The Drama of Sex, Identity, and the "Queen"
Document Type
Response or Comment
Publication Date
2008
Publication Title
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Publisher
Springer Verlag
First page number:
469
Last page number:
471
Abstract
After years of following the developments surrounding the publication of TMWWBQ in real time, it was interesting to step back and read Dreger’s comprehensive reconstruction of events. The story that emerges is reminiscent of classical drama. It comes complete with a protagonist (Bailey), antagonists (Conway, James, McCloskey), characters caught in the crossfire (Kyeltika), and a balanced and half-detached chorus (Dreger) explaining to the audience (the rest of us) the lessons to be learned from the melee. Mercifully, this drama did not end up a tragedy, but it shares significant qualities with the latter. It features a well-meaning, though necessarily flawed, protagonist with the requisite amount of hubris and a group of antagonists whose sordid means nullify any possible empathy the audience may have had with their perceived injury. The chorus seems open-minded and fair, although perhaps a little naïve in her belief in the healing power of her narrative.
Keywords
Gender identity; Popular culture and literature; Sexual minorities
Disciplines
American Literature | American Popular Culture | American Studies | Gender and Sexuality | Psychology
Language
English
Permissions
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited
Repository Citation
Meana, M.
(2008).
The Drama of Sex, Identity, and the "Queen".
Archives of Sexual Behavior
469-471.
Springer Verlag.