Gender Outlaws

This course explores literary and historical figures who challenge gender norms and contravene laws about gender and sexuality. We will encounter trans rogues, desiring women, ballroom queens, and feminist killjoys as we think through how these rules are enforced and resisted—both in the past and in our current moment. Cultural objects we may consider include literary works by Toni Morrison, Jordy Rosenberg, and Virginia Woolf; the documentary Paris is Burning; and art from Against Our Vanishing. We will bolster our understanding with historical and critical works by Judith Butler, Saidiya Hartman, Sara Ahmed, and more.