two new YouTube video essays!
on parasocial relationships and “reinforcing gender”
In the last few weeks, I’ve released two new YouTube video essays you may be interested in.
The most recent (just released!) is Celebrity, Sublebrity & Parasocial Relationships (a feminist analysis). It uses Chappell Roan’s recent comments about the harassment she’s received from some of her fans as a jumping off point to discuss my recent writings (in particular, my book Sexed Up) on unwanted attention. It explores the many parallels between these sorts of parasocial/celebrity experiences and the street harassment women often face, both of which seem driven by what I call “phantom invitations.”
The second video counters claims by some feminists and academics that trans people supposedly “reinforce” gender, gender stereotypes, and/or the gender system more generally. While it has a short to-the-point title (Do Trans People Reinforce Gender?), most of the video is footage from a talk I gave in 2011 entitled “Compulsory Genderqueerness: On Transsexuality, Feminism, and the ‘End of Gender’.” It’s on the long side (as it’s a keynote talk), but it thoroughly unpacks the faulty logic and glaring double standards that undergird this argument.
I have more to say about the “reinforcing” trope and why it tends to target transsexuals (read: trans people who transition from one sex to another), but I haven’t had a chance to finish that piece yet, so look out for it sometime soon!
Finally, so you know, I plan to create more YouTube video essays moving forward. A rendition of my recent Why Does “Transvestigation” Happen? essay is currently in the works and I have plans for others as well (feel free to recommend essays you’d especially like to see turned into video essays). I promise that this isn’t a permanent “pivot to video” — I will continue to publish the written word here. It’s just that I hope to reach additional people on that platform.
FYI, I will not send out a post here every time a new video comes out (as that would get tedious), but I will occasionally do recaps of new releases (like this one) from time to time. So if you want to be notified as soon as a new video comes out, please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
This essay was made possible by my Patreon supporters — if you appreciate it, please consider supporting me there! A non-paywalled version of the same essay can also be found on Substack.
