p1430 -
Dangerous Intimacies: Trans-Femme Relationship as a Form of Queer Exile
Yael Mishali
In this paper I plan to examine how a relationship between an FtM transperson and a lesbian femme shapes and affects their interactions within trans, gay and queer spaces, focusing particularly on the implications for the femme. I will suggest viewing both the femme and the transgendered positions, in this context, as forms of exile based on their multiple deviations from lesbian, gay and queer spaces. I will consider whether gender performativity is used to stabilize some locations, identifications and acts by destabilizing others, thereby producing a space safe only for some. I will attempt to account for the potential intersections between the trans-femme couple and the queer community (specifically in Tel Aviv, Israel) so as to answer the following questions: Is it safe for a femme who is in a relationship with an FtM transperson to keep using “lesbian” to present herself within LGBT spaces? Arguably, queer thought criticizes the false promise of ‘coming out’; However, what types of performances are embedded into the evasive yet rigid structure of ‘queer’? Is performativity being utilized to model queer spaces as well as announcing not only their ideals, but also their limits? And if so, does it endanger subjects who exceed these boundaries? I will incorporate my personal narrative in order to avoid gender or sexual essentialism, by placing the text as one possible experience.