Re: Cultural Studies Survey
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:12 pm
Simple choice questions:
Q1. What is your gender?
A1. Female.
Q2. Have you ever wanted to be a different gender?
A2. Yes.
Short Answer:
Q1. What is your reaction to being asked #2 of the simple choice questions?
A1. I was surprised to be asked, and slightly nervous because of the venue. I was also very interested to see what other people would say publicly, and pleased to have a chance to answer the question.
Q2. Have you ever been called a Tomboy, a Sissy, or related?
A2. I was called a tomboy when I was young. As I got older, the names became less cute and more threatening: I am too analytical, unemotional, cold, heartless, cruel, controlling, a ballbuster, frigid, power-hungry, a snake, etc., etc. (And those are just the names that I think relate to gender!)
Long answer:
Q1. If you wanted to be a different gender why?
A1. In short, because it's easier to be a male with Asperger's Syndrome than a female. I don't have a strong attachment to the social construction of femininity or much ability to relate to other females. I have a lot of 'masculine' traits and interests, and my friends are almost inevitably male. I value my biological sex because it sets me apart from people with the same interests (which is helpful, for instance, when applying for a job -- I'm memorable!). But my conception of my inner self is almost entirely without gender, and I am often annoyed by the limitations and trappings of being female.
Q2. How did you or how would you feel being called a tomboy, sissy, or related?
A2. I enjoyed being called a tomboy because I interpreted it as a compliment. Similarly, I like being called analytical and, to some extent, unemotional. I am not so happy being called heartless or frigid. Those labels generally make me feel like a failure as a person in the worst case, or like an alien who really doesn't belong here in the best case.
Q1. What is your gender?
A1. Female.
Q2. Have you ever wanted to be a different gender?
A2. Yes.
Short Answer:
Q1. What is your reaction to being asked #2 of the simple choice questions?
A1. I was surprised to be asked, and slightly nervous because of the venue. I was also very interested to see what other people would say publicly, and pleased to have a chance to answer the question.
Q2. Have you ever been called a Tomboy, a Sissy, or related?
A2. I was called a tomboy when I was young. As I got older, the names became less cute and more threatening: I am too analytical, unemotional, cold, heartless, cruel, controlling, a ballbuster, frigid, power-hungry, a snake, etc., etc. (And those are just the names that I think relate to gender!)
Long answer:
Q1. If you wanted to be a different gender why?
A1. In short, because it's easier to be a male with Asperger's Syndrome than a female. I don't have a strong attachment to the social construction of femininity or much ability to relate to other females. I have a lot of 'masculine' traits and interests, and my friends are almost inevitably male. I value my biological sex because it sets me apart from people with the same interests (which is helpful, for instance, when applying for a job -- I'm memorable!). But my conception of my inner self is almost entirely without gender, and I am often annoyed by the limitations and trappings of being female.
Q2. How did you or how would you feel being called a tomboy, sissy, or related?
A2. I enjoyed being called a tomboy because I interpreted it as a compliment. Similarly, I like being called analytical and, to some extent, unemotional. I am not so happy being called heartless or frigid. Those labels generally make me feel like a failure as a person in the worst case, or like an alien who really doesn't belong here in the best case.
