QUEER HULK SMASH

[rm]

I just unsubscribed from the local HP mailing list, after being a member since 2007 and having professional reasons for maintaining my involvement (also, yo, I like Harry Potter!), because I was mocked and insulted after posting a question about an event (not hosted by the group, I don't think, but by the NYDA (an HPA chapter, I believe) that stated for a fashion show about "celebrating all types of beauty" what they meant by "you must cosplay as your own gender" in their model call and who was going to be deciding gender identity for said purposes.

Predictably, several people conflated sex and gender and were then insulting and mocking.

Considering I've WRITTEN AN ACADEMIC PAPER, that I have delivered at both FAN AND ACADEMIC CONFERENCES about how Snape is a queered character who represents female heroism in the series, I could just spit I'm so mad.

Fucking fucking fucking fuck.

*ANGRY*

I'm gonna go watch that video of that rat climbing on that dude on the subway until I feel better.

ETA: Head of mailing list is being super cool to me in trying to handle issue. Thumbs up! I'm impressed.

Meanwhile, I thought I unsubscribed but apparently didn't! Now I'm one of those people on the Internet who can't figure out how to get off a mailing list! Ugh!

More rat video. Yes.

Comments

[jcbemis.livejournal.com]

such BS

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

And again we have a shining example of people who pay lipservice to that they support and get "it" and then turn around and prove that they really don't.

Sorry that this happened. But I think you are better off without that stressor in your life.

[sihaya09.livejournal.com]

I'm not into HP fandom, but I am curious about your paper. Is it available online or published somewhere?

[rm.livejournal.com]

I've only done it as a conference paper, so it doesn't really exist anywhere, although I've always meant to submit it somewhere. I should dig it out and do something with it. I'm pretty fond of it.

[yamx]

I'm sorry that happened. :(

Is there somewhere I could read that paper?

[rm.livejournal.com]

I've only done it as a conference paper, so it doesn't exist anywhere published, but I really should do something with it. I'm pretty fond of it, and it was fun to do.

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

I'm completely and utterly boggled by the idea of someone deciding what gender characters someone else can cosplay. *headspin*

[rm.livejournal.com]

It was for a fashion show or some sort of official presentation, hence the existence of guidelines, but WTF -- my inquiry was reasonable (perhaps there are pre-made costumes? perhaps it's the most accurate represtation? are they not going to allow trace-blind casting for the event as well? it was a legitimate question).

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Good grief. People are idiots, where you least expect them to be...

[elusis.livejournal.com]

I keep having to re-learn not to expect that sharing an interest with someone means sharing a mindset as well, because it keeps biting me in the ass.

[laughingacademy.livejournal.com]

Wow, not cool. Sorry for the unpleasantness.

...Rat on dude on subway?

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's linked on LfT

[puella-nerdii.livejournal.com]

The "you must cosplay as your own gender" requirement is particularly puzzling for me, since most of my cosplay experience is from anime/manga cons, where you can't swing your bag without hitting someone crossplaying. Do people really not do that at primarily-Western media cons and events? I'm genuinely curious here.

And I'm curious about that paper, too, if you ever decide to make it publicly available.

[brilliant-snark.livejournal.com]

I have no words. Well, that isn't true, I have several very colorful ones.

FAIL. So much.

[missysedai.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

I'm sorry. That was really asstastic.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

There's so much fail there I don't even know what to say. It makes me want to break things. FAIL. Ugh. I'm so sorry that happened, and I'm glad it happened in a place where you were at least ABLE to remove yourself from the situation (because sometimes when similar stuff happens, you're stuck in it). It SUCKS that you had to. NOT COOL, people!

[easter.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry they were unkind to you.

[azn-jack-fiend.livejournal.com]

How stupid and offensive >:

[azn-jack-fiend.livejournal.com]

P.S. My icon is a woman actor playing a man who magically became a woman, disguised as a man. I'd really like to cosplay her one day :P

[saoba.livejournal.com]

OFFS, as we say around here.

When I was a wee baby fannish type- almost forty years ago- we used to sit in con suites and talk for hours about how In The Future It Would All Be Better. Yeah, not so much.

[thatwordgrrl.livejournal.com]

And now? Many of those same fans sit in those same con suites and bemoan How Much Better It Was Back In The Day.

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

Someone needs to come along and turn them into magical bouncing ferrets.

[idunn.livejournal.com]

I don't understand the logic of gender-policing.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

If they mean "portray Harry as a boy, not as a girl" (i.e. you can do drag, but not genderbend the character...) um, I guess.

But if they're saying something like, "if you're black, you can portray any HP character (so we're willing to do colorblind casting), but we're all up in arms about cross gender/sex casting (a la Linda Hunt in "The Year of Living Dangerously")", then I am utterly, lividly RAAAAAR. Inconsistency and transphobia, much?!

(Additionally, if they're saying that you can only be a part of this if you're already physically similar to the character? Since this isn't a lookalike contest, ableism, sexism, fatphobia, argh argh argh AAAAARGH HULKSMASH.)

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Indeed. The frist of these ("portray Harry as a boy, not as a girl") is a bit overly strict & silly, but whatever. The other two options for what this means are not just wretchedly sucky, but bafflingly so, since so much cosplay is cross gender.

As for the rat !!!Yipe!!!

[girlingoldboots.livejournal.com]

I don't get the "cosplay as your own gender thing". I've cosplayed as bothe female and male characters.

It sounds like a lot of BS and douche behaviour.

The rat on the dude was funny though. Lesson learned: Don't sleep on the subway.

[gina-r-snape.livejournal.com]

As you know, I fired off my own email of outrage to the group. I have found the same few people to be consistently offrnsive. Last time there was a run in about Emma's haircut and a few of the offending parties had the audacity to include me in a PM complaining that you only post to complain.

This is why I made a point of saying don't assume; and also because I have found the HP fandom such an incredible queer space and made good friends because I've found likemindedness. Jonathan is sensitive to this and it is unfortunate we have a few rotten apples, if you will. Your outrage is justified, but don't take those few as a sign that the whole fandom is transphobic.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Jonathan has been EXTREMELY cool about all of this. Unfortunately, this disclosure that there is ongoing back-channel negativity about me because I want to be treated like a person as opposed to an eyesore, further underscores my reluctance to rejoin the list. (I think I'm still subscribed but not receiving messages?)

Anyway, I may actually drop you a line later, as I heard back from the people running the event and the response was -- well intentioned, complex and kinda faily, and this has all hit a little closer to home than I anticipated (it's been a long hard week thanks to the intersection of what the news has been like and how much news I watch for my work) and I may need a gut check from someone who isn't shaking with rage.

[snufflesdbear.livejournal.com]

In 35 years of fandom I have never hear such crap. Not even the time I portrayed a baby, male, wookie.

As for the mailing list - is it on YahooGroups, by chance? If so, it is not unusual for unsubscribes to take 3-4 DAYS to stop your mail. And sometime, they mess with the DB and you are suddenly resubscribed. (always go No mail first, save your settings, relog in and unsub).

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Baby male wookie? Dear heavens, are you talking about the Holiday Special?

[teleens-journal.livejournal.com]

Wow.

*hugs*

[thatwordgrrl.livejournal.com]

So I couldn't say, do my Femme!Mal from the Firefly universe?

Or is that OK because I am making a male character map to my gender?

I know! I should go as the lead from Victor/Victoria.

Errr...wait...a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman???

BET-HULK CONFUSED????!!!!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Some people are just too stupid to debate with.

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

dude I just don't even...

*FACEPALM*