Buddy!

It’s that time of year again when I need to renew my car’s VA state inspection certification. Last year I had to get two new tires before the technician would okay my car. This year, in preparation, I got another new tire and changed my front wiper blades. (It’s recommended that you change them every six months.)

New wiper blades run about $14-16 each, while refills cost around $4. So, of course I was looking for refills. The service station I got my last oil change at (which I went to because I had a coupon) said that they don’t make refills anymore when I asked if they had any. I looked at the guy and said, “No, they make them. You might not carry them is all.” He said, well, yeah, if I went to an auto part store, then they might have them. Duh.

I can’t believe how some people try to fool others when they think they won’t notice, or don’t know better. It’s really irritating actually.

In any case, I finally made my way to the auto part store. The clerk asked me if he could help me, and I asked for the refills, told him the year, make, and model of my car (so that he could look up the lengths of refills I needed) and a couple of minutes later came back with exactly what I needed. Simple. Easy. And cheap! What’s more, the guy handed me my receipt with a “here you go, buddy!”

I didn’t realize until just then how much I liked being hailed as “buddy.” It was friendly without being too familiar. I wonder what else guys use with each other?

Got Dawn?

I could use a new dawn about now...

"New Dawn Coming" by Cowboy Junkies

Hold on honey, there's a new dawn coming
And a big bird to sweep you away

Are you born yet? Are you listening?
Are you sick of staring at the walls?

Are you hungry? Are you angry?
Are you wondering if there's anyone at all?

Hold on honey there's a new dawn coming
And a big bird to sweep you away
Keep on dreaming soon there'll be a reason
To see it through one more day

Are you weary? Are you sinking?
Are you tired of holding up the walls?

Are you done with all your thinking?
Have you found that there's no one at all?

Hold on honey there's a new dawn coming
And a big bird to sweep you away
Keep on dreaming soon there'll be a reason
To see it through one more day

Ain't got no answers here
What I see is not clear
Time to shake it around
Turn my world upside down
And watch as the stars come unhinged

Hold on honey there's a new dawn coming
And a big bird to sweep you away
Keep on dreaming soon there'll be a reason
To see it through one more day

Hold on honey there's a new dawn coming
And a big bird to sweep us away
Keep on dreaming soon there'll be a reason
To see it through one more day

Are you born yet?
Are you born yet?

Yay for Seal Press and Susan Stryker!

Just when it seems like more and more publishers are publishing fewer and fewer books, and even less and less queer titles, Seal Press persists—thank goodness!!

I recently was given the opportunity to review Susan Stryker’s new book, Transgender History.



Having had the chance on a few occasions to hear Stryker speak at various events, and being familiar with other work of hers, I wasn’t surprised by her ability to engage me as a reader, or by the overall readability of Transgender History.

True, when you cram “history” (trans or not) into 153 pages, there are several things that you can focus on, and many other things you cannot. But, as primer/introductory text, Transgender History has a lot to offer.

People will certainly be drawn to the first chapter, “An Introduction to Transgender Terms and Concepts.” While I am much more hesitant to provide my students with readings that present a list of terms and definitions (preferring instead that they encounter them in context, often in contradictory contexts that reveal their nuances), a general reading public will certainly appreciate the way in which Stryker is able to succinctly give them a working understanding of so many terms.

The second chapter, “A Hundred Years of Transgender History” is an amazing condensation of a lot of information. I have previously encountered much of the information that Stryker presents, but to have it all gathered here and in less than thirty pages is a feat! I particularly appreciated Stryker’s attention to the ways in which medical science (and legislation over it) has increasingly played a central role in our everyday lives.

Chapter 4, “The Difficult Decades” highlights Transgender History's usefulness for contemporary Women’s Studies and Gender Studies courses.

Most importantly, throughout the book there is a strong focus on critically analyzing the role of state policies and institutions in controlling those who go against social norms. At times, these moments may be too subtle for novice readers, but the book definitely has a lot to offer.

Check it out for yourself...

Beyond Masculinity

For the longest time, I primarily taught Women’s Studies courses. When I started teaching in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies, I used very few texts written by men, or about gay men. Mostly, I hadn’t found any feminist queer texts authored by men that I thought did more than required texts I already assigned. And, since I was more interested in talking about those groups of people marginalized within queer communities—-women, people of color,etc.—-I concentrated on readings focused on those populations.

Over the years, I’ve found more, and incorporated more such feminist queer texts authored by men into my syllabus. This semester, I am very happily including essays from Beyond Masculinity: Essays by Queer Men on Gender and Politics, edited by Trevor Hoppe.

Not only is Beyond Masculinity available in-full on-line at no charge, but podcasts of many of the essays are also available for download for those who’d rather listen to the authors read their respective essays. These two things make the anthology stand out, especially in this day and age when costs for books and for copyright to reprint articles are increasing, and more and more college courses are being offered solely as on-line courses. Coupled with the content of the anthology, Beyond Masculinity is certainly an exciting text.

True, some essays were more of a hit than others; but, I like the collection as a whole too much to call-out those that fell short for me. Besides, you never know—one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

I do want to mention a few texts, though:

Joshua Bastian Cole’s essay, “Tarheels and Transfags,” helps broaden the understanding of the spectrum of transpeople’s experiences through the telling of his own story of having been on testosterone for six years, passing as male in everyday life, and not identifying as male.

And, Michael Faris’s “On Being a Queer Man: Radical Feminism and the Need to be an Ally” and Elliot Long’s “Elusive Intersection” should be incorporated into introduction to Women’s Studies courses everywhere.

Thanks to Trevor Hoppe and all the other authors!

If you haven’t seen Hoppe’s own personal website/blog, you are missing out—-http://trevorhoppe.com I definitely look up to how he’s getting research for his PhD done, contributing to published scholarship, and still leading a (seemingly) fun life. You go, boy!

Birthday Travels (cont.)

Day 3 & 4: All Points West

You really can’t beat a day of lounging in the grass under a blue sky, listening to live music as the sun shines down on you…well, except maybe, with two days of it!

As far as concert venues go, Liberty State Park is certainly a unique site. The journey began with a ferry ride from Manhattan to New Jersey’s Liberty State Park. The Hudson River certainly isn’t the Pacific Ocean, but it was nice to start the day on the water. And, while ferries aren’t stretch limos, it definitely was a distinctive way to travel.

With three stages featuring various artists all day long, there was no shortage of acts to see. In fact, there was a lot of walking back and forth from stage to stage to try and catch as many acts as possible. Highlights include The Roots, Sia dancing in the audience to The Roots’ performance, Andrew Bird, Underworld, and of course, Radiohead. (I might have enjoyed Hillary Duff more if she had actually taken the stage on time…she seemed like the only act that was SO late either day, which meant that she threw the timing off for everyone who followed her!)

All in all, though, definitely a good time! Thank you APW!



Day 5: Henry's

Of course, no visit to New York City would be complete without a trip to the bagel shop. Even better when you take the bagels to go home with you!