In the fifth chapter titled, Look at MY Masculinity! Girls who act like Boys, Pascoe explores masculinity of females by breaking the chapter into various sections. The titles include, the Homecoming Queen, Embodying masculinity, Gay/Straight Alliance, The Tomboy Pasts, and Rebecca and the Basketball Girls. In the different sections, the author examines on how masculinity is portrayed in each group. By looking at the girls, the author in the chapter explores the meaning of masculinity as a set of practices that can be associated with women as men. The girls in their high school level are told stories concerning being a tomboy and they were craving more to play male dominated sports like football. As they advanced in age, they resorted to becoming cheerleader as the best way they could get closer to football.
Among the girls, a significant number of them were discouraged by their mothers not to act like boys and to adopt feminine behaviors. On the other hand, the males were not that open to share stories about feminine acts that they adopted at a younger age and a number of them were shy and not like girls who could openly share their stories. Pascoe as the author talks to different girls and how they could pinpoint themselves in their dressing code and the groups that they could hang out with (Pascoe, 2011). The girls who took part in sports were labeled masculine. Their involvement in sports that were associated with males aligned them to masculinity. It is evident that Pascoe recognized that high school was a perfect environment to study gender and explore other issues related to masculinity (Pascoe, 2011). The main goal of the author in her research was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between gender and sexuality in high school as the social institution.
News Article
In a news article titled, “Trump Administration set to eliminate Protection for Transgender Students”, a notice will ensure that transgender students will have an opportunity to use bathrooms that fit their needs. In the article, it is clear that the administration of the New President of America is finding ways to repeal the order that was put in place under the previous administration that required public schools to allow transgender learners to have an access to bathrooms that match their identity (Camera, 2017). The joint guidance would be a fulfillment of the promise of Donald Trump had the ultimate goal to overturn the guidance under the ruling of former president Obama.
The perverse guidance that was issued on May held that forbidding transgender individuals an opportunity to have an access to a restroom that matches their needs is a form of sexual discrimination. The officials of the White House had made a promise to take an action against the school that fails to respect the rights of transgender individuals (Camera, 2017). Nathan Smith as one of the directors in public policy said that giving support to the transgender students would ensure that they perform better in schools and socio economically in the outside world. The action of Trump to take away what was previously set under the administration of Obama was being cruel towards the vulnerable group of students.
In my opinion, the news article has a close relationship to the fifth chapter Look at My Masculinity! Girls Who Act Like Boys. I support that every individual has their rights to express their gender identity. For the transgender in America, they have a right to access services that match to their sexual needs. On the other hand, the parents who criticized the girls who adopted masculine behaviors were supposed to give them a chance to take up behaviors that they were more comfortable with. The news article clearly indicates the kind of discrimination that faces the vulnerable groups although they have the rights to express their sexuality.
- Camera, L. (2017, February 22). Trump Administration Set to Eliminate Protection for Transgender Students. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-02-22/trump-administration-set-to-eliminate-bathroom-protection-for-transgender-students
- Pascoe, C. J. (2011). Dude, you’re a fag. Berkeley: University of California Press.
