2014年1月24日星期五

Joan of Arc



Joan of Arc is one of the most famous women of Western Civilization. She was just twenty years old when she was put to death, but she made many important accomplishments in her brief life. Through her prophesy, drive, and courage in battle, she inspired the French to important military victories and was instrumental in seeing the rightful heir to the French crown, Charles VII, be coronated as the King of France. She became a national heroine and was decisive in the awakening of French national consciousness. For centuries she was a focus of French national unity. Many years after her assassination, Joan of Arc was canonized and became the subject of many poems and plays. Her wearing of men's clothes made her a crossdresser, and one of the most famous ever. Dressing in male attire was just one aspect of her unique personality, but it eventually became the centerpiece of her trail and the reason for her execution.

Born in Lorraine, France in 1413, Joan led an ordinary life until the fall of 1428. At that time, she approached French rulers notifying them that heavenly voices had given her a mission. From her voices, she learned that she would lead an army that would drive the English from France and see the English king replaced by the heir to the French crown (Wheeler, 1996, p. 3). French rulers were skeptical at first, but a psychological examination demonstrated she was sincere in her beliefs. A concurring physical examination substantiated Joan's claim of chastity, a characteristic that became a central factor in her admiration and respect (Barstow, 1986, 50-55).

Joan's first mission was accompanying troops to Orleans. There she informed troops of her vision, and hastened several unexpected French military victories against the English. French warriors were impressed by Joan's voices of prophecy, and the wounds she received in battle heightened French inspiration (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 150). After the siege of Orleans was raised, Joan accompanied French commanders in a succession of French victories against the English. These victories made possible the coronation of Charles VII in the City of Reims. Joan presided at this important event, which sealed her success as a national heroine, making this the height of her prophecy and the peak of her triumph (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 212).

The events that unfolded afterwards led to Joan's downfall and ultimately to her demise. Joan and the newly crowned King Charles had opposing strategies on how to press the French advantage. Joan was a warrior, committed to continuing her military success against the English by marching on and retaking Paris. King Charles, on the other hand, was interested in a diplomatic truce and relegated Joan to an insignificant role. The reality was that Joan never truly had command of an army, though she was instrumental in persuading French leaders and soldiers to fight. Urged on by Joan, Charles reluctantly accompanied her and the French army as they captured small towns near Paris. When Joan opposed a truce, Charles allowed her to attack Paris on her own (Warner, 1981, p. 73). Facing massive superiority in men and arms, Joan bravely stood in full view during the battle and urged the French army to victory. She was wounded during her heroic stand, receiving an arrow through the thigh, but she remained undaunted and urged King Charles to continue the attack the following day. Instead, King Charles ordered a retreat, and the French attempt to regain possession of Paris from the English failed (Guillemin, 1970, p. 139).

After this defeat, not much is known about Joan's life. Her popularity and inspiration dwindled. Despite her accomplishments, King Charles continued relegating her to a back role and wanted her gone. Joan continued pushing for warfare, and Charles eventually allowed her to lead an army on her own. Charles consented to this mission believing secretly that Joan would be killed or captured (Guillemin, 1970, p. 156). This time, Joan and her army faced the numerically superior Burgandians, who were French allies of the English. Shortly after the battle began, the French retreated, and Joan was unhorsed. To stop the advance, the French pulled up a drawbridge. Joan, defending the rear gallantly, was among a handful of soldiers left behind and captured (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 248).

Following her capture, Joan was condemned as a witch and a heretic. She was tried by the theological faculty of the University of Paris, an ecclesiastical court (Barstow, 1988, p. 81). Tried for idolatry, the case against her was shaped around her hearing of voices and her transvestism (Wheeler, 1996, p. 34). The hearing of voices, it was argued, went against the spiritual hierarchy, making her a witch or a heretic. The trial lasted three months, and transvestism was relentlessly scrutinized throughout. The word transvestism, in fact, appears thirty times in the trial's list of accusations. (Wheeler, 1996, p. 33). As part of her defense, Joan claimed that wearing men's clothes does not constitute wrong-doing. As the trial proceeded, judges observed Joan as being headstrong and arrogant, arguing that she behaved like a man during the trial (Wheeler, 1996, p. 53). Joan was convicted, but was allowed to repudiate herself by confessing to adoring and calling up evil spirits and going against the decency of nature by wearing male attire. She was given a dress, which she immediately put on. Ironically, her short hair was shaved off because it represented masculinity, and she was given a life sentence (Wheeler, 1996, p. 37). Five days later, however, Joan returned to wearing male clothes in her prison cell. The clothing was placed in her cell by guards, who probably tricked her into wearing them (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 318). This event brought her before the court again. This time, however, she was excommunicated from the church and sentenced to death. Two days later she was burned at the stake.

