilization.These archetypes have later paved way for more complex predicaments regarding the accepted norms and regulations for each separate individual.This oscillating set of values for two diverse biological forms have laid the foundation for the stereotypical situations now prevalent in the human society. In this paper, I first present the evident biological and stereotypical division rampant in the male and female categories.The essay presents two character types 5413 International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Special Issue namely, the Effeminates and Femme Fatales as the accurate manifestation of C.G.Jung’s concepts of ‘anima’ and ‘animus’.To give a more luciddepiction of these two character types I have mentioned two of the most illustrious characters in English literature, namely, Mr. Ripley of The Talented Mr.Ripley and Amy Elliot Dunne of Gone Girl. Key Words:Feminism, psychoanalysis, archetypes, anima, animus, stereotypes, representation. 5414 International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Special Issue 1. Introduction An empirical reading of human existence reveals evident biological polarities, but these variations cannot be used as means to justify the consequent facts and ideologies that later surfaced within the fashioned set of accepted rules and regulations.According to philosophers and scientists a human being is the constellation of both masculine and feminine traits.They are of the opinion that man is androgynous in nature.Russian philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev writes: Man is not only sexual but a bisexual being,combining the masculine and feminine principles in himself in different proportions and often in fierce conflict.A man in whom the feminine principle was completely absent would be an abstract being completely severed from cosmic element.A woman in whom the masculine principle was absent would not be a personality…only the union of these two principles that constitutes a complete human being.The union is realized in every man and every woman within their bisexual,androgynous nature,and it also takes place through the intercommunion between the two natures,the masculine and the feminine (61). After a while writers began to explore the aesthetic side of their creative productions and began to introduce various characters types to defy the set norms and patterns prevalent in their times. These unconventional characters emerge from the pool of constructed imageries that arise in the creative artist. According to theorists like Sigmund Freud and C. G.Jung, emergence of such behavioral patterns is solely based on the coping mechanism these individuals employ to survive the harsh world. These are results of the collective unconscious and stereotypical representations prevalent within the human race. According to CG Jung, these well-built stereotypes become a part of the unconscious of an individual and later become a part of a collective unconscious. This actuality is often concealed thus receive little or no acceptance in human conscience and their theories of rights and wrongs.Man‟s deference to the fallible list of commandments creates gender binaries.These binaries later expand to a situation where one is dominated over by the other. Binaries generally embosom inequity and bigotry,where one half always faces the maltreatment.Based on the pragmatic views, gender binaries have almost always brought their worst denouement to the female ratio which is clearly a result of the predefined gender standards. An individual‟s androgynous nature was aesthetically defined in the theoretical concepts of „anima‟ (Jung 59) and„animus‟ (Jung 59) by C.G.Jung.Jung elucidated the femininity within a male individual as „anima‟ and the masculine elements within female psyche as „animus‟.Jung was known for his scientific elaborations on human psyche and his studies are nothing less than the 5415 International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Special Issue analytical findings of a scientist.These alternate manifestations of gender archetypes have surfaced in fairy tales, other works of art and literature and more evidently within the plain human psyche.Jung‟s „anima‟and „animus‟ surface in every situation where the psyche of a person surpasses the existingstereotypes and the other accepted predicaments. Regardless of every non-conformist declarationby any society,it is evident that every single mortal being is driven by the archetypal convictions that run the whole civilization. These archetypes determine the actions of an individual as well as the actions of a whole group of individuals.The question is whether these concepts are based on the factual reality underlying every human psyche or if these are all collectively formed in the course of the development and growth of human civilization. These collective concepts are garnered from within the societal expectations and ideologies.Thus each culture varies in the level of cultural polarities they maintain among different individuals.Cultural stereotypes lay the foundation for the accepted and rejected norms.Each