[lit-ideas] Carol Kirschenbaum, The Joy of the Third Sex
- From: jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 5 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST
In a message dated 1/4/2010 11:22:57 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
carolkir@xxxxxxxxx writes:
When I read these sentiments, and others about women as other, l am
convinced that I belong to a third sex.
Carol
-----
A friend of mine who is gay -- and Dutch, once told me,
"I recall going to a bookshop to buy, "The Joy of Gay Sex". The seller told
me, "Sorry, it's sold out. We do have a copy of "The Joy of Lesbian Sex".
Would you be interested?"
----
Simone De Beauvoir, a renowned Lesbian, wrote about the third sex.
"Third" is a good ordinal. For Popper, worlds are three: first, second, and
third.
The idea of a third sex should be distinguished from
"The intermediate sex" -- this euphemism has been used for "neither fish
nor fowl", notably with regard to effeminate men and masculine women. Rose
Maucaulay, for example.
The problem is Greek and Ancient: epicene, for example, translates Lat.
common. "Common sex", then, is the neuter gender, if there is such a thing.
(The idea that 'gender' is euphemism for 'sex' is NOT attested by the OED2).
"Epicene" should be distinguished from "neutrer". "I've just neutred my
cat," she said. Meaning, not that the cat is no longer female or male -- or
does she?
Cheeers,
JL
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