Analysis Of Stone Butch Blue By Leslie Feinberg
In the novel Stone Butch Blue by Leslie Feinberg, Jess experiences intersubjectivity in hir relationships with hir femme lover, Theresa, and this makes a difference in how ze views homophobia. In this paper, I will be using the pronouns “ze, hir, hirs”, when referring to Jess because there is no clear preferred gender pronoun for Jess and Leslie Feinberg used these pronouns for hirself. Ze’s relationship with Theresa shaped hir views on homophobia. As ze transitions, hir multiple subjectivities change and ze gains new ones.
Jess and Theresa both face the discrimination of being homosexual in an unaccepting society. Jess’s butch subjectivity intersects Theresa’s femme subjectivity; this allows Jess to see a side of homophobia ze has never experienced.
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Ze begins to pass as a cisgender male, which allows hir to experience life without the fear of being attacked for being a butch lesbian. As ze begins to pass as a man, ze gains the subjectivity of a male. Jess’s new appearance allows hir experience life without the fear of being attacked for being a butch lesbian. This male subjectivity allows Jess to connect with other butches who have transitioned as well as the men ze works with. Ze and Ed have similar experiences with their transitions; both of them had girlfriends who left because they could not handle what Jess and Ed were going through. “I rang up Edwin. Her voice sounded hollow and distant. Darlene had packed her things and moved out” (157). Jess and Grant are in the same position, they are trying to get hormones and plan on getting them together. “ “I’ll wait for you,” Grant said. For just a moment her hand rested on my shoulder” (159). The two of them are supporting each other in their transitions. Jess forms a friendship with a man named Ben that ze works with. He opens up to Jess but ze emotionally barricades hirself from him. “He wanted so much to know me, and I couldn’t let him. What if I trusted him and I was wrong?” (183). Jess’s female subjectivity allows hir to be there for Ben in a way a man could not. Ze’s butch subjectivity and male subjectivity shuts hir out from him, ze is putting up this façade to pass as male. After Jess transitions and gets top surgery, people treat hir differently, women will flirt with hir and parents do not pull their kids away for hir. “ “Is it OK? I asked her, nodding towards the bear. She looked surprised, but she nodded. I handed the bear to the boy” (179). Although ze never speaks to Rocco, the transition and top surgery made hir feel as though ze could relate to them as they went through the same struggle. “I thumped the table in
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