individual is expected to carry out their socially assigned roles and duties.When this expectation is traumatized the particular individual is branded illicit and delinquent.They are stigmatized and expected to be cast in darker shades by the onlookers, artists and society as a whole. Two of the most discredited characters types that have been cast within the illicit shades of characterization in the mainstream society would be the Effeminates and the Femme Fatales.These two character types display a vehement style of role reversals.Effeminate males and the Femme Fatales are two of the most questioned characters in fictional and non fictional realms.Here the male and female in question exchange established mannerisms and their prescribed distinctive abilities.Michel Foucault established that „homosexuality‟(43)was part of the identity status of an individual rather than the characteristic features.It wasindicted by him in what he termed an”interior androgyny,a hemaphroditism of the soul” (42).Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick held similar views when she was of the opinion that gender transmutation was kind of an exchange of roles.She elucidated on Karl Heinrich Ulrichs‟ phrase“anima muliebris in corpore virile inclusa” -“a woman‟s soul trapped in a man‟s body” and “vice versa” (1990:87).This inversion of character traits, manifest itself in the stigmatized character types,namely the effeminates and the femme fatales. Effeminates are often rendered with titles such as „girly‟,‟sissy‟ (Dalzell 885) etc.The projection of these female traits as such is considered lowly and disgraceful.These characters are presented in a whimsical light and considered to be out of normal.In the luminosity of gender equality prevalent in today‟s society,this exchange must be considered normal and acceptable,but it is not.This displeasure in accepting the inversion of roles, exhibit the sham in the whole set of concepts related to gender equality. 5416 International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Special Issue „Sissy‟ is an antiquated term usually attributed to men with dominating feminine characteristic features.They have made their interminable appearances in works of art and literature.These perpetually humorous characters have peppered the narrative flow of a number of novels and other fictional works of art.Notwithstanding the myriad fictional representations,the characteristically effeminate individuals corroborate various principles.He questions the notion of sole ownership of feminine features, which is generally accepted to be possessed by women alone.He establishes that feminine traits are not the exclusive properties of female bodies.He surpasses the biological specifications of his male body and establishes the fact that the accepted characteristic traits are merely results of performative effects and societal norms.He effortlessly deconstructs the accepted gender stereotypes and the concepts of masculinity and femininity. One of the most abominable Effeminates in the history of this characterization is Tom Ripley,the notorious psychopath killer in Patricia Highsmith‟s, The Talented Mr. Ripley.The titular character presents the most complex elements of human behavior.Patricia Highsmith invokes a sense of sympathy in the minds of the readers,who eventually find way to defend the actions of the title character in this work.The Effeminate in this novel suffers an unpleasant childhood,having lost both his parents
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Black Boi, Boss Bitch
    Black Boi, Boss Bitch Lauryn Hill 18 Jan 1995 - 26 Sep 1998 BLACK QUEER LOOKS Y todo comenzo bailando.... 27 Oct 1998 “Y todo comenzo bailando”...The earliest memories I can recall of my existence are festive. 20 Pound Pots of pernil & pigfeet. Pasteles, Gandulez, Guinea, Pollo Guisado. Habichuelas. 5 different types of beans & 5 different dishes on one plate. Even if only 4 niggas pulled up to the crib, abuela was always cooking for 40. The image of her red lipstick stain on hefty glasses of Budweiser that once contained Goya olives is forever etched in my mind. This was that poor boricua family that stored rice & beans in “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter” containers.The kind of family that blasted Jerry Rivera’s & Frankie Ruiz voices over dollar-store speakers. The kind that prized Marc Anthony, Hector LaVoe, El Gran Combo, La India, Tito Rojas. Victor Manuelle. Salsa Legends that put abuela's feet to work. My cousin Nina & her wife Iris who sparked their Ls in the bathroom, waving around floor length box braids, and bomb ass butch-queen aesthetics. “Pero nino, you hoppin on the cyph?. Uncle Negro or “Black”as we called him for his rich dark-skin, stay trying to wife my mom’s friends. 7:11 pm. 7 pounds 8 oz. October 27th. Maybe it was the lucky 7. Maybe it was fated for them to welcome another, intensely-loving Scorpio into their home. Or maybe it was just another blissful evening in the barrio. Where Bottles of Henny would be popped, and cousins & aunts & uncles you didn’t even know you had would reappear.
