Three readings or work that were most impactful for me was Gender Trouble by Judith Butler, “Ain’t I a Woman”’ by Sojourner Truth and Disidentifications by Munoz. All three readings were very refreshing and offered a new approach to many things. In Gender Trouble, Butler touched on a topic that many refuse or hesitate to talk about. I never really looked at gender as a performance until she mentioned it. Her reasoning behind the importance of language and term to describe a gender, or even women in general made me even more cautious. I also think the representation and how women and other people are represented should be done so in a thoughtful way.

The “Ain’t I A Woman” speech and recollection was very powerful. Before reading and presenting on this topic, I did not know Sojourner Truth was even involved in women’s suffrage. I didn’t even know she was present at the Convention. Many of parts of her life are rarely mentioned and this proved to be one of them. Knowing what I know now, I feel even more empowered.

Disidentification by Munoz proved that transgression is very important. I have learned about disidentification before, but in another aspect. This work showed the defiant courage of many people. Risking their reputation to bring change and to stand out. Not many people know what it is to disidentify, so it is very inspiring to hear about those who do.

All of these topics define feminism. The feminist ability to stand out, stand out, and keep fighting even when it may seem like all odds are against them. To me, being a feminist takes great courage and resilience especially in today’s society. During women’s suffrage, there were many anti-suffragists that try to discontinue and discredit the movement. From what I’ve seen and learned in class, some women were labeled as crazy and inadequate just because they thought differently and dared to speak out against inequality. It just proves that the world is very complex, but change happens all over and some stories are untold. There are actual risk takers and throughout history, their fight reached heights.