Queer x Trans Memoir: In Sight of an Embodied History

<p>Are queer and trans identities innate or constructed? What constitutes a queer or trans identity? What prompts a person to identify with a particular queer or trans identity category? Prominent queer theorist Judith Butler contends that “There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; that identity is performatively constituted” (Butler, <em>Gender Trouble</em> 34). However, many scholars have claimed that Butler’s theory is “not compatible with lived experience” (McCann & Monaghan 134). This project utilizes the genre of memoir to gain insight into lived experiences to put this theory to the test. Through a mini historical archive of twelve queer and trans memoirs by authors born in the United States of America, this project uses theories of assemblage as its framework to identify characteristics of queer and trans identities in this context. Stivale defines an assemblage as follows: “A collection of things and their relations expresses something, a particular character…the elements that make up an assemblage also include the <em>qualities</em> present (large, poisonous, find, blinding, etc.)” (78). Through exploring what a queer or trans identity <em>is</em> by identifying characteristics present across twelve memoirs, this project simultaneously analyzes what a queer or trans identity <em>does</em> by examining the role that identity categories play in the lives of memoirists. How does the existence of identity labels shape reality in itself? How do these labels function as a mode of self-understanding and relationship building? What intersectional differences are present across the LGBTQIA+ community? The cross-analysis of this sample of twelve queer and trans memoirs provides insight into the lives of queer and trans individuals in the United States of America.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Year

2025

Author dc:creator

• Warmerdam, Rhyan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ian Barnard
• Renee Hudson
• Morgan Read-Davidson

• Memoir
• Queer
• Trans
• Embodied
• History
• Lived
• Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
• Queer Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/english_theses/83

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.chapman.edu:english_theses-1088