"Stone Butch Blues" by Leslie Feinberg

“Who was I now—woman or man? That question could never be answered as long as those were the only choices; it could never be answered if it had to be asked.”

Themes: Gender; Sexuality; Class; Belonging; Community; Truth

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean to be tender? What is tenderness?

2. How does the language used by the queer community in Feinberg's book compare to the language used now? What can be reclaimed, and who can reclaim it?

3. How do you understand the connections between the queer liberation movement and the labor movement in this book?

4. Jess begins passing as a man for "safety." Is it really safer to be a trans man than a butch lesbian? How have things changed (or stayed the same) since then?

5. What words do you use to describe yourself and your identity? How do they differ or compare to the words people in the book use to describe themselves?

6. In what ways is gender presentation an armor against the outside world, and in what ways does it invite community and camaraderie? How does that change based on the spaces Jess is in?