Joan was transgendered because she moved beyond the traditional roles for women. Her wearing of men's clothes was a matter of convenience and a means of being the gender more suited for her role and mission (Gies, 1981, p. 36). She cut off her long hair and donned male attire before embarking on a mission in which she traveled with men-at-arms in close environments. She explained that she wore men's clothes because voices instructed her to do so in the name of God (Wheeler, 1996, p. 35). Joan stated, "I know well that it seems strange to you, and not without reason; but if I am to serve the Dauphin in arms I must wear garments appropriate to that end; and also because the men may not feel carnal desire for m e when I ove amongst them and that I may guard my virginity by word and deed (Waldman, 1935, 79). In doing so, men often slept beside her, albeit a non-sexual way, and stated afterwards that they felt no sexual attraction towards her (Michelet, 1887, p. 15). Even though Joan wore men's clothes, it was not an attempt to be a man or to completely appear as one. To those who knew her, she still appeared as a female in men's clothing (Wheeler, 1996, p. 43). There is no evidence of a sexual reason for her crossdressing. Observers remarked that towards sex she had neither curiosity or repulsion (Waldman, 1935, p. 25).



Sources Cited

1. Barstow, A. L. (1986). Joan of Arc, Heretic, Mystic, Shaman. Lesiston: Edwin Mellen Press.

2. Gies, Frances (1981). Joan of Arc, The Legend and the Reality. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.

3. Guillemin, Henri (1970). Joan Maid of Orleans. New York: Saturday Review Press.

4. Michelet, Jules (1887). The Life of Joan of Arc. New York: Publisher John Alderi.

5. Sackville-West, V. (1936). Saint Joan of Arc. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.

6. Waldman, M. (1935). Joan of Arc. Boston; Little, Brown, and Company.

7. Warner, M. (1981). Joan of Arc: The Image of Female Heroism. New York: Alfred Knopf Inc.

8. Wheeler, B., Wood, C. (1996). Fresh Verdict


Original from

http://kristinamayhem.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_16.html



Published in the August 24-30, 1998 edition of Transgender Forum


Published in the May 30, 1999 edition of Transgender Forum 



Published in the December 12, 1999 edition of Transgender Forum 

2014年1月21日星期二

自 我



去年六月在 Facebook 試用  http://timc.idv.tw/wordcloud/ Apps 用統計抽象地演繹小如這 blog 中的文字...  這表出的圖像確好能代表自己在這雲端中的心思...

已寫了好幾年斷斷續續的 blog, 寫的確都是些 "自己"、"性別"、"女性"、心思心理...唔, 對 Mabel 姊也確有一段顯著的情意...  不知為何用了不少"還是"? ...


也太有點自我中心了...

2014年1月16日星期四

Berdache


Before the influence of Westerners in North America, many Native-American nations accepted and respected transgenderism. The first Westerners to come to North America, Spanish and French explorers, discovered that transgenders often had open display and public acceptance. Native-American transgenders, called berdaches, were mostly men who assumed female characteristics, though some were similarly situated women. Berdaches found acceptance among their own people, but Westerners viewed them disapprovingly, which is demonstrated by the negative tone of their observations. As such, Western presence and influence increased, affecting how berdaches were viewed and treated by their people.

Berdaches were found in many Midwestern parts of North America, stretching from Northeast Mexico up to the Great Lakes, Westward to the Dakotas, and further North along the Pacific West Coast into Alaska. Some were found in Northern Florida. This vast range, stretching thousands of miles, demonstrates that the acceptance of transgenders in North America was widespread, despite the many differences between societies spread so far apart. Overall, there was an many as 110 different Native-American nationalities who recognized berdaches (Callender, 1983, p. 445). Female berdaches were found in the Northwestern parts of North America, generally fewer in number and in less complex societies where agriculture was less important. There were as many as thirty different Native-American nations who recognized female berdaches.

The distinguishing features of berdaches was the donning of female clothes and hairstyles by men (Callender, 1986, p. 447). Other features for men were engaging in female occupations and emulating female speech patterns and mannerisms (Greenberg, 1986, p. 179). When engaging in female occupations, male berdaches acquired a reputation for being exceptionally skilled in women's roles. Both male and female berdaches, combining activities of both genders, maximized their economic status, and some women who owned property and demonstrated male traits were known for having more say than ordinary women (Bullough, 1993, p. 4). Though berdaches acted as the opposite gender, they were viewed by their people as a third or alternative gender, neither male nor female. Similarly, berdaches felt their essence was unique, something distinct from both genders (Schnarch, 1992, p. 117).

Berdache status was recognized usually in two ways. The first was a child displaying opposite gender interests beyond a certain age, causing their society to dress and treat them in that role. The more widespread belief of causation, however, was the individual having a transformation vision, such as a dream, which occurs in adolescence or early adulthood. This was a self-reported reason for becoming a berdache. The supernatural view of causation may account for the high status that many berdaches had. In most situations, berdache status appears to come from within, and is initiated by the individual, though there are some accounts of berdaches being designated for the role from birth.

