Cunt: a declaration of independence (notes)

Musico, Inga. 2002. Cunt: a declaration of independence. Seal Press.

-First book to make a difference in my life in college and change my entire way of thinking. Good societal (de)construction of the female uncleanliness and genderization.

Note: All my commentary is (in parentheses), as I prefer to engage with my notetaking instead of just blindly copying down items of interest from a book.

Call to action:
*DIY: Create a Cuntlovin’ Women’s Art Movement w/in own community to define your own art. (lots of work, totally worthwhile idea and so empowering)
* DIY: Challenge herself to only read books written by women authors, only look at photos taken by women, only art created by women, only films directed by women, only screen plays done by women.

Links: http://www.guerrillagirls.com/

pp.20-21:
Menarche party "for the newly menstruating" honoree wore red dress, her mother made a red cake and womyn brought her gifts wrapped in red paper
1995 interview w/ Barbara G. Walker

pp.22:
Pippi Longstocking as nation’s Covergirl(another book to buy again)

pp.23-24:
Align yourself w/ the moon by noticing her and knowing where she’ll be in the heavens wherever you look. (after doing this, my period began to usually land on the full moon)

pp.26:
Luna Press Lunar Calendar. Dedicate day of first blood as a time for herbs, tea and chocolate, a time to be quietly with womyn. (also luna sea sponges and luna panties-washable)

pp.31-32:
sea sponges, ~$1.59 each-instead of tampons. Keep clean by washing really well with hot water and mild soap before reinserting. Boil and allow to dry before storing in a cotton bag. Always boil before using again. Note: When sea sponges are full, they leak. Super important to keep clean. Use for a few months then discard for new one.

pp.39:
Who are: Toni Childs, Sade, Toni Morrison(all artists, muscians)

pp.49:
Reflexology? Where do you massage pregnant womyn to help encourage a natural abortion? What herbal tea recipes help? Musico used “imaging”-direct and absolute concentration- for 8 days, along with herbal tea and massage to naturally abort.

pp.60:
Naturopath: Holistic medicine. (I have been looking into these processes in order to incorporate a feeling of wholeness) Documentation of diet for a week and get entire family and personal medical history for the Naturopath. Naturopath being the individual well versed in Holistic medicine.

pp.70: Books to look into:
A New view of a Woman’s Body
pp.78: Queen, Carol “Real Live Nude Girl” 1997 Cleis Press

pp.86: Kinnie Starr “Buttons” song.

pp.87: Diamanda Gala’s vocal composition- Sheri X
inspired in part by Aileen Whornos(sp?)- a female lesbian prostitute who was/is a serial killer.

pp.99: Free box? (interesting idea to establish in other places or apt. buildings)

pp.101: Wilhelm Reich- male psychoanalyst- good. (why?)

pp.102: “Reichian Therapy” (?)

pp.108: More books: Our Bodies, Ourselves

pp.110: Dr. Jocelyn Elders (who is she and why does she matter in this book or ever?)
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joycelyn_Elders When I googled her name, Wikipedia offered this information on Dr. Jocelyn Elders:

Elders earned a B.S. in biology, an M.D. degree, an M.S. in biochemisty, and, after her term as Surgeon General, a Doctor of Science degree. Starting in 1967, she was a professor at the University of Arkansas Medical Center. In 1987, Governor Bill Clinton appointed Elders as Director of the Arkansas Department of Health. In 1993, as president, he appointed her U.S. Surgeon General. She was the first African American to hold the position. Controversy followed her comments about drug legalization, contraceptives, and masturbation. As a result, Clinton fired her in 1994, and she returned to her career as a professor.

pp.112: Audre Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” 1984, pg. 54 (my first experience with Audre Lorde.)

pp. 113: Women+Sex Stores
Toys in Babeland, Seattle, WA
(still current and open, I was there a few months ago)
Good Vibrations, San Francisco, CA
It’s My Pleasure, Portland, OR
(small but good erotica selection, and softcore style of sex toys, has moved a few time since I’ve been there)
Eve’s Garden, NY
A Woman’s Touch, Madison, Wisconsion
Ruby’s Pearl, Iowa City, Iowa
Grand Opening! Brookline, MA

pp.115-120: Cunt Book Wish List:
1. Playboy for Women About Sex. Joani Blank
2. My Gender Workbook. Kate Bornstein
3. Cunt Coloring Book. Tee Corinne
4. Exhibitionism for the Shy: Show off, Dress up and Talk Hot. Carol Queen
5. The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. Barbara G. Walker
6. Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth and the Politics of the Body. New Paths to Power and Love. Riare T. Eisler
7. A New View of a Woman’s Body: A Fully Illustrated Guide: $20
8. Femalia. Joani Blank –Cunt Photos
9. Sex for One: The Joy of Self Loving
10. The NEW Our Right to Love: A Lesbian Resource Book $14 –ed by Ginny Vida.
11. Herotica: A collection of Women’s Erotic Fiction Vol. I-VII

Videos: Femme Distribution # 800 456-LOVE free catalog with self addressed, stamped envelopes.

