You did an outstanding job with this presentation. You succinctly and clearly laid out your research questions, your methodologies and made great use of an anecdote to introduce the subject matter of avatars and transgenderism. It was also a very suggestive to state that SL avatars offer the possibility for extra-ordinary experiences, particularly in relation to gender. Here, I might have added that for those who experience transgenderism in ordinary RL, SL avatars offer a much sought-after ‘ordinariness’ – which, for them is a new kind of ‘extraordinary’ (I think here of your RL friend Jackie and her desire to take her avatar out in the world of ‘play’ rather than the Transgender Resource Center once she entered SL.
You said many great things about transformation (your avatar’s sexual experience and the soundtrack speak for themselves! We might even hear more about your self-identification during that experience, in addition to what you say about how your sex partner identified you) – that you became how others wanted to see you, that you were objectified sexually, that there was a ‘real’ woman both you and others thought you might have to ‘embody.’ Here you might say something about sexual politics, in fact. Overall, it was a great technique to describe the difficulties of SL avatar sex-identity as a way of amplifying what transgenderism must be like in RL experience.
It was also great to put here your exposition of the Trangender Resource Center of SL, along with the video and titles, and then bring up the RL case of Jackie. You might have said more about what you observed regarding her avatar construction. What was she feeling?
I also enjoyed your self-reflexive moment about ethnography and the burden of listening, the burden of encounter. It was moving to hear that the TRC was a resource also for you.
It may be useful to talk about the relationship between sex (anatomy) and gender-expression in the context of these avatar-RL issues. Given the read-made ability to construct avatar anatomy at will, what design choices do transgender individuals make regarding gender expression? You might consider talking with the gallerist of Venice Beach, errcheck hicks, who mixes and remixes sexes each time I see her/him.
Another question that comes to mind is: What sort of connect/disconnect to transgender individuals feel when they have avatars but not real bodies that reflect their ideal anatomy?
January 7, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Dear Juan,
Your presentation was truly moving! I agree with Jason that your decision to use an anecdote to introduce your subject matter was a great technique. You hooked me in from the very beginning! Forget multi-tasking…I wanted to hear all the juicy details of your sexual escapades in SL! You also gave the class a great summary of the history of transgenderism which I found very fascinating since I’ve never really had the chance to discuss such an important but often overlooked subject in any of my previous classes. It was also great to learn more about your interview subject, her experience of creating an avatar and how she chose to spend her time in SL. There is no question that you’re a great listener and also a supportive friend. It would have been nice to see more photos of her and her transformation from RL to SL. Maybe that would have made it easier to describe in more detail why she was happy. Maybe an interactive digital photo essay could be beneficial to your project. Hope this helps! Congratulations on being accepted to the Virtual Worlds conference and all the best in the New Year!