These lyrics by Madonna express beautifully the dilemmas of girlness. I felt these paradoxes keenly when I was living in a ‘Woman’ social gender. In a sense being socially and emotionally receptive is much more socially complex. Than the ‘Man’ role of performing dominance. Her lyric about showing skin in patches takes me right back to the experience of learning to dress and learning the technologies of sexy clothing and makeup. Learning to be the object of sexual desire and attention and to exist in that vulnerability.

Girls can wear jeans
And cut their hair short
Wear shirts and boots
cause its ok to be a boy
But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading
cause you think that being a girl is degrading
But secretly youd love to know what its like
Wouldnt you
What it feels like for a girl

Silky smooth
Lips as sweet as candy, baby
Tight blue jeans
Skin that shows in patches

Strong inside but you dont know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

Chorus:

Do you know what it feels like for a girl
Do you know what it feels like in this world
For a girl

Hair that twirls on finger tips so gently, baby
Hands that rest on jutting hips repenting

Hurt thats not supposed to show
And tears that fall when no one knows
When youre trying hard to be your best
Could you be a little less

(chorus)
(chorus, prefixing 3rd line with what it feels like)

Strong inside but you dont know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

(chorus, repeat)

In this world
Do you know
Do you know
Do you know what it feels like for a girl
What it feels like in this world

these pictures at Lovefest 2009 in San Francisco. I document a new generation of Women, Women who will define the future. The music is a remix of Madonna’s What It Feels Like For A Girl

keyword: emancipation, girls, feminism, crossdressing, liberation, lovefest, women, future, Madonna, sanfrancisco, civiccenter, beautiful, photography, lyrics

A collection of photos I took at Lovefest 2009 in San Francisco. I talk about this generation of young women.

keywords: women, postfeminism, feminism, future, beautiful, sanfrancisco, lovefest, 2009, civiccenter, teenagers, masculinity, femininity, sexpositive, sexy, rave, maturity, pinkmartini

I talk about my time as a woman, and discuss being accepted by straight women.

keywords: crossdressing, transition, gender, male, transsexual, woman, socialrole, girlish, expression, affinities, masculinity, straightjacket, straightwomen, friendships, womansspace, emotions, projection, men, hostility, trauma, lesbian, queer, hypocrisy

Who is an authentic woman? What makes you authentic? who gets to decide?

This video helped me clarify my views.
I realized:

• the right-wing transfeminism of Women Born Transsexual (WBT) is affirming the authenticity of WBT womanness, while denying the authenticity of Transgender Transsexual womannes and Tranny (Transvestite) womanness. The symbolic marker for authenticity is Sex-Reassignment Surgery.
• Binary-Centric Transsexual Women Activists working within under the sign of “Transgender”. Julia Serano’s transfeminist manifesto “The Whipping Girl” provides the intellectual underpinnings for this movement. Questioning Transphobia has a lot of commenters in this camp, and this worldview has become the “Politically Correct” view on many feminist websites like Feministe. These activists are very aggressive in defending their authenticity as women. Unfortunately their claims of Authenticity entails a reductionist belief in the Gender Binary. An attack on biological reductionism is an attack on their authenticity. Authentic Women take Estrogen and adopt a Female-Typical social persona. They label Somatically-Male Trannies like me as Cissexual because we do not transition. Calling us Cissexual is a challenge to our inclusion within the sign “Trans”. This is also marked by attempts to Crossdressers from the sign “Transwoman”. This marks us for exclusion from any privileges which may be won for Transwomen.
• My brand of Progressive Gender Activism legitimizes “Authentic” Woman and the related term “Transwoman” for anyone who feels an innate womanness. This recognition of authenticity is open to Trannies, Genderqueers, Queens, Femmeboys, Twinkies and Sissyboys. Any model which marks us as inauthentic but grants authenticity to other Transwomen, is inherantly bigotted and reactionary.

So, this is my message to every Transwoman who I have offended

If you recognize my authenticity I will recognize yours!

If you deny my authenticity I will deny yours!

When I was a Tranny Dyke I had my first Lesbian relationship. It was a lovely experience.

Tranny Dyke Sex: part I « Jasper’s Wardrobe http://bit.ly/dVD5B

keywords: lesbiansex, trannydyke, mtf, crossdresser, penis, control, male, female, love, relationship, anka, transitioning, exlesbian, firstboyfreind, lesbiangirlfriend, girlrelationship, straightheirarchies, sweet, sexuallyopen, sexuallyequal, sexualrelationship, control, lesbiansex, mybody, jasperswardrobe, touch, heterosexual, firstgirlfriend, watchtv, fondle, girlsbody, breasts, firstlover newinteraction straightmale, straightfemale, constraints, relationship