I was given to understand that men only danced with each other in the context of lessons back then. New England Vintage dancers are not generally emulating gold rush towns, but elite East Cost High Society.
As for already warping so many vintage conventions--yeah, like I said, contradictions.
In any case, I'm sure you're running into at least some folks who feel that if you're going to be a genderqueer (is it OK for me to use that term, or it reserved only for genderqueer themselves?) at a historical recreation event, you should behave as a genderqueer would have back then--pretending to be content in his/her born gender.
I'm not saying they're right, they just are there. Period. Some of them may not be not so much intolerant as thrown for a loop and at a loss when confronted with someone like you for the first time. Those have some learning to do. Others may indeed be intolerant. And I'm sure I'd be pissed as you are--I probably would seek other dance venues more tolerant of modern mind-sets. Ranting in LJ is a healthy oulet. But for both groups, if you insist on hanging with them, the education will probably be more effective (though not quick, sorry) if you demonstrate by action that they could stand to widen their point of view a bit.
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2010-12-20 03:39 am (UTC)As for already warping so many vintage conventions--yeah, like I said, contradictions.
In any case, I'm sure you're running into at least some folks who feel that if you're going to be a genderqueer (is it OK for me to use that term, or it reserved only for genderqueer themselves?) at a historical recreation event, you should behave as a genderqueer would have back then--pretending to be content in his/her born gender.
I'm not saying they're right, they just are there. Period. Some of them may not be not so much intolerant as thrown for a loop and at a loss when confronted with someone like you for the first time. Those have some learning to do. Others may indeed be intolerant. And I'm sure I'd be pissed as you are--I probably would seek other dance venues more tolerant of modern mind-sets. Ranting in LJ is a healthy oulet. But for both groups, if you insist on hanging with them, the education will probably be more effective (though not quick, sorry) if you demonstrate by action that they could stand to widen their point of view a bit.