pp.206: 1997 Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (I have never, never been. Why haven’t I been?) weeklong world created w/ women. Only men change Porta Potties. “can change a lady forever”

pp:207: Zora Neale Hurston, Leslie Marmon Silko, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Diane Arbus, Maya Linn, Kathe Kollowitz.

pp.208: Musico decided to challenge herself to only read books written by women authors, only look at photos taken by women, only art created by women, only films directed by women, only screen plays done by women. (compelling challenge to attempt. I attempted the same idea, and failed very quickly. It’s a very eye opening experience to realize almost all mainstream media, mainstream anything is produced by men, for men.)

pp.209: Me’shell Ndege’ Ocello, Flannery O’Conner(Author of Well of Loneliness), Louise Erdrich.

****Call to Action: Create a Cuntlovin’ Women’s Art Movement w/in own community to define your own art. (lots of work, totally worthwhile idea and so empowering)

pp.211: Remedios Varo

pp.212: The Guerrilla Girls(mission statement) “Show that Feminists can be Funny” (response to the article, Why Women aren’t Funny, by the writer from Vogue, Christopher Hitchens) http://www.guerrillagirls.com/

pp.214: Recipe for starting activist group in your own town:
a. Pictures
b. Words
c. Reproduction and distribution system
d. Women friends with imagination, focus and motivation.

Disburse revenue into the women’s art world:
a. Buy BB tickets (buy women’s sports tickets)
b. Go to the theater
c. Buy cd’s and books by women(check out jill sobule’s new way of distribution)
d. Buy videos made by women

pp.215: WHO MAMMON IS:
(Mammon is the god of money who we all worship and have to pay homage to.)

pp.216: “two ways to make money in capilalist patriarchal settings:
1. Fuck other people over faster than they do you.
2. Whore.”

pp.218: No Matrifocal Mafias (Mafias with a focus on matriarchal value, or led by a woman) “I am a shareholder on this patriarchy’s land”

pp.220: Singers: Nina Simone, Shonen Knife, Sine’ad O’Conner, Yma Sumac.

pp.221: Musico’s sister told her, “Your face gets all ugly when you’re bitter.”
Kathleen Gasperini publishes the magazine WIG(Women in General)

pp.222: Other Magazines: Bitch, Bust, Hues (all feminist magazines)

How to change the Whitewash of the WSU LGBTQ community?

Notes from conversation with Margo:
-How to create a class dialog in WST 300
-raced WSU GLBTA
-lack of knowledge of available resources
-resistance attitude and stance
-people: LEO, Judy, MJ, Margo, Myst, Liz, Tash, Jennlynn,T, Nora
-support systems, psychological theory, pagan community
-systems and power mapping
-queer womyn of color: their intersectionality and power relations
Their stories, informally.
Where do they feel allies would be helpful and strategic?
What factors and issues are part of the conversation?
How does the dominant white male community feel about queer white females vs. queer chicanas?
Relate race to sexuality
How is the queer white community helpful and not helpful?
Do they feel the conversation is worthwhile?

Political action: principals of working together.
Digital narrative
Where is the queer community?
How to create this dialogue, have this conversation?
Find ways to work together with our non-traditional allies.
-safezone disclaimer portal page on blog.

The Kneebone's connected to the concept...

Concepts:

-engage gender play and activism (how?)
-online digital zine
-make an interactive website:
-multiple issues, downloads, blogs, resources, videos, audio, downloadable zine section(DIY printable section)
-connect with QZAP(Queer Zine Archive Project)
-interviews and analyze them, huge audience and a digital dialogue.
-performance pieces spoken word style
-political commentary, political art, and cartoons.
-art with gender play and politics
-queer as a way of life. How to queer your reality in 10 easy steps.
-as a call to action
-to steps to queer your role in food consumption
-grow a garden in drag
-queer biology
-alternate new sources
-links to activism and ways to create community activism.

Where is this topic(gender play)coming from for me?

Notes to me:

-I cut off my waist-length for a combination of reasons, one of which happened to be: I didn’t look gay enough according to my homosexual friends. LGBTQ discrimination.

-DJ(on myspace) gave me some ideas:
*a need(especially in the technological age) for a place focused on connection instead of individuality, where we can build a sense of community and bridge gaps between people, and their own thoughts and desires.

-Where is this topic stemming from for me?
Gender play seems to have always been a part of my life. I love to play up my femininity in an exaggerated fashion with the clothing I make, dream and design. I feel like when I’m playing with gender, deconstructing it, shifting the shape of my gender, redefining what it means to be womyn in a societal context as well as in my own life, I am creating gender. Within my own gender constructs, I am creating space for gender, as well as space for the fluidity of gender, methodology at approaching gender, a vocabulary to describe new gender and a place for change. I write my own myths and compose collective legends pertaining to my gender, even as I challenge the prominent myths of gender before me. This process of creation, allowing myself to dream, doodle and redesign myself provides empowerment for me and, I feel, a space for others to feel safe playing with gender.
Especially in situations that seem to be composed of life and death, profit and starvation, normal and freak dichotomies.

