Kültürel çıkmaz: (e)feminen, maskülen!

            Jack Halbestiem, female masculinity adlı çalışmasında, maskülenlik denen nosyonun ne olduğuna dair soruyu uzunca bir süre düşündüğünü söylemektedir. Kesin bir cevabım olduğunu iddia edemem der, ancak maskülenliğin neden sadece erkek bedenine indirilmemesi, indirileyemeceği, indirilmemeli oluşuna dair bir takım önerilerinin de bulunduğunu ifade eder(1998:1)

             Aynı şekilde kadınlık, feminenite denen nosyonun da, neden sadece dişi olarak cinsiyetlendirilmiş beden tarafından imlenmesi gerektiğini düşünüyoruz, sorusu akıllara gelebilir. Her iki mefhum da bedenlerin cinsiyetlendirilmiş hallerinin dışında birer nosyonlardır. Zaman zaman bir kültürel çıkmaz olarak karşımıza çıkan bu nosyonlar, tarihin belirli aşamalarında farklı şekillerlle kodlanmış, hatta kültürden kültüre, toplumlarca farklı algılanmışlardır. Yani, erkeklik ve de kadınlık nosyonları sosyolojik ve kültürel olarak bir inşaadır. Fiktif bir nosyondur. Belirli tanımlamalar içerisinde ki, bu tanımlamalar tarih aşırı, yani tarihin her döneminde aynı ya da sabit birer kavramlar değildir, bugün bir takım davranışları erillik halleri ile özdeşleştirdiğimiz tavırlar, tutumlar, mimikler yarın başka bir kültürel oluşum içerisinde tamamen bambaşka anlamlara gelebilir. Hatta belki de hiç bir anlama gelmeyebilir.

            Bu nosyonların birer inşaa olması demek, herhangi bir öz veya tözsel bir durumdan kaynaklanmıyor olmaları demektir. Başka bir şekilde ifade edecek olursak, maskülenlik ve feminenlik olarak belirlenen bir kaynağın olmaması anlamına geliyor. Bunun yanı sıra, bu mefhumlar, kişilerin anatomik bedenleri doğrultusunda, kültürel kodlar ekseninde şekillendiriliyor.

Örneğin, Maskülenlik, diğer erkeklik ve kadınlık halleri ile ilişkilenmesi ile okunabilir bir hale geliyor. Bu haller ile olan angajmanı ve öteki erkeklik durumlarına göre kendini konumlandırdığı yerlerde  maskülenlik daha algılanabilir oluyor. Normatif olanın dışında olduğu noktada maskülenliğin kendisi bir inşaa olgusu olarak daha fazla okunabilir bir hale geliyor. Bununla birlikte, aynı şekilde kadınlık da, dişil bedenin saflarından ayrıldığı zaman, yani feminen bir erkek bedeni, ya da kültürel olarak feminen diye nitelendirilmiş bir erkek bedenine rastladığımız noktada feminenliğin bir kültürel inşa olduğunu kavrayabiliriz. Ayrıca, Halbersteim'ın  söylediği gibi  , “maskülenliği tanımlama konusunda bazı zorluklar çekmemize rağmen, toplum olarak maskülenliği tanıma konusunda çok az sıkıntı yaşıyoruz" (1998:1) Yani, yine feminen bir erkeği, maskülen olmamaklığı üzerinden tanımlıyoruz, o noktada anatomik olarak eril bir bedene sahip olduğu düşünülen bir kişinin, feminenliği tam da “olması gerektiği” düşünülen maskülenliğinin noksan olduğu yerde algılnabilir oluyor. Bununla birlikte, Connell'e göre ”Erkekliğe dair bir çok genel nokta, aynı zamanda kitlesel düzeydeki kadınlık analizine de  uygulanabilir. Keza bu örüntüler de tarihseldir:İlişkiler değişir, yeni kadınlık biçimleri ortaya 

 çıkar, öbür biçimler kaybolur.” (1995:250)

.           Peki erkeklik ve de kadınlık mefhumları kültürel bir nosyon olarak nasıl kuruluyor, kültür içinde nasıl artikule ediliyorlar? Daha öncede belirttiğim gibi, bu nosyonlar bedenlerin dışında berlirli söylemler ve de pratikler ekseninde kültür içerisinde dolaşımda oluyorlar, ve de tabiki de, bugün erkeklik ya da kadınlık olarak algıladığımız bazı pratikler, tarihin belirli zamanlarında tam tersi olarak algılanabiliyorlar. Dolayısıyla bir takım pratiklere bakmak konuyu aydınlatmak açısından önemli olabilir diye düşünüyorum. Zira, bazı davranışları maskülen bazılarını ise feminen olarak nitelendirmekliğimiz, tam da bu pratikler ekseninde bir takım hallerin, bir tözü varmışcasına, erkeksi ya da kadınsı olarak vukuğu bulmalarından kaynaklanıyor.  Erkeklik denen mefhum, yukarda da bahsettiğim gibi, tam da diğer erkeklikler ve de esas olarak kadınlıkla olan ilişkileri üzerinden kurulmaktadır. Erkeklik kurulumu, kadınsı olanı dışlama, mesafe alma ve de kadınsı olandan uzaklaşma ya da bastırma gibi pratikler ekseninde kuruluyor diyebiliriz. Erkeklik, kadınlığa göre daha sabit bir kimlik yapısını ön görüyor. Yani, akışkan, daha kıvrak olarak düşünülen kadınlık mefhumunun bu algısını, erkeklik denen mefhum kurulurken dışarda bırakmaya gayret ediyor. Yani kendini kadınsı olanın muhtevası ile kirletmemeye çalışıyor. Bu edim ise, sürekli olarak kadınsı olanı kötüleme, deyim yerinde ise, tiksinç/abject olarak dışlama yolu ile gerçekleşiyor. Kristeva, tiksinç/abject kavramanın, öznenin kurulumunda önemli bir yeri olduğunu vurguluyor. Tiksinç/abject tam da öteki ile beni ayırıyor. Bedenden atılanı, mesafe alınanı, istenmeyeni belirtiyor.(1982:3) 

            Gilbert Hedert, Guardians of the Flutes çalışmasında, Papua Yeni Gine'deki bir kabilede uygulanan bir ritüelden bahsetmektedir. Bu rituelde erkekliğe adım atacak olan çocuklar, kabiledeki en yaşlı olan kişinin penisi yalar, başka bir deyişle oral seks yapar. Buradaki amaç meniyi yutmak ve de bedeni kadınlığın izlerinden arındırmaktır. Zira anne sütü ile beslenen erkek çocuğun, kadınlığın izlerini, sıvılarını taşıdığı inanılır. Dolayısyla, erkekliğe adım atacak çocuğun deyim yerindeyse ağzına boşalma eylemi, bedeni erkekliğin sıvısı ile yeniden doldurmaktır. Böylece beden kadınlığın kötü, kirli sıvılarından arındırılacaktır. Başka bir kabilede yapılan rituel ise, bedenin üzerinde kesikler oluşturacak şekildedir. Bu şekilde akan kan ile, erkek çocuk kirli kandan, kirli sıvılardan arınacaktır.(Hedert: 1981) Buradaki kir, anne sütü ile beslenen çocuğun taşıdığı kadınsal sıvı olarak algılanıyor.

