Kyle’s Blog

So I know I told you all about my Gender and Communication class that I was taking this semester.  I signed up for it because i thought it would have to do with how women and men communicate, and how each think about certain issues differently.  I very quickly found out that the class would have nothing to do with these topics and would be more about the fluidity of gender, how it is defined for each individual, and a lot about male-to-female transgenderism.

My first worry, solely through stereotypes, was that as a guy I’d be at a large disadvantage in this class once I found out it was also women’s studies credit.  It hasn’t been a problem yet and the professor does often look for male opinions on topics, however the conversation is usually heavily dominated by the women in the class.  I found it interesting that a lot of the conversation was geared towards female opinions about transgenderism in the beginning of the class because we talked about the feminist movement and feminine motives, yet as the class continues to roll on now we have finally started talking about female-to-male transgenderism and the male perspective.  It’s a fine line to balance sounding like a chauvinistic male and standing up for the men’s point of view when not only are you discussing issues about women but also about men who want to become women or women who feel as though they are men.  All of a sudden the balance of conversation and opinion begins to even out as the females in the class feel as uncomfortable as a male does expressing a biologically based opinion or one that might be controversial because they are also now talking about aspects of womanhood and manhood that they don’t have direct experience with.

Needless to say it is an eye opening class, and definitely an interesting take on things when you are ready to go way outside of your comfort zone.  I consider myself pretty understanding and knowledgeable about gender as well as other culturally defined topics surrounding how others define gender identity disorder and other items, but I never imagined I’d be studying something like that in an academic setting.  I also never imagined having to defend my opinions about the masculine and feminine scales of transgenderism to 15 girls with 3 guys in the back nodding silently in agreement.  Hopefully wherever you go you can appreciate that classes like this are offered, and of course take them with caution and an open mind.