The Bathroom Problem
The “bathroom problem” literally situated in the form of the difficulty that is presented when a gender non-conforming person enters the “right” bathroom according to the specifics of their genitalia, but faces societal pressures to prove they possess the proper genitalia when confronted by someone who questions their masculinity or femininity. The author expands upon this literal circumstance to transform the phrase into a metaphorical description the broader that gender non-conforming people face in any situation where their rights are called into question relative to their appearance within the context of gender expectations.
Being Careful
The story “Every Full Moon” by Nice Rodriguez is quoted to illustrate how advice becomes coded language which translates into metaphor for operating off the beaten path of the mainstream of gender convention and sexual attitudes. In the story, a gender-bending butch bus driver is advised by her father to be more careful in response to her having been beaten in a public restroom after being mistaken for a man. A moment of epiphany strikes hard when she realizes that being careful in public is simply a metaphor for “swaying her hips and parading her boobs when she enters any ladies room.”
Butch Gazings and Bulls Raging
The phrase “butch gaze” is coined by the author describe the look featured on the face of the woman in the painting featured as the original cover of the book. It is described as “the hard stare of a bull dyke” staring straight at the object of its gaze, not looking for conflict, but not likely to back down from it, either. The final words of the book borrow liberally from the final words of dialogue spoken in Martin Scorsese’s iconic biographical film about boxer Jake LaMotta:
“This look, the look of a raging bull, the stare down, the challenge, lets the viewer know that this is the stage where this bull can rage, and though she can fight…she’d rather recite. That’s entertainment.”
Rhetorical Question as Metaphor
In a book devoted to exploring deviations from the norm, it should not be too surprising to learn the author’s use of metaphor verges from the norm. One notable example is to paraphrase a quote made by the infamously non-conforming author Gertrude Stein. Tweaking Stein’s original just the slightest bit allows it to become an example of a rhetorical question as a metaphor, in this case a metaphor that covers the whole wide expanse of the difficulty of rebelling against conventional masculinity in a society where that rebellion becomes celebrated and mainstreamed into the conventions of patriarchy:
“what’s the point of being a rebel boy if you are going to grow up to be a man?”
To Be or Not to Be…Seen
The question that haunts every outside group marginalized by the mainstream is whether it is preferable to be seen or not seen. Being seen, after all, can stimulate negative emotions in others resulting in violent behavior directed toward the outsider. On the other hand, while remaining unseen offers a protective cocoon of immediate safety for the individual, it does so at the expense of expanding rights and privileges systemically denied the collective. Or, put in metaphorical terms:
“Invisibility, in fact, can often do much more damage than visibility.”