              Mary Douglas'ın Purity and Danger adlı kitabında, kirin, kirliliğin düzen bozucu istenmeyen, ancak aynı noktada gerekli olan bir olgu olduğundan bahseder. “Hepimizin bildği gibi, kir aslen düzensizliğin ta kendisidir. Kirden arınmak negatif bir hareket olarak algılanmaz, tam tersi çervreyi düzene sokmak için pozitif bir çaba olarak algılanır.”(1966:2) Dolayısıyla kirlilik hem dışa atılması gereken bir olgu, hem de bu düzeni sağlamak için gerekli bir olgu olarak algılanabiliniyor. Abject gibi kir de ne olanı ve de olmayanı tanımlamaya yarayan bir sembol olarak kullanıldığını söyleyebiliriz. Abject gibi belirli kutuplar arasında ilişkisel bir öneme sahip. Feminen olanın, imleyenin erkek bedeni üzerinde bir “kir”gibi “durması”, ya da algılanması, bir “düzeni” bozuyor. Buradaki düzen ise, eril bir bedenin erkeklik kodları içerisinde düzene sokulması ya da hizaya getirilmesi. Ya da erilliğin kendi içinde hali hazırda bir düzeni olduğu düşünülmesi. Nitekim Hedert'in yaptığı etnografik araştırmada da görüldüğü üzere, çeşitli rituellerle, eril olarak adlandırılmış beden, kadınlığın kirli sıvılarından, istenmeyen imlerinden arındırılıyor, dışarı atılması sağlınıyor.

            Dolayısıyla  maskülenlik, kurulumunda, feminenliği dışa atıyor, maskülenliğin sınırları femineınliği yadsıyarak, bastırarak, öteki kılarak, diğer bir deyişle tiksinçleştirerek kuruyor. Bu tikninç kurulum, dille, bedensel hallerle daimi olarak artikule ediliyor. Tam da bu noktada, kültürel olarak feminen olmayan üzerinden tanımlanması da, maskülenliğin kurulumunda feminenliğe belirli bir mesafe alıyor olmasındandır. Yani, erillikle feminenliği ayıran nokta, tam da Kristeva'nın söylediği, gibi aslında ben olmayanı, dışkılanı belirten noktadır. Tam da bu süreçle, yani öteki olanı, tiksinç olanı benden ayırma süreci ile, öteki dışkı, kötü olana dönüşür. Böylece, eril bedene sahip olan “ben”, kadınsı olan her şeyi daimi bir kötüleme, “boklama” ile damgalarım. Dolayısyla bu damgalama üzerinden, uzakta tuttuğum, mesafe aldığım feminenlik “benim” maskülenliğimi kirletmemiş, ona beis getirmemiş olur. Feminenliğin kirli imleriyle eril bedenin düzenini bozmamış olur.

            Feminist akedemisyen Alcoff, maskülenlik ve feminenlik kurulumunda “Akıl ve Beden” ikiliği olgusuna da dikkati çekiyor. Söz konusu rollerin bahsi geçen ikilik içerisinde kurulmakta olduğunu vurguluyor. Erkeklik,akıl ile kadınlık ise beden ile, yani marked/damgalanmış olan ile kuruluyor. Modern düşüncede, erkeklik reason/akıl, kadınlık ise beden üzerinden belirtke sağlıyor diyebiliriz. Yani, reason ile bağdaştırılan bir takım durumlar,tutumlar, erkeklik denen nosyonun birer fıtratı, muhtevası gibi algılanabiliniyor. Dolayısıyla,bir takım normatif erilliklerin kurulumunda, failleri tarafından bu unsurlar da göz önünde bulunduruluyor diyebiliriz. Connel bu durumu şu şekilde açıklamaktadır:

            
           " bilim teknoloji gibi hususlar dominant ideoloji tarafından progresif faaliyetler olarak        

            görülmüş, ve de kültürel olarak erkeklik alanı içerisinde tanımlanmıştır. Hegomonik erkeklik,

            kendi hegomonyasını kısmen, aklın iktidarını kendinde cisimleştirerek kurmaktadır."

                                                                                                                     (1995:77)

           

Dolayısıyla normatif erillik beden/akıl dikotomisi içeirisnde, bedensiz bir aklı temsil ediyor. Feminenlik ise bu dikotomide beden olan kısmı temsil ediyor ve de erilliğe göre daha cinsiyetllendirilmiş bir şema üzerinden kuruluyor diyebiliriz. Başka bir şekilde söylemek gerekirse, maskülenlik kendini tam da Reseer'ın söylediği gibi, daha sessiz, unmarked/damgalanmamış bir söylem üzerinden kuruyor. Bu damgalama bir açıdan  akıl beden ayrımı üzerinden oluşturuluyor, Dolayısıyla erkeklik(ler), kültürel olarak kadınsı olanın işaretlenmesi üzerinden, kendi sessizliklerini, doğallıklarını kuruluyorlar diyebiliriz. Ancak tam da Barthe'ın söylediği gibi bu sessizlik, bu damgalanmamışlık, aslında kendi içerisinde bir çok şey söylüyor. (1967:67) 
Yani tam da bu sessizlik üzerinden, erkekliklerin nasıl kurulduğuna dair bir takım çıkarımlara varılabiliyor.