    [Show full text]
  • ``Masculine Guys Only'': the Effects of Femmephobic Mobile Dating
    Computers in Human Behavior 62 (2016) 176e185 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Human Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh Full length article “Masculine Guys Only”: The effects of femmephobic mobile dating application profiles on partner selection for men who have sex with men * Brandon Miller , Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz University of Missouri, United States article info abstract Article history: Mobile dating applications (apps) have changed the way gay men find others in their geographic area for Received 10 December 2015 sexual activity and romantic relationships. Many of these apps are branded in relation to traditional Received in revised form masculinity and have become a breeding ground for femmephobic, or anti-effeminate, language. Past 4 March 2016 research has not examined the effects of femmephobic language in social networking apps designed for Accepted 31 March 2016 men who have sex with men (MSM) on app users' perceptions. This research employed an online Available online 8 April 2016 experiment of 143 MSM app users to test how users respond to femmephobic and non-femmephobic language use in MSM dating profiles. Participants rated the profile users, as well as reported their Keywords: fl Social networking desire to meet the user in an of ine context. Results indicated that the use of femmephobic language in fi fi LGBTQ dating pro les affects a potential partner's perceived intelligence, sexual con dence, and dateability, as Femmephobia well as one's desire to meet potential partners offline for friendship or romantic purposes. Anti- Partner selection effeminacy was an important moderator of the main effect.
    [Show full text]
  • A Provider's Introduction to Substance Abuse Treatment for Lesbian, Gay
    Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment A Provider’s Introduction to Substance Abuse Treatment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals A Provider’s Introduction to Substance Abuse Treatment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment 1 Choke Cherry Road Rockville, MD 20857 All material appearing in this volume may be reproduced or copied without permission from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) or the authors. Citation of the source is appreciated. The material appearing on pages 12 and 13 is under copyright and reproduced herein with the permission of the copyright holders. Before reprinting, readers are advised to determine the copy­ right status of all such material or to secure permission of the copyright holders. This publication was developed by SAMHSA’s CSAT under purchase order 99M004228. Edwin Craft, Dr.P.H., served as the CSAT Government Project Officer. Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., Access Consulting International, Inc., served as the Project Director for the development of the original draft document. This document was edited and prepared for publication by CSAT’s Knowledge Application Program (KAP) under contract number 270-99-7072 with JBS International, Inc., and The CDM Group. Karl White, Ed.D., served as the CSAT KAP Government Project Officer. The opinions expressed herein are the views of the authors and do not represent the official posi­ tion of CSAT, SAMHSA, or any other part of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Masculinity Matters: Perceptions of One's Own Gender Status and The
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects Masculinity Matters: Perceptions of One’s Own Gender Status and the Effects on Psychosocial Well Being Among Gay Men Dane Robert Whicker Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons, and the Gender and Sexuality Commons Recommended Citation Whicker, Dane Robert, "Masculinity Matters: Perceptions of One’s Own Gender Status and the Effects on Psychosocial Well Being Among Gay Men" (2016). Dissertations (1934 -). 657. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/657 MASCULINITY MATTERS: PERCEPTIONS OF ONE’S OWN GENDER STATUS AND THE EFFECTS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL BEING AMONG GAY MEN by Dane R. Whicker, B.A., M.S. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin August 2016 ABSTRACT MASCULINITY MATTERS: PERCEPTIONS OF ONE’S OWN GENDER STATUS AND THE EFFECTS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL BEING AMONG GAY MEN Dane R. Whicker, B.A., M.S. Marquette University, 2016 Gay men have a unique relationship with masculinity. The manner in which gay men view their gender in a heterosexist context (i.e., Perceptions of One’s Own Gender Status, “POOGS”) may explain individual differences found in psychological health among both feminine and masculine gay men. In this study, four factors that make up POOGS are 1) connection to the gay community, 2) perceived negative attitudes toward effeminacy, 3) exposure to heterosexist discrimination, and 4) one’s own masculinity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hypotheses that 1) POOGS will predict symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and satisfaction with life, and 2) that these relationships will be moderated by internalized heterosexism.