Similar to other cultures through-out the world, berdache sexuality was diverse. Berdaches could be homosexual, heterosexual, and asexual, but no reports show them having sex with each other. Many accounts show berdaches as exclusively heterosexual, with male berdaches marrying women and female berdaches marrying men. For this reason, equating transgenderism with homosexuality is not wholly accurate. Though there were many examples of male berdaches being homosexual, having sex with men is a secondary and derivative characteristic, apart from gender identity (Callender, 1986, p. 176). As a result, berdache status was primarily one of roles, and not one of sexual preference.

Even more unlike Western civilization, high social positions frequently accompanied berdache status. Berdaches sometimes had high ranking titles and were often described as holy. The French explorer Jacques Marquette observed berdaches during his explorations in the late 1600's in Michigan and Illinois. Marquette observed that the Illinois consulted berdaches when making important decisions (Callender, 1983, p. 453). As European influence increased, however, Native-Americans began describing berdaches in less complimentary terms. Native-Americans who once described berdaches as sacred now increasingly became ashamed of them. Similarly, the likelihood of finding berdaches decreased.

Despite their near disappearance, a researcher visited Lakota reservations in South Dakota in the early 1980's and found that berdaches still exist, and are called winktes. Though experiencing repression and almost disappearing in the latter half of this century, winktes have adapted and survived. Williams found that contemporary winktes are very much like their predecessors. They are viewed by their people as different, sacred individuals, who are neither male or female. Some are married, but most are not permitted to do so. Like their predecessors, winktes retain respect from more traditional Lakotas, but this respect has declined among those with more Western acculturation (Williams, 1986, p. 193).

Among those interviewed was a sixty year old Lakota male who remembers the winktes decline occurring in the 1920s and 1930s. He describes winktes as once being sacred, feared because of their spiritual power, but this view changed as Native-Americans became educated in white schools. Now, Lakotas have less respect for winktes, similar to how homosexuals are treated in California. Also interviewed was a forty-nine year old male who identifies as a winkte. He describes his status as spiritual in nature, very much in part with the berdache tradition. His family and reservation have always accepted him in the winkte role and he takes a leading role in ceremonies. He describes himself as having been a winkte as long as he can remember, and having had confirmation visions as a child, which he first spoke to his grandfather about.

* * * * * * * * *

Though I utilized several sources for this article, most information came from the article by Callender and Kochems entitled The North American Berdache. I strongly recommend reading this article. Especially descriptive are Callender's maps of North America showing where berdaches were located.


Sources Cited


1. Bullough, B., Bullough, V. L. (1993). Crossdressing, Sex, and Gender. University of Pennsylvania Press.

2. Callender, C., Kochems, L.M. (1983). The North American Berdache. Current Anthropology, Volume 42. No. 4 August-October 1983.

3. Callender, C., Kochems, L.M. (1986). Men and Not-Men: Male Gender-Mixing Statuses and Homosexuality. Anthropology and Homosexual Behavior. Haworth Press Inc.

4. Greenberg, D.F. (1986). Why Was The Berdache Ridiculed? Journal Of Homosexuality, Volume 11, No. 3-4. New York: Hawthorne Press Inc.

5. Schnarch, McGill (1992). Neither Man Nor Woman: Berdache - A Case For Non-Dichotomous Gender Construction. Anthropologica XXXXIV 105-121.

6. Williams, W. L. (1986). Persistence and Change in the Berdache Tradition Among Contemporary Lakota Indians. Haworth Press Inc.


2014年1月11日星期六

小黑裙 黑絲 紅色高跟鞋

穿上小黑裙、半透明黑絲襪、踏上幼細高根的鮮紅高拫鞋👠, 終是覺得好性感…




他們説異性服飾感到興奮,是易服癖… 社會上好變態的名稱…


然而... 變妝…穿上美麗的衣著妝扮…感覺好性感…似是與性扯上了關係… 在這保守宗教思維丶假道德氾濫的社會,性是個禁忌,蓄意的性別混淆在這社會中就是變態…

祇是現今的保守宗教丶假道德社會世俗終是把性感丶性丶性愛丶性慾而至自慰都變成骯髒淫汚、18禁小童不宜丶可怕的禁忌… 男人穿裙子 好變態呵…

我... 變態…

2014年1月1日星期三

2014




新年的第一天, 又來了海邊... 又是年度的大低潮週期 (-1.8')... 海懶懶地讓出大片寬闊的濕地... 讓新年許了願的大跑跑、看看大自然...









西方的夕陽, 也是彼岸的"東方红, 太陽升...", 其實都是同一束的陽光... 

在海的彼岸, 妳仍早起看日出嘛?


日落的海風冷颼颼地吹來... 潮退遠了、浪也揉平了、弄潮的也失望地回家去了...



很久前的 Beach Boys 的韻律...


Santa Cruz and Trestle
Australia's Narrabeen
All over Manhattan
And down Doheny Way

Everybody's gone surfin'   
Surfin' U. S. A.


 Haggerties and Swamies
San Onofre and Sunset
Redondo Beach L. A.
All over La Jolla
At Wa'imea Bay
...

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S. A.


Swammi,  Southern california is where I am...