tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432122252544693588.post779012458087189314..comments2023-05-28T23:41:17.406-07:00Comments on Whipping Girl: Laura Jane Grace and coming out as trans in the public eye-juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703465310869693798noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432122252544693588.post-19065830349989708472012-06-04T21:35:05.978-07:002012-06-04T21:35:05.978-07:00You ought to do a CD/DVD of your poetry.You ought to do a CD/DVD of your poetry.SuzyQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01396158610549402206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432122252544693588.post-42116702826327748012012-06-02T08:53:24.718-07:002012-06-02T08:53:24.718-07:00I decided to transition (MtF) more than a year bef...I decided to transition (MtF) more than a year before reading "Whipping Girl", but since reading it, I've told several people close to me (both personally close and professionally close) that I've adopted Julia Serano as my spokesperson because, despite the fact that she's probably almost 30 years younger than me, "Whipping Girl" resonated with me in a such a profoundly deep way that it is literally just about impossible to express in words; it would require something like the wordless physical intimacy one would share with her lover in bed. "Whipping Girl" is such a profound paradigm shift that Julia wisely realized that she needed, at the beginning of the book, to redefine some words, introduce and explain some existing phrases in the English language with which her readers may be unfamiliar, and introduce some new phrases which are creations of her own. I have a suspicion that the fact that, among other things, Julia was trained as a scientist explains both the glossary at the start of the book, and why the book resonated with me. But it's also brimming with humanity and sensitivity.<br /><br />This current blog post by Julia is written, in my opinion, with the same superb skill as she manifested in the book; that's mainly why I decided to comment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432122252544693588.post-17694845051184362622012-05-31T09:58:32.842-07:002012-05-31T09:58:32.842-07:00Reading whipping girl at the moment myself, really...Reading whipping girl at the moment myself, really enjoying it :)<br />I find it really interesting that you said this in your coming out post "my basic personality, manner of speaking, opinions, thoughts, sense of humor, etc., will not be any different."<br />I find this really interesting. It's hard to know how much you should change to fit in. Obviously learning the language of your local area is a good start, not sure where it stops though.<br />I'm a slow reader though, maybe your book covers it :)<br />Thanks for writing it.Evanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432122252544693588.post-40659076429171030762012-05-31T07:13:59.536-07:002012-05-31T07:13:59.536-07:00PS and FYI, for anyone in the path of Against Me!&...PS and FYI, for anyone in the path of Against Me!'s tour with the Cult, I went to see them this past Sunday in San Francisco... They were great, and they are worth the price of the ticket.<br /><br />Laura was very clearly "out" during her performance. She dedicated the first song to me. OK, well, not me in specific, but me in trans-general-ness. She dedicated the song to "all the genderqueer people in the audience".<br /> <br />Based on her performance, being "out" clearly agrees with Laura. Her band seems happy and okay with it. When she sang "The Ocean", the grin on her face during the second verse was simply amazing to see:<br /> <br />If I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman. <br />My mother once told me she would have named me Laura. <br />I would grow up to be strong and beautiful like her. <br />One day I’d find an honest man to make my husband. <br />We would have two children, build our home on the Gulf of Mexico. <br />Our family would spend hot summer days at the beach together. <br />The sun would kiss our skin as we played in the sand and water. <br />We would know we loved each other without having to say it. <br />At night we would sleep with the windows of our house left open. <br />Letting the cool ocean air soothe the sunburned shoulders of our children.<br /><br />It was, in the end, very powerful to see someone being so "out" in front of a large number of people. The crowd didn't seem to care, and clearly enjoyed listening.<br /><br />-GwenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8432122252544693588.post-36961904040679029482012-05-30T18:05:44.543-07:002012-05-30T18:05:44.543-07:00I found the Rolling Stone article really well done...I found the Rolling Stone article really well done, and for me, it was like finding the Holy Grail -- on sale, at LAX. Sure, there are issues, but I think the reporter deliberately switched pronouns in the article at the appropriate point. I shared the article with all my friends, and I wrote to my parents in all caps "SEE!!! I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!" So much of Laura's life history is my life history, her pain is my pain, her fears are my fears... To read about a rock star coming out as trans in Rolling Stone like that was simply phenomenal. And I really like a lot of her music. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com