Post Pomo Sexuality

A pretentious title to be sure.

I was looking at the definition of gynandromorph (“An organism having both male and female characteristics.”).

Set me to thinking about the level of resistance to same-sex affection orientation (OK, being gay) in America.

And how the perception of it must vary depending on where you live. Homophobia was stronger when I was a lad. I’m not sure how my hometown of Savannah, Georgia would’ve compared to the national average among places you are likely to be fag bashed back then. Given its odd sort of tolerance it was probably an OK place in which to be queer.

Not that I didn’t flee and wind up living in a comfy gay ghetto. (To be fair nice heteros lived there as well.)

If you live in West Hollywood then all is queer heaven isn’t it? But if you live in nowhere Montana or Alabama it is likely to be homosexual Hell. One unique aspect of being gay is how you perceive your relationship to society, your chances of erotic satisfaction depend on where you live.

The gynandromorphs, gender queer, transgendered, intersexed - choose whatever name works best for you - are even more dependent on geography.

There are places where gender outlaws are accepted (San Francisco anyway). Also cities where conventional gay men view transpersons with a distaste not far removed from a fundamentalist Baptist preacher.

Aside from being made to feel welcome, much less mere acceptance where a transperson lives controls their ability who they need to be.

Electrolysis, hormones, a genuinely empathetic counselor? There may be no money. Nor even an understanding person.

For gender outsiders living in the wrong place the alienation and loneliness must be unimaginably horrifying.