            Bunun yanı sıra Erkeklik, genel olarak homososyal ilişkilenmeler yoluyla ve de taklit yolu ile de kuruluyor. Homososyal ilişkilenme biçimi eril bedenleri birbirleri ile, erkeklikleri üzerinden ilişkilenmeye itiyor. Futbol, askerlik vs., gibi çeşitli pratikler hem erilliğin kültürel olarak kodlanışı açısından, hem de kurulumu açısından önemli oluyor. Bu tür homososyal pratikler içerisinde, erkek olarak cinsiyetlendirilmiş bedenler, taklit ve de dışlama yolu ile kendi erkekliklerini kuruyorlar. Bu ilişkilenme biçimlerinde, taklit çevresel faktörler içerisinde yer alıyor. Bu noktada, kültür içerisinde dolaşıma sokulmuş olan erillik kodlarını taklit eden bireyler, çeşitli edimler ekseninde erilliği bedenselleştiriyor, dilselleştiriyor ve de görselleştiriyorlar.  Ancak bu homososyal ilişkilenme, homofominin yüklediği anksiyeteyle belirli bir erotizmden yoksun bırakılıyor, ya da kırılıyor. Başka bir deyişle, erkekler arası ilişkilenmeyi ön gören toplumsal cinsiyet sistemi, tam da bu ilişkilenme içerisinde, kişiyi erillikten kaçıracak, erilliğini kirletecek, olan durumlardan kaçınıyorlar. Bu noktada homofobi işlevsel oluyor. Daimi noktada kaygan olan maskülenlik olgusu, kendi zeminini homosoyol ilişkilenme bağlamında, homofik söylem ekseninde sabitlemeye çalışıyor. (Bu bahsettiğim normatif/hegemonik erillik çin geçerli oluyor diyebiliriz. Zira, diğer erkeklikler, örneğin queer erkeklikler, bu  varysayımın dışında kalabilirler. İlerdeki bölümde bu durum daha fazla açılacaktır.) Yani eril olarak cinsiyetlendirilmiş beden, toplumsal olarak tanımlanan bir takım erkeklikleri bedeninde cisimleştirirken, bir taraftan da taklitin yapısı gereği, başka erkeklikler ile arzu ilişkisi içerisinde bulunuyor. Ancak bu arzu ilişkisi tam da homofobinin kültürel olarak kurulmuşluğundaki, erilliği köreltme anksiyetisi içerisinde başka bir alana kaydırılıyor:Reseer'ın da vurguladığı gibi Futbol, savaş, potika,  gibi eril bedenlerin sadece belirli şiddet aktarımları içerisinde varolmalarını ön görüyor.(2010:56) 

            Bununla birlikte, normatif erkekliğin kurulmasında homo/hetero ayrımı oldukça önemli bir yerde duruyor, bu ayrım her daim normatif erkekliği, erkekliğin ne olmadığını tanımlamada kullanılıyor. Bu açıdan, heterosekseül erkeklikler, konvansiyonel olarak kurulmuş ve de feminize edilmiş erkeklik hallerini de dışarlayarak kuruluyorlar.  Tam da bu damagalama üzerinden neyin eril olmadığı ya da neyin erkekliği kirlettiği gibi hususlar, erkeklik denen mefhumun kurulmasında yardımcı oluyor. Belirli hareketler, tavırlar, mimikler, haller maskülen ya da feminen olarak kodlanıyor, bu kodlama zaman içerisinde bir takım ilişkisel süreç içerisinde erkeklik ve de kadınlık denen halleri yaratıyor. Dolayısıyla, bu edimsel süreç ekseninde kadınlık ve de erkeklik idrak edilebilinir hale geliyor. Başka bir deyişle, Connell'in de söylediği gibi erkek bedenim bana erkekliği vermez; toplumsal tanımım olarak erkekliği alır.(1995:121) Bunun yanı sıra, kadın bedenim de bana kadınlığı vermez, tıpkı Conell'in dediği gibi toplumsal olarak tanımlanan kadınlığı alır. Bu noktada her iki rollünde birbiri ile ilişkisi, farklı erkeklik ve de kadınlık Halleri ile ilişkileri, durumun nasıl da toplumsal bir inşa olduğuna dikkati çekebilir. Yani, erkeklik kurulumu tekil bir düzlemde gerçekleşmemektedir, her zaman bir takım ilişkiler içerisinde kurulmaktadır. Feminen erkekler, kadınlar, eşcinsel erkeklikler ve de normatif olmayan erillikler ile olan ilişkileri içerisinde algılanabilinir olyor. Conell'in de vurguladığı gibi, erkeklik denen unsur standart bir erillik hali yaratmaz, bunun yerine maskülen olan ve de olmayan cinsiyetlerdirmeler üzerinden kendini gerçekleştirir. A.e, s.75  Bu noktada, kadınlık ve de erkeklik denen olgular hiçbir zaman bitmiş, sabit birer olgular değildir, tam da bahsi geçen bu ilişkilenmeler etrafında sürekli olarak bir kuruluma, bir konumlanmaya ihitiyaçları vardır. Neyin ne kadar feminen ya da maskülen olduğu, veyahut olmadığı gibi hususlar ekseninde sürekli olarak bir kurulum içerisindedir. Bu inşa sürekli olarak kültür ve toplum içerisinde artikule edilir. Segal erkekliğin kurulumunda rol oynayan etkenlerden bahsederken, diğer cinsiyetlerle ilişkilenmesinin yanı sıra, tanımlanmasındaki ilişkisel öğelere de dikkat çekerek açıklamak gerektiğini savurnur.(2008:78) Yani, erkekliğin kültürdeki temsil edildiği ifadeler ve de tanımlamarın da, erillik kurulumunda etkisi olduğunu söylemektedir. Tam da, tamamlanmamış bir olgu olarak erkeklik dile getirilen çeşitli anlamlarla kendi kurulumunu yeniden ve yeniden üretmektedir. “Erkek adam ağlamaz, erkek adam kıvırtmaz, gerçek erkek böcekten korkmaz” gibi tanımlamalarla, Segal'ın vurguladığı gibi kendi içerisindeki belirtke ilişkileri ile kendini yeniden kuruyor diyebiliriz. Aynı şekilde kadınlık kodları için de benzer  artikülasyonlar geçerli olabilir. Bu noktada, erkekliğin ve de kadınlığın söylemsel birer üretim olduklarının da altını çizmek önemli olacaktır. Kültür içerisinde dolaşıma sokulan bir takım  rollerin anatomik olarak cinsiyetlendirilmiş bedenler üzerinde söylemsel etkileri olduğunu dile getirebiliriz. Donald E.Hall, Foucault'nun söylem teorisini örnekleyerek bu tür kimliklerin söylemsel olarak kurulmasını şu şekilde açıklıyor:

            "Foucault'nun vurguladığı gibi birey olma durumu belirli söylemsel kategorileri,
             bu kategorilerin yansıttığı bir takım etkileri ve de öğrenilmiş yargıları  içselleştirme

            yolu ile oluşturulmaktadır. Bizlerse, bir takım sözde olması gereken davranışlar ekseninde                             
              birbirini disipline eden failler olarak,işlev görürüz."   (2003,s.65)

Yani erkekliğin ve kadınlığın nasıl olmasına ya da nasıl olmamasına dair söylemler, bu rollerin nasıl icra edilmesine dair olan bilgiyi vermektedir. Bu noktada, tam da bu üretilen bilgiler üzerinden bir takım erkeklikler ve de kadınlıklar kurulmakta, ve de failleri bunları verili birer nosyon olarak algılamaktadırlar. Başka bir deyişle çeşitli kadınlık ve erkeklik söylemlerinin bilgiler olarak dolaşıma sokulması ve de, tam da Connell'in söylediği gibi “erkek bedenim bana erkekliği vermez, ancak toplumsal olarak tanımlanmış erkekliği alır” (1995:121) bağlamında düşündüğümüzde, bu söylemler biyolojik olarak cinsiyetlendirilmiş bireyler tarafından içselleştiriliyor diyebiliriz.

