When we read Judith Halberstam's (Jack Halberstam's) work "Transgender Butch: Butch/FTM Border Wars and The Masculine Continuum," there was a small amount of controversy (but enough to catch my attention) about Halberstam's personal pronoun.
I could not find any information on whether or not Halberstam identified as a male when he wrote the essay of his that we read, so if someone has any knowledge on that, please let me know. During class, we weren't sure what pronoun to use for Halberstam. I feel that if somebody identifies as a man, you use "he/his" no matter what point of time in his life you are addressing. Other opinions are welcome in the comments! I looked up Halberstam on Wikipedia (advanced, I know) and found this quote "[I try] not to police any of it. A lot of people call me he, some people call me she and I let it be a weird mix of things and I'm not trying to control it." I found this interesting because I feel that I would insist on my preferred personal pronoun. My question is this: if Halberstam identified as a woman when he wrote the piece we read, should we use the pronoun "she" while talking about the piece, or should we use the pronoun "he" to recognize the way he identifies now? Even if Halberstam did identify as a man at the time, I would like to know everyone's opinion on the pronoun we should use if he identified as a woman at the time.
http://www.jackhalberstam.com/on-pronouns/
ReplyDeleteThis post from their blog gets at that same point while also making some interesting points on Halberstam's personal decision not to transition or even outright identify as male. There definitely seems to be an emphasis on fluidity, which doesn't really give us an easy answer about which pronouns to use. Most of us understand that using proper pronouns is extremely important, which is why this particular instance was a slight source of discomfort, but in Jack's case, it seems as though the ambiguity surrounding their pronouns is an equally significant part of their gender identity.
Tallyn, thanks for posting that link! I've found a few interviews over the years about Jack's pronouns, but nothing that he wrote herself. (I will be switching between male and female pronouns for Jack since that's what he seems to prefer.)
ReplyDeleteAs it pertains to Clare's point about what pronouns to use for people when referring to them pre-transition, this has been a personal debate with myself for a while. My first "girlfriend" transitioned shortly after we broke up, changing his name and switching to using he/him/his pronouns. It has been hard to refer to my past, as I want to acknowledge the importance of this being my first same-sex relationship, but I also want to respect his gender and pronouns. My personal choice was to use male pronouns when referring to him in the past, unless his gender assigned at birth is an important part of the story. (And then I disclose that he uses "he" pronouns and his gender is male.) It is important to refer to trans people as they want to be referred to, even when referring to them before they made this request. Whether or not you agree with me that one's gender identity defines their gender (rather than their gender performance/expression), it is more important to be respectful of someone's current gender identity/preferred pronouns than it is to be true to your ideology of gender performance.
I agree with Leah that it is respectful to use someone's current gender pronouns to refer to their past, even if their pronouns have since changed. However, Jack Halberstam's case brings up the possibility that some cases may need to be considered more closely. Some transgender people may want to speak about their past using the pronouns they used at the time, or may want to vary their pronouns. Additionally, some people may not care what pronouns you use. Andrej Pejic, a model, says that she identifies as a woman, but also that she "lives between genders" and is fine with people using "he/him" pronouns, though she prefers "she/her." Andrej's gender ambiguity is an important part of her image, and although it may be confusing or difficult to find out which pronouns people such as Jack or Andrej prefer, their comfort and safety should be prioritized.
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