genderqueer

We talk a lot on this blog, and in the magazine, about the problems that come with dividing the entire world up into two distinct categories: men and women. Us savvy feminists know that there is a lot more to gender than that, and that lots of us don't necessarily like being forced to identify as just one thing or another, especially when the two categories have been socially constructed to begin with. Nowhere is this false dichotomy more prevalent (and more potentially problematic) than in the world of public restrooms. After all, what could be more stressful than trying to make a decision about your gender identity when you have to pee? Luckily for all of us, there is a handy website dedicated to this very dilemma: safe2pee.org.

Lately I've been thinking about the process of coming out and identities/shifting, and how for so many of us it's an ongoing/lifetime process. In part because we as individuals change, and/or in part because our environment changes, and/or in part because our identities can't be read on the outside, and/or because some of us feel the most comfortable in those in-between spaces yet sometimes feel compelled to "pick a side" (so to speak/referencing here the dualism so prevalent in mainstream Western culture), because the struggle to have our identities validated (or even finding language to define ourselves and our experiences) simply becomes too much work. But then when we "pick that side," we might eventually feel the weight of that boxed-in identity start to hurt, so we begin the process of coming out again... Or geez, to put it most simply, because things just change... 

Apparently all y'all gay folks in California who can now get married have Myspace/MTV reality assclown Tila Tequila to thank. From Us Magazine's website: 

"It is because of me — I definitely think [my show] has helped the movement," she told Usmagazine.com at the Hollywood premiere of The Love Guru on Wednesday.

"Before it came out, everyone was still a little apprehensive about [same sex relationships]," she said. "Then they realized, 'Wow, everyone is really into this stuff, and it is fine.' The next thing you know, [gay marriage] is legal."

This weekend, June 13th to June 15th is Sexy Spring, Minneapolis's radical, sex/body positive, sex education skill-share and conference.

The event is focused on exploring the ways sex, sexuality, relationships, our bodies, and our choices affect our lives. It's a weekend full of workshops, discussions, play, demonstrations, crafting, art shows, communal meals, telling stories, and sex/body performances and dancing.