-create a dialog around gender construction and play and how that connects to activism and life in general. (social constructions of gender, weed and psychology)

Brainstorming:T-shirt slogan or blognames

Random act of Gender: Revise your Perspective.
Politically Activated
Nudging through the Masses

Genderplay- The beginning

Driving in the car today, I finally decided what to do my research project on: Gender play.
It’s another aspect of critically analyzing gender and the social structures that make up gender. Also, it’s a very important topic for myself because trans-issues, issues surrounding transgendered peoples, trans-sexuality and being trans-minded came to the forefront of my consciousness about two years ago.

Up until that point, I knew the rest of the letterers in the LGBTQ sandwich, but T alluded me. I assumed, incorrectly, that a transsexual was a man who liked women’s clothes- a transvestite, or possibly a drag queen who lived as a woman 6 out of the 7 days a week. Once again, not the case, but there was nothing to challenge my assumption and since I was already deeply involved in the queer community I didn’t think anything could surprise me.

Until him. He and I had run into each other a few times and I’d looked. Then I’d done a double take each time, b/c I was certain he was a lesbian. But… where have the boobs gone? I brushed it out of my skull until he and I finally met, at the College GLBTA association. We talked, we made friends, and as they say, the rest was history. He was transgendered. An individual who completely believes they were born into the body of the wrong sex (gender), often diagnosed or referenced as Gender Identity Disorder by psychologists. It also happens to be the only mental diagnosis in which surgery as treatment is an option. He really jump started my interest not only in trans-issues, but in Women’s studies all together.

He, and others, also taught me how to play with gender and not be worried if people didn’t pick the gender I self identified with to define me. Now for most people, gender is so well constructed and preformed it becomes invisible, to them and to the general society, if they fit into one of the two gender categories of male or female. Since this class is about the critical analysis of Race, Class, Gender and sexuality, I decided for my research project to continue the deconstruction of gender- moving it from these binaries of male and female and challenging myself and others to engage in some gender play.

How does one play with gender? Well for each person, different things come into play. When one is in a transgendered body, playing with gender is even more difficult than if one happens to feel comfortable in their gender construction. Playing with gender, always sounded like a fabulous game of twister in drag, with sequins, bouffant hair and yellow, purple, pink and blue dots -until the concept of deconstruction factored in. Then “gender fucking” seems the more appropriate term, as deconstruction or readjustment theories conceptualize the poverty and violence enacted upon trans- bodies. How do people who play with gender die? A mass percentage of transgendered individuals, with statistics based on Male to Female(MTF) transitioned individuals, work in high risk jobs such as prostitution, activism or drug dealing. Why do I throw activism into the mix?

These are the voices I’m going to be calling on. Transgendered individuals working towards getting a degree, gender-queer college students who get awkward stares as they debate which bathroom to use, People who question gender as a construct and take a political stance against identifying, against checking the box of male or female. This is the place where discrimination on campus begins, the application form. Are you male or are you female? Are you White, non-white or other?

So, for my research, I plan to interview at least 2 individuals, one pre-op(before operation) transsexual, and another healing from Sexual Reassignment Surgery(SRS), as well as writing up two surveys. One will be open ended questions and distributed to interested transgendered people online so the survey will listen to the voices of persons not usually heard and the second survey will be distributed on campus, I’m not yet sure in what volume, allowing people a chance to play with gender and respond. I will suggest some gender play activities, such as trying on heels, wearing baggy jeans and a sweatshirt, going into the wrong bathroom, or for the very brave, cutting their hair, all optional situations stepping out of comfort zones but that are written to be as safe as possible.

Another resource I plan to call on, are my own experiences in gender play. The change reflected in my visual aid of how I looked before and now, and the process of stripping away what happens to an individuals femininity when she shaves her head, for illness, for religion, for rebellion.
Then my last resources are my two favorite transgendered activists: Leslie Feinburg, the author of “Stone Butch Blues,” who self identifies as a masculinized female and prefers gender neutral pronouns such as zir and hir for reference, and Kate Borenstein, author of “Gender Outlaw” and a long-time performance artist who encourages playing with gender for everyone.

Works Cited:
Feinburg, Leslie
Borenstein, Kate

Abstraction of Gender

Our society is not a safe environment for an individual stepping out of gender norms, they are often greeted with harassment, taunting and “if it comes to that” violence. This is not only a trans-issue, or a “gay” issue, it’s an issue all of us live with everyday when we’re told we’re not masculine enough, or feminine enough, by our parents or uncles, or helpful friends and buddies. These gender stereotypes are unrealistic and unnatural expectations for children, or adults, all of us vary in our likes and dislikes and in our gender performance. I want people not to be murdered for something as silly as liking neon green pumps and having a dick, or buying all the smallest size in men clothes because skirts just don’t sit well on his hips. People are dying for the ego of our society. The cost is a price I’m not willing to pay. So my research project is focused on ways to deconstruct gender, people who have already deconstructed and played with gender and why this critical analysis and deconstruction is necessary to our society at large.