            Cinsiyetleri biyolojinin kendisininde ayırdığımızda, tam da bu kimlik kategorilerinin kendi başlarına daha geçişken ve de sabit olmayan, katı olmayan birer kategoriler olduklarını görebiliriz. Yani, kadın bedenin erkekliği imlediği, erkek bedenin de kadınlığı imlediği ya da her ikisini birden imleyebildiğini göz önünde bulundurmak gerekiyor. Bu noktada, Butler'ın da dediği gibi daha uçuşkan, yüzebilen, yani yapışık olmayan cinsiyet kategorileri ile karşılaşabiliriz.(1990) Nitekim, bahsi geçen kayganlık zaten bu sistemin tam da farkettiği bir olgu olduğu için, sürekli olarak olabildiğince zıt karşıtlıklar üzerinden bir kurulum gerçekleştirmektedir. Yani, bu kategorilerin sabit birer nosyonlar olarak algılanabilmesi için cinsiyetlendirilmiş kimlikler arası geçişkenliği minimum düzeyde tutmaktadır. Bu da her kültür içinde dolaşıma sokulmuş olan toplumsal/cinsiyet kimlikleri arasındaki maksimum mesafe ile oluşuturuluyor denebilir. Yani kimliğin sınırları, ikilik içerisindeki aldığı mesafeye dayanıyor. Bu mesafe ise aradaki geçişkenliği olabildiğince minumum, hatta bazen hiç denecek kadar az bir duruma indirgiyor.

            Kadınlık ve de erkeklik denen mefhumların birer roller ya da kimlikler olarak herhangi bir özü olmadığını, ya da herhangi bir bedenin esası olmadığını varsayıyorsak eğer, bu noktada ne gibi bir algı bizi bu kimliklerin birer tözü olduğunu varsaydırıyor?

Click On Me

Introduction.

Cruising is an old tradition among the male homosexual culture. Parks, public toilets, side streets of the underground districts are the most common and as well as the most acknowledged places among the gay people. Cruising is an act. Cruising is a sexual performativity where the places have been particularly located or chose by the participants whom are prominently homosexual gay males. Cruising is a one of the most important sexual activity among gays, is one of the most prominent surviving sexul medium for the gays that the history have witnessed over and over through the time. The male participants of this act are after, most of the time,merely the sex. Young and mature homosexual males wonder around the particular places such as public parks, public toilets and so forth. We gaze, we whisper, we feel the temper of the each other. Sometimes we just pass by the bodies. By the certain act of bodily speeches such as blinks, gestures or may be just the transcendence of the feelings are sufficient for alluring the sexual enactments, and so forth.

As Burton (1995) said;
 “Cruising and cottaging—that is to say the seeking of sexual pleasure in public places and public lavatories   respectively—are forms of homosexual expression that seem to have an imprecise history   appearing to have  existed for as long as men have sought sex.”

     Cruising has enabled an opportunity to experience homosexual enactments and to express their sexuality for individuals (Asford,2006) Many gay people have had certain experiences on the cruising issue. However, as much as pleasant attractiveness of the very act of cruising, it has certain unwanted parts as well, so to speak. Namely, robbery, verbal and physical attacks by some homophobic people, or most considerable unwanted situation is most probably the police intervention. In his ostensible article, Ashford(2007) depicts the other sides of this cruising activity. Due to the fact that cruising is held in particular places such as lavatories and public spaces, certain negative labeling and marginalizing might be inevitable. Yet, also for the most of the people, commentators, the most “harmful and the wrong possible situation is the police intervention,” he quotes to state

In Turkey, especially in Istanbul there is a considerable cruising activity and as well as a possibility to emerge. Gays and the men who have sex with men(MSM) but do not identify themselves as gay or homosexual, they are aware of the very facts that I mentioned above. Within all the possible sides, the homosexual enactments has been brought into the another ostensible space called “cyberspace.” Hence, for the time being, what I want to highlight is not the public cruising, rather I would like to address my inquiry to the another ostensible issue, that is to say, online dating web-site or online cruising issue.

Within the explosion of the internet, especially lesbians and gays found another space to close the gaps, to embody into/onto the new discursive space, to express their sexuality, or to fulfill their sexuality, so to speak. The internet become one of the most prominent and ostensible medium particularly among gays. In the information age, the internet provides considerable medium in the course of fulfillment of sexual desires or dating issues with gays and lesbians. Many male homosexual individuals have experienced this unique opportunity to find sex partners, one-night stand lovers and so forth. As Ashford, Walker and Dimalcro suggest ; “Within the dawn of the information age, it was perhaps unsurprising that sex too would quickly dominate cyberspace alongside e-commerce, information and general communication. Aside from pornography,the internet has also become the beacon for minority sexual interests incorporating a cornucopia and of fetishes and fixication.(Ashford,2006, Dimalcro,2003, Walker,2000) Understandably, to put in another word, the traditional cruising activity jumped into/onto the cyberspace indeed.

One of the most common and old way of internet dating medium is the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) system. Most of the individuals , especially MSM and gays, are still using the IRC to find sex dates. However, nowadays IRC is not that much popular especially among the middle and upper class of Turkish gays. Because IRC has some particular lacks, and as well as it is considered risky comparing the online dating web-sites. The very reason of these ostensible facts why IRC is less popular among the mentioned group, is as the following. Lack of visual cues(Shaw,1997), namely body or face images, are the most considerable issue that causes the IRC is less popular nowadays.

Besides most of the online dating web-sites provide more options such as uploading photographs, wide-range search system according the member's interests and preferences, as well as relatively more privacy. According to the certain users this type of communication is safer.

Yet, I believe the very brief definition of the cruising activity and the new medium that I mentioned above, enabled relatively sufficient frame about the issue which I will draw. However, within this chapter I will try to focus on another issue, that is, the textual identity construction in the course of online dating,or online cruising web-sites.

There are several web-sites which provides online sex-dating facilities. These web-sites are the followings: Gayromeo, PlanetRomeo,Manjam, HadiGayri, Gabile. SheMaleTurk, HairyTurks, Gaydar,BearWWW.

Gaydar, Gayromeo,PlanetRomeo,HairyTurks,BearWWW and Manjam, these are foreign based/origin web-sites, and Hadigayri, SheMaleTurk, Gabile these are local based web-sites.

There are of course more web-sites, however I chose to classify the aforementioned ones,

because the mentioned ones are the most acknowledged ones among of all within the Turkish users.