    [Show full text]
  • Experiences of Femme Identity: Coming Out, Invisibility and Femmephobia Karen L
    Psychology & Sexuality, 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2014.921860 Experiences of femme identity: coming out, invisibility and femmephobia Karen L. Blaira* and Rhea Ashley Hoskinb aDepartment of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; bDepartment of Sociology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada (Received 11 March 2014; accepted 4 May 2014) A qualitative analysis of 146 femme-identified individuals’ responses to questions about sexual identity, femme identity, gender expression and experiences of discrimi- nation were examined in an attempt to better understand the experiences of femme- identified individuals. Specific emphasis was placed on the process of self-identifying as femme, as opposed to being categorised as femme on the basis of gender expres- sion. Femme-identified participants described experiences of coming out femme in contrast to coming out as sexual minorities, processes of femme-identity development that were largely shaped by the prevalence of masculine privileging within queer communities and related experiences of discrimination based on their femme identity or femmephobia. The occurrences of four different types of femmephobia were explored and comparisons were made between participants as a function of their sexual identities. The study demonstrates that femme identity is not limited to indivi- duals in exclusively butch–femme relationships or communities and that there is an important element of agency and self-actualisation associated with femme identity. Furthermore, participants
    [Show full text]
  • Sociological Work on Transgender in Latin America: Some Considerations
    Sociological Work on Transgender in Latin America: Some Considerations Vek Lewis University of Sydney El poder de representar se refiere al poder de nombrar la realidad, de clasificarla, de adjetivarla y hacer valer esa representación en la mente (y en el corazón) de los individuos, construyendo de esta manera una estructura de posibilidades de acción, así como un sistema de diferenciación y distinción social. – Guillermo Núñez Noriega.1 If queers, afeminados, and transgendered persons are understood by their cultures in certain ways, subjected to certain discursive treatments, and made abject by these designs, then how might such violence, at once personal and epistemic, be represented without reproducing and reiterating the violence of the mark? – Roger Lancaster.2 Sociology concerns the study of the underlying rules and processes that organise social interaction and phenomena. It deals with the present-day social world. Sociology, like other fields, possesses different schools and traditions. The school or orientation to which a particular study belongs will be reflected in the kinds of approaches undertaken. Very broadly we can observe that some studies are allied to a more objectivist approach: they define their research problematic in terms of the typical questions or issues seen as important to the discipline. They begin with theoretical generalities and seek to test a hypothesis. Other studies may depart from a different point, and seek to generate perspectives inductively, based on extensive interviews with subjects about their day-to-day lives and experiences, defining a research problematic that seeks to understand how the subjects see the world and not simply how the researcher sees it.
    [Show full text]
  • As Long As You're Not Effeminate And
    BLS 35, No 1 2009. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3765/bls.v35i1.3596 (published by the Berkeley Linguistics Society and the Linguistic Society of America) As Long As You’re not Effeminate and Fat: Perpetuating the Heteronormative Discourse in Personal Ads of Serbian Gay Youth on the Web KSENIJA BOGETI University of Novi Sad 0. Introduction Sociolinguistic investigation of questions related to gender and sexuality has recently gained much scholarly attention. The novel poststructuralist voices have brought some significant changes in the field, including the shift away from the concept of binary differences and the adoption of a wide range of third-wave feminist and queer stances. Research on language and sexuality has mainly focused on sexually marginal- ized groups and their stigmatization in the heteronormative society. In response to this tendency, the present paper aims to explore the discursive manifestations of the marginalization of effeminate gay men within the gay community itself, a phenomenon which has received less attention in research. The relations of language and sexuality, such as described in this paper, should at the same time be viewed as indicative of a more general relationship between language and social meaning. I show how Serbian gay teenagers draw on shared cultural knowledge and ideological resources available in their community to construct sexual and social identities modelled on the basis of socially desirable masculine identities. The study reveals how hegemonic discourses of masculinity and heterosexuality are perpetuated, rather than challenged, through linguistic practices that index personal and group identities. At a broader level, I argue that it is in this way that a subordinated culture allows dominant discourses to survive and its own margin- ality to be upheld.
