First Time Dealer

I really have to agree a lot with what Cait wrote. THis is the first time I have ever really dealt with these issues before. I have to say at times I was a bit confused. I didn't exactly understand all the differences between all the different labels and it seemed to me that many of the speakers identify themselves as being either a femme, boi, butch, trans, so on but are all kind of saying a very similar thing and that confused me. I have no problem with anyone identify themselves this way. That is there choice and I have no room to judge. I would just like more clarification on the differences so I could better understand and not be an outsider looking in confused who may come off judgmental because there is no judgment here.

My favorite piece we read was "One Bad Hair Day Too Many or the Hairstory of an Androgynous Young Feminist" by Myhre. I thought her story was very interesting. And in a time of Raunch Culture, as Avreil Levy sees, this article at first baffled me. Here she is a feminist yet throwing away all her famine traits. Yet, at the end of her story she gets her message across that she does not want to be labeled or box by an outsider. She is being her own person and being happy doing so. Her comment really struck a cord with me when she said, "we base judgement of gender on people's appearance... a woman's attractiveness to men is the primary measure of her worth." She is right!!! Raunch culture plays up a women's beauty and gives her "strength" and "power". I loved that Myhre is trying to break down, or at least does not follow the societal norm, and is showing, whether she means to be a role model or not, that women and men can all be strong and powerful just by being comfortable with themselves and not living up to some societal norm.