I just unpacked my computer and saw the assignment that had been sent out since the last time I checked the syllabus.  Good thing I read the chapters!

Limits of Identity, hmm?  I daresay, Jagose makes some really excellent points in the discussion of constructionist vs essentialist points of view.  The history of the homesexual identity itself was a fascinating read - I knew homosexuality has been practices pretty much forever by most species, but the idea that an identity was invented for a purpose, whether the results have been good or bad, is intriguing.

As for the Lesbian identity, I think it's as homonormative as the gay male identity, and the close ties to the feminist movement are part of the normativity.  The butch identity is rejected by homonormative lesbians who want to embrace the feminine and reject the masculine.  I had to re-read the Frye quote from chaper 5, page 53, about how homosexual me are the best learners of woman-hating.  I really find it stunning to see such divisiveness among communities who are all share at least one thing: they aren't the ones who hold the key of power.

Intergenerational sex is one point I have never wrapped my head around.  I can see it in post- pubescent children who are capable of understanding and consent, but without true understanding, it's traumatic in our culture.  Yes, it works in other cultures, and is par for the course, but here, it's done by rape, and it has killed some of my friends, because they never recovered from it emotionally.

Ever notice on internet forums, some people like to give themselves a string of identity labels in their signature lines?  That's what I thought of in Chapter 6.  To say I'm one thing means I can't be the other things, and how silly is that?