    [Show full text]
  • Effeminate? Bialystok’S Theorization of Authenticity, Gay Male Femmephobia, and Personal Identity Adam W
    “Authentically” Effeminate? Bialystok’s Theorization of Authenticity, Gay Male Femmephobia, and Personal Identity Adam W. J. Davies, Assistant Professor, University of Guelph Accepted for publication in the Spring 2020 issue of the Canadian Journal of Family and Youth Recommended citation: Davies, A. W. J. (in press). “Authentically” effeminate? Bialystok’s theorization of authenticity, gay male femmephobia, and personal identity. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth/Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de la Jeunesse. Finalized Pre-Publication Copy: as of August 2019 Authenticity is a commonly heralded ideal in Western modernist discourses, with a large amount of literature describing individuals’ personal journeys towards self-fulfillment (Bialystok, 2009, 2013, 2017). This paper examines Lauren Bialystok’s (2013) conception of authenticity in sex/gender identity and proposes that effeminate or ‘femme’ gay men make a strong case for fitting within such a conception of authenticity. Effeminate gay men experience significant in- group discrimination within gay men’s communities, with many gay men “defeminizing” (Taywaditep, 2002) themselves upon entering adulthood and mainstream gay communities. Through this exploration of Bialystok’s model for authenticity in sex/gender identity and the identity-based challenges effeminate or ‘femme’ gay men experience, this paper describes why effeminate gay men fit Bialystok’s model, and the ethical dilemmas of theorizing authenticity in personal identity. Providing supportive and positive early environments in school while specifically addressing gender-based discrimination in childhood provides more opportunities for positive identity development and the potential of fulfilling self-authenticity within gender identity for effeminate gay men. Keywords: authenticity, personal identity, effeminacy, gay men, Lauren Bialystok, metaphysics “Authentically” Effeminate 2 Within modernist discourses and philosophical debates, there is a fascination with authenticity and quests for self-actualization (Bialystok, 2017; Taylor, 1991).
    [Show full text]
  • Shifting Gender Positions Among Hindi-Speaking Hijras
    10 hijras1 Kira Hall and Veronica-O'Donovan I was disowned by th~Hindus and shunned by my own wife. I was exploited by the Muslims who dis- dained my company. Indeed I was like a hijda who was neither one thing nor another but could be mis- used by everyone. (Singh 1989: 55) Introduction The hijras occupy a marginalized position in the Indian social matrix, as their ambiguous gender identity provokes conflicting feelings of awe and contempt. Discussed variously in the anthro- pological literature as 'transvestites', 'eunuchs', 'hermaphrodites', and even 'a third gender',2 most of India's hijras were raised as boys before taking up residencein one of the many hijra commu- nities which exist in almost every region of India. Since the late 1980s, several European and American cultural theorists (e.g. Nanda 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, Bullough and Bullough 1993) have pointed to the visibility of the hijra in Indian society in order to suggestthe cultural possibility of a more liberating, non-dichoto- mous organization of gender. Indeed, the hijras' livelihood is contingent upon their inextricable position in the social structure; according to tradition, they are expectedto sing and dance at births and weddings, where they are rewarded with gifts of clothes, jew- ellery, and money. SHIFTINGGENDER POSITIONS 229 Yet the life-stories of the Hindi-speaking hijras we interviewed in Banaras during the spring and summer of 1993 reflect a very dif- ferent reality from that suggested by these theorists - a reality basedon familial rejection, cultural isolatio n and societal neglect. When the hijra lifestyle is discussedwith respect to this contem- porary reality instead of historical or mythical representation,3 their identification as a uniquely situated third sex becomesmuch more complicated.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Feminizing the Male Persona
    1 Feminizing the Male Persona: Effeminacy as Rebellion and Subversion Author: Donovan Cleckley Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cathlena Martin School: University of Montevallo 2 Recognized and understood as concepts, “man” and “woman,” do not exist independently of the gendered discourse which defines “manhood” and “womanhood.” This statement does not mean that the categories of man and woman are not real; rather, it means that they are constructions, woven into the very fabric of everyday life. Involving the linguistic designation of man and woman, gendered discourse, as it is institutionalized and policed, thus controls what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of given performances and presentations of gender. Trouble arises over the variance of gender, being new ways of doing gender, in an accepted binary system which emphasizes the dichotomy of the masculine and the feminine. Built on polarity, and problematic as such, this hegemonic model of gender, functioning as a lens through which to see bodies, comprehends definite blue or definite red without considering that qualities designated as either masculine or feminine, associated with either man or woman, respectively, are all qualities capable of human beings. In considering the existing chasm between maleness and femaleness, Charlotte Perkins Gilman writes that, although the confinement of women to their “feminine functions,” as defined by androcentric culture, deprives them of their full humanity, men, even while ahead of women in patriarchal society, suffer because “maleness […] warps and disfigures their [men’s] humanness.”1 Instead of pure blue and pure red, it seems as if, moving away from masculinity and femininity and toward humanness, shades of purple, differing in shared hues of blueness and redness, exist.
