Women's Studies College Course - BGSU

[jessbcuzz]

Good evening, girls! I have small dilemma that I hope that you girls can help me with. I guess more so I need some advice. I am taking college class that is entitled Women's Studies. More so it is about female gender roles. Since my class is online, we are required top introduce ourselves to the class in a discussion board. When I looked at the class roster, there are only two males in the class. I am one of them and the other is openly gay. I will have to set foot on campus next semester (I transferred from a branch) and I am very leery of outing myself. One of the first questions is "why did you take this class?". I took it because I wanted to know "more about myself", but I can't really state that. I will admit that it is exciting to be in an all girl class, where I feel like... where I know I belong deep down inside. So, with that being said, should I "out myself?"

The second part of my request for help is how do I go about answering questions? I mean, do I answer like a male should because that was the body I was given? Or do I answer from my fem side that comes from my gut and heart? My very supportive GGF thinks I should answer all questions and participate the way Mileena would. I sent a private message to the other guy in the class and asked him for some advice as well. I hope that wasn't a mistake.

I wish I would have thought about this issue over the summer, but I didn't know my emotions would get in the way. When I was looking over the syllabus and going over the first week's notes, I found myself giving two sets of answers and questions. The first was given body doing the talking and was communicating in a way that makes would be expected to. However, my fem side was speaking much more loudly and with more emotion. I'm afraid that if this side of me is exposed to much, I am going to be outed.

The other curve ball that this class has thrown me is the "what if I am outed?" One of my co-worker's wife works on campus. I don't know if she knows my last name, but if she did and heard someone talk about it, she would know it. She is also getting her doctorate and I don't know what the chances of her coming across the instructor for my class would be. Any advice ladies is going to help quite a bit the approach that I take towards this course. No matter what, I won't be dropping it. That is the easy way out. Thanks!

[kimdl93]

unless its a very small university, the chances are extremely ...almost infinitestimally small that your co-worker's wife will come accross you.

but lets get to the heart of the matter. Getting outed isn't a problem, nearly so much as being dishonest with yourself or your classmates. If you and your GGF feel that the answers from your gut and heart are the truth, then the other set of answers are a pure fiction and of no use to anyone. So, why not admit to yourself and your classmates that this is how you feel about yourself?

[Robin777]

My niece is going to BGSU, I used to live in the Findlay area and I am familiar with The BGSU campus area. A good friend of mine lives in Bowling Green. I doubt you will run into your co-workers wife on campus. It is a good sized campus. As to answering the questions in the course, answer them honestly the way you feel they should be answered.

[Sophie Yang]

Mileena,

Why out yourself? Set the tone up front in your introduction on the discussion board. Just let the class know that you are fortunate enough to have a good mixture of both a {strong} male and a female personalities and can bring a very unique perspective to the class. Give an example of how you initially answered the questions two different ways.

Why are you taking the class? “Because you want to know more about yourself.” How is this any different than someone who is ambidextrous learning to switch hit, or shoot a basketball with either hand, or a speech team member being asked to argue both sides of an argument.

I was talking with a cross dresser, a year or two ago, who was to be a member of a panel discussion, I believe in an on-campus discussion. One other panel participant was a TS gal. There were two or more other panel members, but I do not remember why they were on the panel or even what the panel discussion was about. The one thing that I clearly remember her saying, which surprised her, was that when the Q&A session started, most of the questions were directed to her. She thought that most of the questions would have been addressed to the TS gal. Her analysis was that the audience could understand the need to transition easier than they could understand why a guy would have a desire to crossdress.

As long as you take the class seriously, treat your classmates with respect, and do not rub them the wrong way, I suspect most people will treat you with respect and treat you seriously, especially after they get to know you, both sides of you.

Best of luck in your studies.

Hugs,

Sophie

[flatlander_48]

One thought might be to talk to the instructor and explain your situation. The instructor may have had a similar situation happen before and could offer some insight from that experience. While it is important to be true to yourself, you shouldn't be subject to extraordinary and potentially negative responses from the rest of the class either. Further, I'm sure the instructor would prefer that you not attract unnecessary attention as it could upset the learning process.

[ossian]

I echo flatlander and Sophie's thoughts. Women's studies might not be the same as transgendered / cross dresser studies. They might have different goals. Right off the bat I would talk to the instructor to see if it it is a good fit for what you want out of the class.

[Lorileah]

It is a social studies class, where people get credit for learning new things. You don't need to "out" yourself. You can be a man and be interested in women's studies.

[Persephone]

Just be yourself. Answer in ways that you feel comfortable and honest. Most in the class will not go "only a woman would answer that way," or "Only a guy would ..."

From what you described it would appear that you're registered with a guy name, so those in the class wil assume that any answers you make are "guy answers" anyway. Remember, by it's very nature "Women's Studies" is a particularly agenda driven program that attracts atypical professors and students so they will already be biased against an "overbearing white male."

Also, given how complex gender relationships are, attempts to reflect "feminine" answers in a "passable" way can be difficult. Have you ever heard of the Touring Test of computer intelligence (click here) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test)? The original test took advantage of gender differences as follows:

"Turing's original game described a simple party game involving three players. Player A is a man, player B is a woman and player C (who plays the role of the interrogator) is of either sex. In the Imitation Game, player C is unable to see either player A or player B, and can communicate with them only through written notes. By asking questions of player A and player B, player C tries to determine which of the two is the man and which is the woman. Player A's role is to trick the interrogator into making the wrong decision, while player B attempts to assist the interrogator in making the right one.[1]

"Sterret referred to this as the 'Original Imitation Game Test'. Turing proposed that the role of player A be filled by a computer so that its task was to pretend to be a woman and attempt to trick the interrogator into making an incorrect evaluation. The success of the computer was determined by comparing the outcome of the game when player A is a computer against the outcome when player A is a man. Turing stated if "the interrogator decide[s] wrongly as often when the game is played [with the computer] as he does when the game is played between a man and a woman",[21] it may be argued that the computer is intelligent."

Turing proposed this form of the game as a test precisely because "passing" in this way is so very difficult.

So my advice is to have fun, answer honestly, and try not to be affected by the actual content of the course.

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Melissa Rose]

Just answer honestly as much as possible. There is no need to be deceptive nor a reason to out yourself. You may have to lightly tap dance around a question or two, but I do not see how being honest with your other responses will "out" you.

This is more of a rhetorical question, but why did you think the gay male in the class would be a good source of guidance? Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression are completely different things. Being gay or lesbian does not give anyone more insight into transgender issues and concerns.