trans∙pose (trans pōz’)
etimology Middle English from Anglo-French transposer and Latin transponere. Trans- meaning to change the position of and ponere meaning to put, place, or position.
1 : to change in form or nature : transform
2 : to render into another language, style or manner of expression : translate
3 : to shift from one place or period to another : transfer
4 : to change the relative place or the usual, normal, or respective order or position, to alter the sequence of : transpose, interchange
5 : to write or perform (a musical composition) in a different key
6 : to bring (a term) from one side of an algebraic equation to the other with change of sign
So what’s this blog about, you might ask?
First, let’s talk about what I mean by tran(pose)sition, which I interpret in the queerest sense possible.
To me transition is fundamentally about a change of place. Not necessary from female to male or vice versa, but from one point to another. It is a change in the way one occupies and in the way one is occupied by space. It is often non-linear. It defies categorization. It is a transfer, a transformation, a metamorphsis, but with no clear end point. It is slippery, imperfect. Just like the translation of a great novel into its non-native tongue, the transition of a person from one location to another cannot be simple or straightforward. I like to think of myself is moving into a different key. I’m still the same person, but with a slightly different sound, a new pitch that better suits me until the next movement strikes.
Doesn’t sound much like what you might associate with SRS (sex reassignment surgery) does it?
Well, that’s because, shocking as it may be to some people, I don’t identify as transgender. I’ve learned over the last while that transgender, when not used as an umbrella term, seems to imply a stopping point and frequently a location at one of two poles. As you’ve already seen, that sort of conflicts with my modus operandi. I hate boxes, and jumping into another doesn’t seem like a better prison than the one I was in before. I want to take the blue pill, and keep on keepin’ on down that rabbit hole that is gender and sexuality – thanks, Morpheus.
So right now pomo, queer, genderqueer – in essence the queerest queer around – seem like the best choices. In my most fantastic of Foucaultean moments, I eschew labels all together, although that frequently doesn’t work. That’s ocassionally what this blog will be about. Most times, it will be a one-stop shop for my view of the world - frequently on topics related to the queer community or gender identity/gender expression, but sometimes on whatever my scattered attention span picks up on next.
Who knows – maybe this blog will transition again itself in the future. I’m obviously not one to make definite statements or predictions, at least on these sorts of things.
Thanks for stopping by – and please comment! I love to hear from readers!
Trans∙pose: A Journal of Movement is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
