Do you use the term "woman" as part of your identity?
Well, I primarily indetify as lesbian, and that implies being a woman, so sure!
What does it mean to you to use/not use the term "woman?"
It's the very core , the soul of who I am - and always have been, please note! I may have been born with male bits but men always were and are alien to me, men are "them" whilst women are "like me", "us"
Does tension/discomfort exist for you in using the term "woman" together with butch, femme, queer, or any of your other identity definers? If so, why?
Nope, none whatsoever!
If you do not use the term "woman" how did you come to the decision not to?
-
How is "woman" different from "female" (and I don't mean in the academic sense, but in the lived experience sense).
It's the experience of being on the wrong end of patriarchal expectations of us for being female (or if you want to be pedantic about it, for my being clearly not-male conforming when young, then obviously female when older); it's also that sense of sisterhood, of community with other women knowing they've shared many similar trials and tribulations to yourself simply because we are women. It's also in a very hard to define way a way of viewing and thinking about the world, too. It often seems to me that men very literally are not living in the same experiential world as us (and I'm not simply talking about male privilege etc here)!
What does "woman" mean?
Caring, Loving, Strong, Enduring, Powerful, Expressive, Confident, Wonderful, Glorious!
What does "woman" not mean?
Slave to the shackles of patriarchal expectations of us, as far too many women worldwide still are, sadly
|