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In my first installment, I discussed the life and
theories of gender theorist and philosopher Judith Butler. For my second
installment, I am examining a few other modern-day gender theorists with ideas
similar to Butler’s. I would also like to elaborate on some of the influential movements
happening in our lifetime that are directly related to the open-mindedness
regarding gender.
Kate Bornstein, a transgender gender theorist, is one of
the most celebrated thinkers of our time. Bornstein attended Brown University
to study Theatre Arts, and has gone on to write books and plays, perform, and theorize.
She was originally born as Albert Bornstein in 1948, but knew from a young age
that she was not a boy. She felt that she was merely performing the role of
being a male, and constantly searched for ways to prove her sexuality to the
rest of the world. Shortly after her time at Brown, she finally went through
the sex-change that she had desired her whole life. However, in her words, it “didn’t
work.” She still felt the need to “perform” the role of a woman, and felt no
more comfortable in her body that she did as a man. Eventually, she realized
that she just didn’t fit into the binary mold that society had created. She is
neither man or woman, just somewhere in between. Judith Butler would appreciate
Bornstein’s confession that she doesn’t find her identity in the
pre-constructed, binary definitions of gender that society has created. Butler
feels that humans should strive to live without these labels and discovery
their sexual identities without limits. She has written four books so far, Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest
of Us, My new Gender Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World Peace
Through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivity, and A Queer and Pleasant Danger: The true Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who
Joins the Church of Scientology and Leaves Twelve Years Later to Become the
Lovely Lady She Is. Her work is taught in over 200 schools around the
world, in five different languages. She is currently a regular cast member on
the TV show “I Am Cait,” starring Caitlyn Jenner (who I talked about in my last
report). Her bright spirit, sense of humor, and progressive theories are why
she is such a loved figure in the world of gender theory.
Sara Ahmed was born in England in
1969, and later emigrated to Adelaide, Australia, with her family. She attended
Adelaide University for her undergraduate degree, and finished her doctoral
research at Cardiff University. From 1994-2004, she was an institute director
at Lancaster University, and was based in their Women’s Studies program. From
2004-2016, she was a professor of Race and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths, but
recently resigned this May. Among other topics, her work focuses on
orientation, identity, and differences. Her works include Differences that Matter: Feminist Theory and Postmodernism, Strange
Encounters: Embodied Others in post-Coloniality, The cultural Politics of
Emotion, Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others, The Promise of
Happiness, On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life, and
Willful Subjects. She recently
completed a new book, Living a Feminist
Life, and expects it to be out for the public in 2017. When Ahmet began
writing this book, she also started a blog called Feminist Killjoys, where she
blogs about feminist ideals and current social issues. She plans on continuing
the blog despite the completion of her book. Her book, Queer Phenomenology, discusses the meaning of orientation, and how
society has created a definition for which orientations are acceptable and which
are not. Butler would agree with these theories, but most likely disapprove her
Ahmet’s feminist doctrines. If you remember from my last post, Butler feels as
though the whole idea of feminism undermines its own mission. Nevertheless,
Ahmet remains an influential leader in the realm of gender studies and
progressive ideals. 
Because
Butler focused so heavily on the theory that humans are not necessarily designed
to be sexual attracted to the opposite gender, and may in fact find themselves
somewhere in the middle, I decided to look into some celebrities that have come
out as bisexual. The first, most obvious celebrity I will mention is Miley
Cyrus. Her stark change in public appearance and performance in 2012 raised many
questions about her sexuality. In an interview for Paper Magazine, Miley told sources that she loves girls the way she
loves boys, and had known this since age fourteen. Meghan Fox has been quoted
saying that she has “no question in [her] mind about being bisexual.” Other
notable stars, such as Billie Joe Armstrong, Angelina Jolie, David Bowie, Amy
Winehouse, Bella Thorne (former Disney star), Vanessa Carlton (yeah, the singer
of “A Thousand Miles”), and Kesha, have all come out as bisexual to the media. Personally,
I am glad that we live in a time where people feel comfortable and supported
enough to publicize their sexualities (especially since there has been such a
stigma associated with being anything but heterosexual). I think it’s important for those who are
struggling with finding their sexuality to see that others have dealt with the
same conflictions.
I
find it funny when people claim that homosexuality is a new phenomenon
happening only in this generation, when in reality, homosexuality and
bisexuality have been seen in humanity for centuries. We are living in the LGBT
Rights Movement, which has been going on since 1972. Before this, there was the
Gay Liberation Movement (1969-1974) and the Homophile Movement (1945-1969). LGBT
Movements have been emerging since the late 1800s. These movements have
encompassed the voices of all who feel they do not fit into the gender molds
that we have constructed. They are fighting the prejudices against homosexuals,
bisexuals, transgender people, and all anyone who does not naturally conform to
the heterosexual label. They have done an excellent job of spreading awareness
of the matter at hand, and implementing the issue into all forms of media. You
see many more TV shows, movies, ads, etc. with homosexual couples. The Disney
show “Good Luck Charlie” even featured a gay couple on an episode recently. In
my lifetime, I have had the opportunity to see the gay community finally receive
the right to get married. This was largely due to these movements and the incorporation
of the LGBT community into mainstream media.
Awareness
and education is key to change. Judith Butler, Kate Bornstein, Sara Ahmet, and
others who speak up about gender problems are the vital in the movement for
LGBT knowledge and equality. As I said in my last post, I feel that we are on a
very positive and accepting path towards this necessary awareness.
Links to Comments:
Links to Sources:
"homosexuality and bisexuality have been seen in humanity for centuries." - For millennia, at least since the ancient Greeks.
ReplyDeletePlease put in a link to your first installment.