How do you define your femme identity?
It’s what makes sense to me, and it’s the term which best suits how I am naturally. It’s not a flag I wave, however, nor does it define my behavior. Speaking of such things--
How do other identities you have not only intersect with femme but also contradict it?
My myriad identities (alphabetically: “femme,” “goth,” “m2f tranny,” “writer”) intersect by definition because they’re part of me, and I don’t care if any of them empirically contradict. I’m far too selfish and willful to NOT do something just because it’s not what a femme or goth or tranny or writer is supposed to do. For example, I’ve been listening to a lot of Richard and Linda Thompson lately, and the fact they’re not goth means less than nothing to me. It’s just not something I care about.
What are some joys of being femme?
When there’s no subcultural pressure to have short hair and wear flannel, the sky’s the limit. And my legs looked damned good in fishnets, if I do say so myself.
What role does writing play in community-building for you?
It’s a happy unintended consequence. I find the concept of community-building to be an abstract and sometimes self-aggrandizing goal, and I wouldn’t know how to do it if I wanted to. I just write as honestly as I can, though I do try to be diplomatic in hopes of minimizing the “How dare you say ________!” responses. I bend over backwards to avoid potential hurt feelings so many times in my Femmethology essay, I should probably add “literary contortionist” to the identities list, but hey, stretching is a good thing, right? (Literary pilates!)
Considering that what I write is from a femme/m2f perspective and often discusses our lower-class status—awkward!--it’s always gratifying when butches/f2ms or even plain ol’ vanilla straight people tell me that they appreciate and/or identify with my work. The truth will out, y’all.
How does it feel to be part of the Femmethologies?
Like I’m at the end of a long road which I wasn’t sure I would ever—ooh, look, it’s branching off into another road! Let’s see where *this* one goes!
Femme is _____ (one word only, please)
intuitive.
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