#cj pascoe

Whereas we often easily recognize women's lives as gendered (in fact we have established entire classes, departments, and bodies of scholarship around women's studies), masculinity is less easy to recognize and often seems invisible. Men's lives, however, are just as organized by gender as are women's. We too often fail to appreciate this. Why? Because power renders certain identities and structures less visible than others. The mechanisms that afford privilege are often invisible to those on the receiving end of that privilege; meanwhile, what makes people marginalized is all too apparent to the marginalized. As Michael Kimmel writes, "Marginality is visible and painfully visceral. Privilege is invisible and painlessly pleasant" (1990:94). When privilege is "working," those most advantaged by systems of power and inequality are relatively unaware of their advantages (e.g., McIntosh 1988). So why is it so important to recognize men as gendered? Because gender is one of the major ways through which power structures, privilege, and inequality are reproduced—in addition to (and in combination with) race and class. Therefore, it is important to see men as gendered because masculinity replicates power and affords power to those with that identity. It is important to investigate masculinity to understand the ways in which politics, the state, institutions of school and work, religion, family, and nationality are infused with, and themselves shape, masculinity.

A benign diversity approach positions diversity as a cultural value, but limits the linking of diversity to inequality, instead framing something like racism as an individual problem of offense or hate rather than a form of systemic exclusion and domination…

From my seat in the back of the auditorium I watched their delight and joy as tears ran down my cheeks, tears that spill over even now as I write this story. On this night, the ability to bear witness to a queer celebration in and facilitated by a school with parental support felt like the joyful culmination of years of queer and ally activism by and on behalf of young folks. Not only were these students experiencing an affirming school-based event free from harm and harassment, they were also getting to participate in a specifically queer form of celebration- drag. Drag shows have long been an important part of LGBTQ life, emerging out of collective and often underground practices in marginalized communities. Historically at these gatherings, shows, or balls, men would "cross dress," often an illegal practice then, and participate in a beauty pageant-like event involving dancing, humor, and competition. These festive events became important gatherings, as well as locations of joy and celebration in queer communities. To have a drag show at a school suggests that rather than being merely tolerated, meaningful parts of LGBTQ life and culture can actually be a part of in-school life for young people, something that is especially important in a time of rising transphobia and anti-queer sentiment in some public schools. Putting on this show allowed young folks to participate in a ritual that connects queer generations, allowing them to rejoice in their identities and community in a deeply emotional way, which makes what came next even more notable.