gyzym: (Rainbow balloons!)
[personal profile] gyzym
Right, so, before I say anything here, I'd like to make the following disclaimer: this is not about wank, and I'm going to be heartbroken if it becomes wank anyway. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad, I'm not doing the fandom politics thing, and I'm not making this post in order to single anyone out in that passive-aggressive "I'm talking about it like it's all over the place but REALLY IT IS ONE PERSON AND I HOPE THEY FEEL SHITTY ABOUT IT" way people do sometimes. There's this fantastic sixth grader that I'm lucky enough to call my baby brother; if I was interested in playing those kinds of games, I'd go with him to middle school. This is more...well. This is more like the kind of post I'd make if, while traipsing about the internet, I discovered that a large majority of fandom was using the word "green" to describe the color blue. And, as always, if I've gotten something wrong within, I encourage and welcome corrections with open arms.

Okay? Okay.

So, about a year ago, my friend [livejournal.com profile] iambickilometer made a post called Five+ Ways Being Transgender in Fandom Really Sucks, and Why I Stick With It Anyway. It is an incredible post, and everyone should read it; it's concise and clear and moving, and you will unquestionably learn from it. I know I did, when I read it last April. Iambic says a number of things within that post that are worth reading and rereading until you know them by heart, and I'm not going to discuss most of them here--he's done a far better job of saying it all than I ever could, and he speaks from a plane of experience that I've never traveled on. You should go read his words, you guys--read and reread, digest, take to heart.

There's just one thing that I'm going to say, because I've been seeing it everywhere for months and months now and I think it's just because folks don't know: that stuff that's usually called genderswap fic? Guys, it's pretty much always sexswap.

These are two definitions Iambic included in his post; he pointed out there that they are his own, because these are words that can mean different things to different people. His understanding of these terms lines up with mine, so I am using them here; I humbly second his request not to challenge these definitions unless they are unintentionally offensive.

sex: a classification of body dependent upon reproductive organs and hormones associated with reproduction and development.
gender: the way a person relates to their sex.


To put it another way: gender's about identity. It's about who you are as a person, not what body parts you do or do not have. So stories where, I don't know, Arthur from Inception wakes up in a female body, or Kono from Hawaii 5-0 wakes up in a male body? Unless you're also addressing a shift in gender identity (which, by the way, is something I personally would love to read), these are sexswap stories, not genderswap stories. It's not a question of which sounds better, or which is clearer, or even of fandom vernacular--it is, really and truly, a case of one being a misnomer, and the other being correct.

I have this life philosophy, you guys, about taking in as much as you can, about viewing every situation you find yourself in as a potential learning experience. When I got into fandom originally, I thought it was going to be a place to stretch my writing muscles, a place to teach myself to write by writing. Instead, I discovered more than I ever thought I'd know about other people's histories, cultures, identities and life experiences. I'm a cisgendered, bisexual Jewish girl from a city on the edge of a once-burnt river; I don't know really know shit about shit, and I don't claim to know. But I know more than I would have, is the thing, and it's because people like Iambic have taken the time and energy and inherent risk to tell me.

And I say all this to make the following point: this post is not about shame. It's not about making you feel bad about stuff you've written or thought about writing; you're not going to find me in your comments, typing in RAGECAPS and making angry faces. I'm not interested in policing you or pushing you or making choices for you--that's not who I am, and it's not what I'm about. Rather, this post is about awareness. It's about broadening horizons, and learning something you maybe didn't know before. It's about the moment I had, reading Iambic's post last April and realizing I'd had some things wrong; it's about sharing that moment with you guys, both for the sake respecting the experience of others and for the sake of accuracy, for the sake of our own integrity as writers and readers and artists.

In conclusion: we're a community of fans, and whether they've been scripted and acted or inked and bound, we know better than anyone that words have power and weight and meaning. So let's use them correctly, yeah? Let's say what we mean to say. ♥
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Date: 2011-03-15 12:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hermette.livejournal.com
Thank you for this, bb. ♥

Date: 2011-03-15 12:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] earth-is-a-star.livejournal.com
You are always both wonderfully respectful and informative. Thank you <3.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:42 am (UTC)
ext_3225: (Default)
From: [identity profile] stele3.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)
Excellent points, and thank you for making them. Thank you also for the link, I'll check that out ASAP.

I also get a little disquieted when I see so many people referring to fandom as a "female space" or automatically using "she/her" pronouns when speaking about a fan they don't know. While I do love--LOVE--the presence of a community in which like-minded women can communicate openly with each other about their interests, I don't want that to turn into an exclusionary zone or to make transgender fans feel uncomfortable by making assumptions about their gender.

