Masculine women have been shamed and discriminated against by people in a patriarchal society. However, Jack Halberstam has taken it upon herself to turn the stigma experienced by masculine women into strength. In her book, Female Masculinity, Halberstam deconstructs societal conventions of male masculinity and denounces traditional beliefs that abhor masculine women. Halberstam blames middle-class white men for attempting to define gender identity and roles. The book disagrees with the conventional gender binary and calls for societal tolerance and acceptance for people who feel trapped within the wrong bodies. The assumption of the superiority of masculinity over femininity should be treated as an illusion.
The author cites works from other writers to solidify and justify her claim of the existence of masculine women throughout history. For instance, she uses John Radclyffe Hall’s narrative of “sexually inverted woman” to show the existence of masculine women from the past (83). The book asserts that most of the masculine women during past eras were either wealthy or aristocratic. According to the author, sex is dictated by aspects such as race and class. Halberstam cites the work of anthropologist, Gayle Rubin, who argues that sex is defined by politics. Rubin had argued that sex is political although she did not show a direct relationship between sex and radical politics.
The book examines the existence of rivalry between the transgender community and gays. Trans men and butch women have been at war because they hold different opinions concerning gender identities. As well, the author criticizes mainstream media and movies for portraying the queer community as an unaccepted group of people. Halberstam seems to plead with society to accept people the way they are and stop judging them.