Owing to the recent censorship regulations on the internet, most of the LBGTQ web-sites have been banned by the reason of public morality. Before the regulation launch, internet users were able to access to the certain banned web-sites by changing the DNS settings. However now users can have access the particular web-sites among the classified ones,such as PlanetRomeo, Gabile, Manjam, BearWWW, Hadigayri. Yet, Gayromeo, Gaydar and ShemaleTurk are the banned ones owing to the internet regulations. Gayromeo and PlanetRomeo have same providers, as a matter of fact these two web-sites are the same indeed.

HairyTurks and BearWWW, these web-sites address to the “bears” (Ayılar)

Bear, is a type of sexual identity or becoming and is a subculture community among the LGBTQ. In his remarkable ethnographic work, Peter Henen(2008) tries to shed lights on the issue, by conducting the interviews with the participant of this considerable community. Each of the participants illustrate what the bear is for them. According to me their narratives frame significant understanding on the issue. Hence, I will try to explicate the issue by quoting their narratives, which I believe it will be much more comprehensible.

“A Bear to me is somebody who, quote unquote, has a poty.” (Don)

“I would say, physically I would say at least facial hair—beard, moustache. And personalitywise—natural, down to earth.” (Larry)

“I would say stockier, definitely hairy—either facial hair, hairy chest, probably a little bit

older.” (Grant)

“This is my personal opinion, the majority of people base what a Bear is based on, I think,

more physical looks than anything else, obviously.” (Travis)”

Bear traits is masculinity, a trait for which we are obviously known. The emergence

of a true Bear actually takes years, a culmination of experiences, attitudes

and self-discovery.(Hill)

SheMaleTurk address mostly to cross-dressers, transsexuals and transvestite users.

Owing to the fact that HadiGayri and Gabile have Turkish language option in use, HadiGayri and Gabile have wide-range users, such as gays, MSM, cross-dressers, transvestites. The other reason why these two web-sites have more wide-range users comparing the other ones that these two web-sites address to certain type of users where they can find easily reciprocal communication on.

Those Which Gayromeo and Manjam are comparatively more mainstream and address to the members who are middle or upper class, know at least English, relatively “well-educated¹”

Besides, among these two mentioned web-sites, Gayromeo is the most popular one among the Turkish gays, because Gayromeo has multiple language using options, and Turkish is one of all.

Hence, it makes Gayromeo comparatively much more reachable particularly among İstanbulite gays. By the members, Gayromeo creates own territorial space in the course of gender and sexuality. Gayromeo has 919185 members around Europe, has 19481 members around Turkey .

According to the current datas on the web-sites, there are 11442 users from Istanbul of all.

There is also another and actually the most prominent reason why I selected Gayromeo is that I have been actively member of the aforementioned web-site. Accordingly I have observed certain ostensible issues on the web-sites. Some issues are very familiar with the public sphere , and some issues are very dissimilar. All of the observations and experiences that I have been through brought me into this very ostensible topic, so to speak.

Click On Me

“Cyberspace is divided by interest rather than geography” David F.Shaw

On some Friday afternoon, 677 gay men are online on Gayromeo. They are cruising for the “right person”, for “just coffee”, may be just for a “small chat”, yet most probably for merely “the sex” what they are hopefully, enthusiastically or desperately seeking after.

In contradistinction to the public cruising, in cyberspace we encounter with the text which is composed of certain information about the online profile that we click on, or that we just glance.

Although in the offline world all the identities have been considered as texts as well. According to the post-structuralists, cultural and social theorists identities composed of “particular discourses within the interactive relationship of certain unities and institutions ” and of “particular process” (Foucault,1981.Hall,1996) Namely, in his remarkable oeuvre Foucault, highlights the invention of homosexual being and shows how the homosexual identity came into the stages, or came into the being within the particular discursive construction such as psychiatry, medicine and so on.(1981)

speaking of which, yet it will be very effective to highlight an issue, that is, according to my reading of Foucault, he does not refer an identity in his remarkable ouevres, rather he seeks after the very constitutive "subjects." He queries the subjectification process by doing the genealogical reading. Besides, according to Hall, “Faoucault, of course would not commit anything so vulgar as actually to deploy the term identity, however, with the relation to self and the constitution and recognition of himself qua subject we are approaching something of the territory which, in terms established earlier, belongs to the problematic” (Hall,1996)

In addition to this, Hall(1996) in Question of Cultural Identity, queries the very fictive and textuality of the identities regarding with the constitution process of the issue. While he particularly cites the ostensible social and cultural theorists, he emphasizes the constructed unities of the identification process, such as “history, language , culture, sexuality” and so on.

Within the information age and the huge impact of the internet, of course, the issue of identity or subjectivity has been taken into consideration. Accordingly, regarding with the issue particular arguments within the communication studies and cultural studies as well.

Namely, according to Bell (2001) “by this new medium, The fluid, fragmented late-modern or postmodern self has a new capacity to make itself over, to reshape and restyle elements of identity – or at least to make choices about which aspects of its self to privilege at any point. Again, this might be taken to imply freedom of choice or to given another example on the issue"

In addition to this, according to the some other communication and cultural theorists, cyberspace enables more possibilities concerning with the corporeality. Creating hybrid avatars, passing between the genders are the issues that mostly discussed on, so to speak.

Alongside with the possibilities, certain issues has been discussed on the topic of the dis/embodiment. How the new discourses will shape our bodies or to what extent they affect the embodiment process, these considerations have been taken into account for a while.

Since it is the new medium and in progress we will witness the certain set of literature developments and ongoing discussions regarding within the cyberculture reality.

However, considering the all those mentioned discussions above, I found advantageous to address my inquiry, that is, construction online textual identity on Gayromeo.

All those profiles are actually texts, images, narratives, or binary digits, data that we interact, that we develop certain communication system through this space and through the particular data which makes us enable to comprehend specific identification cues, such as masculine, feminine, top, bottom and so forth. What makes us to think so, of course, the self and the other' own identification process and engagements with particular identification of social and cultural entities.

Concerning the aforementioned respect, the one goes through the certain identification process interactively with a set of indicative elements, such as defining of the body parts, narration of the preferences , photo selection according to his tentative self presentation and so forth.

On Gayromeo, one should constitute the online profile, if he wants to participate in this cyberspace, or if he wants to cruise online. There are three different membership options. One can register as a regular member. One can register as guide and one can register as an escort. If the one register as an escort, his profile will appear on the escort's page. Registering as escort means, according to the web-site' term and regulation, (The following text are extracted out of escort profile registration page of aforementioned web-site)“Escort profiles are for guys who want to advertise erotic services for money. This also includes massage, pay dates, webcam shows etc. In addition to this web-sites warns the attendance as escort as followings. "You must be over 18, you can have only one escort profile and the profile must be for yourself."