That's why zie and other non-gendered pronouns rock! I always try to use those until I've ascertained someone's gender for sure.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Thanks for reading, love :D

Date: 2011-03-15 12:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Thank you for taking the time to read, bb. ♥

Date: 2011-03-15 12:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Iambic makes some excellent points about pronoun use within fic; in my own interpersonal fandom interactions, I try to make it a point to ascertain which pronoun whoever I'm talking to feels most comfortable with. Thank you so much for bringing that up here, as it's definitely one of those things I think we should all be aware of, in all our interactions--both within and without fandom. ♥

Date: 2011-03-15 12:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sorrynotsorry.livejournal.com
While I agree with this reasoning wholeheartedly, I do wonder if the term did come from a general discomfort with using the word "sex" to begin with. It's amazing how often people use "gender" when they really mean "sex", likely because the term is just so loaded.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] merely-anger.livejournal.com
Wow. I love the way you worded this and now I'll definitely be checking out [livejournal.com profile] iambickilometer's post. This whole topic is never something I gave much thought to before, but after reading this I fully agree with it and hope it changes the views for others as well.

I love having my eyes opened to knew things, so thanks. :)

Date: 2011-03-15 12:50 am (UTC)
ext_88181: (coffee and clouds)
From: [identity profile] chaoticallyclev.livejournal.com
...What's semi-funny in that not humorous but "how did my brain not catch that?" way is that we cover this distinction in...several of my classes actually. Never really caught the goof of using "genderswap" before. So, yes, awareness is good.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Oh, I have no question that that's at least in part where the term is derived from, and of course--not that you don't know this about me anyway, lol--I'd never suggest that anyone did it purposefully to trod upon anyone or anything. It's just one of those things that, for whatever reason, has become commonplace even though it's not actually correct :D

Date: 2011-03-15 12:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Thanks for reading and considering, bb. ♥ Iambic's done a far better job of articulating all of this than I ever could, so you should definitely check out what he has to say :D

Date: 2011-03-15 12:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
You know, that's the exact reaction I had last April--oh, hell, how did I not see that before? It's one of the dangers of a common vernacular, things that can slip by you. So I'm all about spreading the awareness :D Thanks for reading, love.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:53 am (UTC)
ext_63688: (Default)
From: [identity profile] taurenova.livejournal.com
I remember reading that post last year and finding it brilliantly written and full of great points well made.

Thank you for bring up this point again. It's something I think of every now and then when I see the word genderswap thrown around. I hope people will read this and read [livejournal.com profile] iambickilometer's post and raise their awareness some.

(And if gets people think about the divide between the two concepts then even better - it's an important thing to think about, particularly on the internet.)

Date: 2011-03-15 12:54 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sorrynotsorry.livejournal.com
I guess my wonderment comes from the fact that this trope is so inherently sexual, intentionally or not. It's pretty funny when you think about it.

(OT: Sbux music is fucking terrible.)

Date: 2011-03-15 12:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider, bb :D

Date: 2011-03-15 12:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com
Thank you for this, love. I just went and changed out my genderswitch tag for sex_switch, because you're totally right, and I'm glad for the kick in the pants.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] winslow-arizona.livejournal.com
I always get irritated when people use "gender" in place of "sex," because they're not the same thing. Although I can understand if someone is uncomfortable saying the word 'sex' - I used to be, myself, but that was a long time ago - it's still wrong.
Edited Date: 2011-03-15 12:57 am (UTC)

Date: 2011-03-15 12:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ships-harry.livejournal.com
This post is a good post! And I have made *exactly* that error in using "genderswap" incorrectly, despite having had many a conversation about how gender and sex are not at all the same thing.

Will try to be more aware of this, and I appreciate that you brought it up.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Thank you, for taking the time to read and edit accordingly, I can't tell you how happy that makes me ♥

(In other news, this story I'm writing you has gotten OUT OF CONTROL, I apologize profusely :D)

Date: 2011-03-15 12:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com
:)) why on earth would you feel the need to apologize for that? IT IS GLORIOUS.

Date: 2011-03-15 12:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arineat.livejournal.com
I think it's an important distinction to make and I really applaud you for making this post despite potential wank that could arise from it.

Hell, I didn't even know what cisgender meant until I read this. YAY FOR LEARNING SOMETHING NEW! I don't even know what gender I am. Half the time I feel like a girl and half the time I feel like a guy trapped in a girl's body. Weird, huh? Bisexual woman, married with a kid and not completely sure of my gender. I try not to label it either way. I just kind of...exist. :P

Date: 2011-03-15 12:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
It is! But a lot of people don't know that; I'm all about taking the opportunities to learn and teach when they crop up, you know? Thanks so much for reading ♥

Date: 2011-03-15 01:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and think on it, love ♥ I made that error too, back before I read Iambic's post last year; awareness, it is a fabulous thing.

Date: 2011-03-15 01:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kubis.livejournal.com
Thank you for that. I was aware of the sex/gender difference, but somehow... never connected it to the genderswap. Now I'll probably have this little snap of awareness everytime I'll see that word. :)

And thanks for the link, I'll read it after I get some sleep.

Edited because it's 2am and I can't spell well in English anymore, apparently.
Edited Date: 2011-03-15 01:04 am (UTC)

Date: 2011-03-15 01:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyzym.livejournal.com
*Fellow bisexual fistbump*

Hooray for learning, bb! And hooray for existing and identifying in whatever way feels best for you ♥
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