    [Show full text]
  • Non-Binary Gender Identity Negotiations
    i Non-Binary Gender Identity Negotiations: Interactions with Queer Communities and Medical Practice Benjamin William Vincent Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy The University of Leeds School of Sociology and Social Policy October 2016 ii The candidate confirms that the work submitted is their own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from this thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. © 2016 The University of Leeds, Benjamin William Vincent The right of Benjamin William Vincent to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by Benjamin William Vincent in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. iii Acknowledgements A doctorate is a piece of work that can isolate as one grapples with writing, but also depends greatly upon the support of others. I would like to start by thanking Dr. Sally Hines as my primary supervisor. Sally has provided consistently warm and approachable support throughout, together with her fantastic experience as a foremost scholar of transgender studies. Dr Ana Manzano has also given great guidance not only with nuanced discussions of methodology, but with support and co-authorship of my first formal academic publication. My thanks also go to Professor Anne Kerr for her role as my supervisor during my first year. I am grateful to many academic staff within and beyond Leeds for various opportunities and forms of support – Meg-John Barker, Sharon Elley, Kris McLaughlin, Richard Tavernier, and Matthew Wilkinson – thank you all.
    [Show full text]
  • LGBTQ Terminology AIDS Androgyne / Androgyny Bisexual / Bisexuality
    LGBTQ terminology AIDS Androgyne / Androgyny Bisexual / Bisexuality Butch Camp Cross-dresser Drag Drag King Drag Queen Femme (or Fem) Gay Gender Identity HIV Hermaphrodite Heterosexual Homoerotic Homophobia Homosexual Intersexed Person / Intersex Lesbian LGBTQ Safe Sex Trans Transgender Transsexual Transman (or trans man) Transwoman (or trans woman) Transvestite Queer AIDS A disease of the immune system characterized by increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections caused by a retrovirus and transmitted chiefly through blood or blood products that enter the body's bloodstream, especially by sexual contact or contaminated hypodermic needles. See also HIV, Safe Sex Androgyne / Androgyny A person appearing and/or identifying as neither male nor female, presenting a gender which is either mixed or neutral. Bisexual / Bisexuality - An individual who is sexually attracted to both men and women, or gives the impression of being so. The term also acts as a proper noun for this individual. A common misconception is that bisexuality means being equally attracted to both sexes – in fact, many people who state a distinct or exclusive preference for one sex over another, may still identify as bisexual. An alternative, less commonly used term, is ambisexual. Butch - A term historically applied to a ‘masculine’ (but not necessarily gay) woman or lesbian. Traditionally, the butch used to be paired with the femme in a lesbian relationship. However, the modern butch may prefer other butch women. This archaic term should not be used without full justification, as it is often used derogatively and may cause offence. A famous example of the butch-femme relationship is portrayed in Radclyffe Hall’s novel The Well of Loneliness (1928).
    [Show full text]