Registering as guide requires the followings. (The following texts are extracted out of the on guide profile registeration page of aforementioned web-site) A Guide profile works in a similar way to a standard GayRomeo User profile. You manage your own profile, can upload photos, contact other users and save their profiles. Registering and administering a Guide profile is really easy and requires no special computing knowledge. Guide Profiles are listed in the Guide. Other members can find you there according to the category and location where you're listed or the keywords you have entered. Registration is permitted for companies, the self-employed (if officially registered), and associations or groups based in the Gay and Lesbian Community.

However, what I would like to highlight is the regular member profile, and what kind of identification process are required to have certain online profile in the course of gender and sexual identity construction in cyberspace/on Gayromeo.

When you click on the standard member user, first thing you encounter is definition of your location. However owing to the privacy regulation, the stated address/location is not displayed to the others on map. However, there is an option which is called "radar" on the web-site, so that by the permission of the user, your location is displayed on the users profile. If the user wants to benefit of this option, he can make his location information visible within the certain settings on his Gayromeo profile. After completing this section, the user's country, region and city informations are filled automatically and appeared on the section of “where you come from”

After this regional activation, the user is required to complete the “body stats and general information part.” In this section the user is required to fill birthday information. And then the user is expected to choose appropriate data about his general body appearances, such as body type, weight, height, body hair, eyes, beards, hair, hair color, tattoos and piercing.

In this part the user can choose slim, average, athletic, muscular, belly, stocky as the body type, and

can choose his ethnic identification among the following ones. Namely, Caucasian, Asian, Arab, Black, Latin, Hybrid, Mediterranean and mixed. After the ostensible bodily and ethnic identifications, here comes the sexual orientation part. According to the web-site's interface, sexual identification is considered as an orientation. In this part the users are expected to choose among the three identification of the orientation section, namely, gay, bisexual and transgender. However, during my actively membership on the aforementioned web-site, I rarely encounter profiles that identified as transgender, so to speak. As a matter of fact, there might be said that there is a considerable sissy-phobia regarding my own Gayromeo experiences. The dominant discourse within the members on the website is that usually composes of statements which refers to “real men” and “straight-acting” issues. Hence, gay and bisexual identifications are popular among the members. After the ostensible orientation part, the users proceed the relationship status, which has four different alternatives. Namely, “I am a single, I have a partner, open relationship, married”

Then, user choose the age range according to his age preferences. The age range is included between the 18 and 99. Some members have strict definition of age preferences, whilst some member indicated that “I am looking for someone between the age of 18 and 99”

By doing so, some of them stand against the age discrimination. According to Payne(2007), this is a kind of dissident identification to stand against the discursive dominant understanding.

After the definition of age preferences, users select the definition of aim, such as for sex dates, for relationship and for friends. Then, comes the “headline” and “your statement” parts. Within these parts users are expected to write about themselves and some other important information which help to attract to the other members. Headline part is limited with the 15-200 characters. Headline part is appeared as highlighted on the member's profile and it is considered as the prominent interesting section of the users. Namely, if the user prefers only chubby ones, masculine ones, only bears, or if the user is attracted by merely straight-acting type of gay, he emphasizes on his headline section by doing so.

“Your statement” part is limited with 50- 30,000 characters. According to the web-site indication, members can talk about anything else they want to mention about themselves. In addition to this statement, there is also an advice, that is, “there is plenty of space so do not limit yourself to just three words”. In this part, members usually state their sexual preferences, and what they look like, what kind of things impress them and so forth. This part is very important indeed, because of the fact that in this part, they usually state what they are and accordingly what they are not. For example, some users do not prefer sissies, feminine ones. Some members want “normal guys”, or some members do not looking for drama queens and seeking merely non string-attached sex. By doing so, they also state certain information cues on their identity. The identity construction process always is articulated by exclusion. According to Hall, identity is a structured representation which only achieves its positive through the eye of the negative(Hall,1996)

There is usually excessive or insufficient graduation of identification process.

The statements that is held on this part usually refers to becoming of the member.

I would like to exemplify to put it bluntly. One of the common discourses as the following.

“I would like to meet a guy who knows what gay means. I do not want to meet with gays whom are too much degenerated. I want “normal guys”

The statement that mentioned above is actually definition of proper gay identity among the particular members. By defining the proper gayness over relatively the “negative” one, the member refers his identity through the exclusion. Hence he articulates his identification process by doing so.

After the “statements” section, users are expected to enter their sexual preferences. This part is composed of eight sections which users can enter the following options. “I am generally top only, more top, versatile, more bottom, bottom only” as to indicate sexual position. However this part is not mandatory or to put in another word arbitrarily .As the user wishes, he can skip this part or he can deliberately leave as unselected. Sexual preferences are composed of “safer sex(yes,no,always)

anal(top only, more top, versatile, no, more bottom,bottom only) SM(yes, no, soft sm only)

fisting(active, active/passive, passive) dirty(yes, no, ws only) dick size(small, medium,large, xlarge and xxlarge) and cut and uncut. Finally, users come to the fetish part. This part is also arbitrarily.

There are some most acknowledged fetishes, such as leather, sportswear, uniform, rubber, boots, jeans and so forth. The members can select more than one option, and owing to the limited selection of fetish list, the member can indicate more on their profiles according to their taste. Or, they can exclude the fetish part out of their profile concerning with their sexual identity elements.

To conclude this process, the members are expected to upload images, photos. This part is arbitrarily as well. However, it is highly recommended in the course of better communication, actually for better cruising, so to speak. The choice of image is also worth to discuss on very much indeed. Owing to the fact the visual representation is one of the most prominent element of the identification process. According to me, the “proper” representation of the profile might relatively help the member to represent the arbitrary “true self” by choosing relevant images with their statements.

During my observations, I can state that some of the members (most of them indeed) are in tended to do so. To put it crudely, if the member state that he is top only or more top and if he identifies himself as “straight-acting,” masculine type of guy, his general tendency is to choose mostly images which indicate or represent the member as equivalent with the general look of the profile.

The aforementioned images are mostly composed of as followings. Outdoor images have high reputation among these type of guys, such as captured images during the outdoor activities, namely particular sport activities, or certain captured images during working out in the gym, or some similar images which represent the masculine unity or equivalent elements according to the user.

In addition to this, if the member state that he is a “decent guy”, “not into gay scene” and looks for the same-minded persons, within this perspective, the user's general tendency on the visual representation is more or less similar. Actually, most of the time, yet arbitrarily indeed, the notions of “straight-acting” and “decent” might be considered as equivalent with each other. On the other hand, off course there are particular members who resist this dominant discourse and shape their profile not according to the mentioned discourses above. Besides, there are fake profiles as well and others who do not indicate anything regarding with the “headline, your statements and photo” parts.

According to Rodriguez(2003) “the discursive space does not establish which identity practices are available , but it does provide frame through which these practices are received in that context.”

Conclusion

“Digital discourses, those virtual exchanges we glimpse on the Net, are textual performances: fleeting, transient, ephemeral, already past. Like the etxt of a play, they leave a trace to which meaning can be assigned, but these traces are haunted by the absence that performance itself, its reception, and its emotive power.” Juana Maria Rodriguez

Doing research on the internet is very challenging process indeed. Having been a new medium and rarely conducted research sometimes cause the researcher to be disturbed and sometimes push the researcher to find own possibilities within the field regarding with the conducted researches, case studies and conducted methodologies as well.

On this paper, I tried to trace the everyday identification practices on the Gayrome concerning with the online profile issue. One can easily sense that how the every day particular identity enactments shape the online profile within the tools of language and of specific website on cyberspace. Through the suturing and articulation process(Hall,1996), the aforementioned website' users (re)constitute the gender and sexual identity over and over. This process refers to the non-stability and to be in the progress of the identity problematic and its constructed structure.

According to Edelman(2004), every identity is textual, every identity is interactive. Each body that always demands to be read and each body “on which his sexuality is always already inscribed. Hence, through the online profile and cyberspace we encounter textual-identity performance that is representing textuality of the self, “a constant coding and decoding of the self and the other.” (Rodriguez,2003)

REFERENCES

Asford,Chris (2007) The Only Gay In The Village: Sexuality and Net. Information & Communications Technology Law, Vol. 15, No. 3, October 2006

Bell, David( 2001) An Introduction to The Cybercultures. Routledge.

Burton, P. (1995) Amongst the Aliens: Some Aspects of a Gay Life (Brighton, Millvres Books).

DiMarco, A. & DiMarco, H. (2003) Investigating Cybersociety: a consideration of the ethical and

practical issues surrounding online research in chat rooms. in Y. Jewkes (Ed.), Dot.cons: Crime,

Deviance and Identity on the Internet (Culhampton, Willan).

Foucault,M. (1981) History of Sexuality Volume 1, Harmondsworth:Penguin.

Hall,S.(1996)The Questions of Cultural Identity. London:Sage Publication

Henen, Peter(2008) Fearies,Bears and Leeathermen: Men in Community, Queering The Masculine.

University of Chicago Press

Rodriguez,J Maria(2003) Queer Latinidad:Identity Practices, Discursive Spaces. New York: New York University Press

Shaw, David F(1997) Gay Men and Computer Communication: A Discourse of Sex and Identity in Cyberspace. Virutal Culture Reader. London:Sage Publication

Walker, C., Wall, D. & Akdeniz, Y. (2000) The Internet, law and society. in C. Walker, D. Wall &

Y. Akdeniz (Eds), The Internet, Law and Society (Harlow, Pearson).

1Most of the user of Gayromeo describe themselves as well-educated persons.

Erased gender

                             In "Undoing Gender" Butler narrates a fact which is about a homosexual young boy.

When i first read and also heard the story it hit me very much. As a matter of fact we are very familiar to these kind of stories, events and facts. I can say that more or less this kind of things at some point seem to be our daily routine. Long story short, i would like to briefly explain what the story is. As i mentioned above it is about young homosexual boywho lived one of those towns in the middle America. When seven years old child behaves coquettishly, there is nothing wrong with the attitude at these ages. Some mockeries, some verbal harresments these are the things, perhaps more, which we can clasify as a sort of comparatively softer attacks . But this ostensible kid become seventeen, everything all those coquettishly attitudes and all those feminine behaviours are considered much more annoying by the public and especially by some teens as well. One day, while the young feminine boy was strolling around , he was murdered by another young boy on the bridge of the town. The young feminine boy was stabbed ( This part is not narrated in the story but as far as i understood, it is quite clear that feminine young boy was stabbed)

The bridge represents the border which is situated in between of the real and the imaginary. These two subjects are on the borders. The homosexual one here is placed in the border of the symbolic and the imaginary. For him he is expilicitly in the symbolic world, however the so-called hetero one could not place him in the symbolic order accordingly one of them will be pass this border yet on the other hand expilicitly one of them already fell down the other side of the border i mean into Le Real. Now, i know these what i talked above seem to be a little bit ambiguos and as well as abit unrelevant connection between the story of the subject that i mentioned above and the topic which i analysis in this paper however the subjects are different yet the situation more or less the same. Then, why i started with this ostensible fact because in this paper i shall try to explain transsexualism, transvestism and relevantly hate crime towards the members of this ostensible

community, in the context of Lacan's, relatively one of the most important concept, “Mirror Stage.”

I shall also refer his noteworthy notions which are “The Real,” “The Imaginary” and “The Symbolic.”

Besides, because of the fact that I shall employ these aforesaid concepts and especially in the frame of symbolic order, hence the fact which Butler narrates , is suitable regarding of the issue which I shall analysis in the following parts of this paper.

And also I shall refer some narratives of transgender people. As we explicitly know that autobiography is an important part of being transgender. (transsexual, transvestism or intersex.) Narratives, for these people, are very crucial part of their becoming and for constructing their identity either.

For most people transsexualism and transvestism are considered as a some kind of illness or some kind of disorder situations. Especially in twentieth century this identity were regarded as perversion and considered as a some kind of ambiguous situation which has to be corrected by legitimate institutions or sometimes even corrected both by public an by some another subjectivities with not by any stretch of the imagination way. Understandably, there are lots of ongoing speculations about this issue which is needed very much attention on. One should be always very careful when s/he studies on aforesaid identities. Because of the fact it could be very easy to cross the line. When it comes to such an ambiguous issue, it could be much easier to make a mistake or, like I mentioned before, to cross the line. Accordingly, one should always approach the issue at a certain distance. To my mind, narratives of transgender people, their autobiographies play an important role in this very moment if one is willing to understand the very crucial process in its essence. I shall also refer some of the narratives to understand some points in the context of the psychoanalytic method which I try to highlight some of the issues in this paper as well. On the other hand I shall also analysis the agent of hate crimes . I mean the subjects who commit homicide Comparatively I am willing to do my best for avoiding the unwelcome results and as well as some misunderstandings. Because, if one deals with such an ambiguous issue, one should always be careful of categorizing the situations and the process ,or else some unwelcome and unappropriated results can be emerged which, to my mind, no one will be willing to put his/her-self in such condition. As a result for either way, it is really need to be careful yet there is no diagnosis in psychoanalytic method and especially for such an important topic requires much more attention on.

Because of the fact there is no diagnosis in psychoanalysis, to get a diagnosis and label the process as a sickness or some kind of mental disorder by using certain data , is the latest thing to do by me and as well as most of the people.

On the other hand the same apprehensiveness should be thought for the agent of hate crimes as well. Yet the aforementioned apprehensiveness should be also differentiated by considering the situations and as well as subjects. Labeling the murderer as a sick or mental illness or classifying the situation which the murderer goes through as an extraordinary circumstance may lead the agent of hate crime to be justified his situation in its essence. And also by so doing he can get away scot-free which we mostly witness the aforementioned situation usually in our country.

First of all i would like to begin with the ego construction of transgender people and would like to point out comparatively certain important issues (especially considering of the fact that the body is the surface of our very ambious being) such as how they construct their ego with the self or the skin which is not belong them. By so doing, I will refer their narratives and autobiographies as a crucial data like I mentioned above. After I highlight aforementioned issues, I shall try to underscore agent of hate crimes. Briefly I shall try to analysis the process, especially why the all transsexual people are murdered by using knife and so.

My study will be framed in the context of the very crucial notions of Lacan, namely; “The Real”, “The Imaginary” , “The Symbolic” and as well as the very important part of these ostensible concepts that is “Mirror Stage.” I will use these terms to highlight the aforementioned situations and also to underscore flamboyant subject's process as well.

As we all clearly know from Lacan's mirror stage the self is constructed by his or her image which is reflected through the mirror. Mirror stage is one of the most crucial part of constructing the ego. Before this stage, the self as Lacan suggests; looks like a fragmented egg. Lacan also names this situation as a “Hommelette.” The fragmented egg which is scattered out everywhere and the self can not know his borders and limits at all. Lacan also consubstantiates this circumstance with "The Real" where the infant feels him or her-self the whole with everything and especially with the mother. We can also name this ostensible fact where the everything and as well as nothing are found altogether. Lacan also names this fact as "no-thing-ness." The infant cannot differentiate him or her-self from environments. She or he thinks that s/he is a part of the rest, especially like i mentioned before, it thinks still mostly part of his or her mother ego. The infant does not know his bodily borders or to put in a another way, the infant does not know his or her ego. Lacan calls this stage a "Hommelette." The infant doesnot control him or her-self . Infant's motor activities has not developed yet because of the fact that the creature called human is a premature alive. Accordingly, at some point, that is why our ego, motor activities and relatively our bodily control is not developped yet when we come into the world. This is one of the most noteworthy thing to state out and explicitly the most crucial reason why we are in need of someone-else. Especially but unfortunately the mother. Hence , the infant doesnot know in this stage him or her self-being. He or she is a fragmented egg which is scattered out. In this stage, for the infant the world is coposed of everything and as well as nothing. For the infant the circumstance which s/he is through, namely the whole situation is non-differential moments. Because of the fact that s/he doesnot know ego limits. There is no ego yet. s/he cannot differentiate him or her-self from the environment. In this stage the infant still is experiencing the wholeness. Because this stage is both nothing and at the same time everything.

As we know again from Lacan's Mirror stage, the infant meets him or her image at first mirror scene. First of all the infant sees the image of the self through the reflected mirror vision scene. According to Lacan, at this first seen , the infant's strange reaction and behavior is jubilant. The first mirror scene approximately corresponds the infant's one and a half years old.

In this stage the infant firstly sees him or her self. Lacan names this experience as if the fragmented egg was coming together. Lacan also draws a parallel this situation with backwards slow motion screening, or to put another word as Lacan suggest; "as the reverse motion shot of the breaking of an egg” The all fragmented self comes together. The infant sees the whole, a complete of him or her self-being. Inner and outer part of the body now is seen as a whole. However the infant's motor activities still are not developed yet. The infant know his or her image which is reflected through the mirror, however s/he does not feel completely controlled alive. The infant does not still have a certain coordination. This recognition causes great confusion and ‘libidinal dynamism’ as the pre-linguistic infant struggles with its first identity conflict.(Lacan, 1977) The image which infant sees has limits, the others tell him or her that the image which s/he sees that is you however the infant does not feel like at all. With this image comes separation and the infant perceives his or her image as other. There is a image before me and everybody tells me that is your image but I do not know this image, as we narrate on behalf of the aforementioned infant, he or she would narrate it so.

Hence it means that the infant assumes that one day I shall be it. The image which is reflected through the mirror. The image is seen perfect, whole and it seems to have all the control. Accordingly this image shall be ideal-ego, from now on the infant starts to achieve his or her ideal-ego, to put in a other word the perfect other. Hence from now on the infant starts to differentiate the things from the environment.

So, let's just try to understand the subject who has transgender idendity. How these people, then, construct their bodily ego considering the miror stage. If the miror stage is relevant with construction the inner an outer part of the body. In this essence how these two different, litteraly different , parts of the body enters into construction the self and the ego. To my mind, one should very neatly look at the aforementioned issue try to figure out the this stage and therefore the process as well. if we learn to be or how to be self through the other's gaze, then, in this situation which the subject cannot be mirrored and reflected, how is the ego be constructed. I mean for the tarnsgender person , the body is reflected, the body is appealed if these aforesaid image does not belong the subject, how s/he construct his or her ego ? Beacuse of the fact that transgender peole usually tell that the body is reflected or the seen body does not belong them . One of the transsexual person narrates her autobiography that "i felt always trabbed in this body. Sometimes i wanted cut my body and i wanted to escape out through wound." what do they see when they look to the mirror? And beisdes where is lieing the difference sex and the gender in this issue so that according to Lacan Mirror Stage, when infant first see her self or his self, the infant feels jubilant. But in this issue what a transexual person feels. Can we also have word of this situation with jubilant or else this one is something else that is most likely feels anguish or so.

Yet , according to Lacan, we do not know the sexual distinction at the mirror stage. Accordingly how does the transgender subject construct his or her bodily-ego. As we know when the infant first sees his or her image, s/he does not yet awareness of the sex distinction. Beacuse of the fact that we know the sex difference occurs at the stage of oedipus complex . And also as Lacan suggest; "the consequences of the miror stage are not worked out until the entry in to the symbolic."(Lacan, 1954) Accordingly the consfusion for the transgender person starts with entry into the symbolic world. Hence, symbolic world shall modify the body lateron. After sex distinction and entry into the symbolic worl transsexual subject's process is composed of many mirror stages.

On the other hand, as we know the image whic is appealed on the mirror is not perceived the self. At some point it is perceived as other. Hence this could be the positif side of transgender person. Since it is already seen another self, on one level it can be much easier to accept the self / ego or bodily ego (skin ego) as not the one of which she or he does not feel having the right body or self. The transgender person shall go back to imaginary to create a new body and shall crorrect the body or self in his or her imaginary world and then , afterwards, in the following mirror stages he or she shall fullfill the completeness of the inner and the outer part of the self.

As I mentioned above, after sex distinction and entry into the symbolic world transsexual subject's process is composed of many mirror stages. Thus different but relatively various mirror stages play an important role of constructing the subject's ego in its essence until sex change operation. And every operation shall enable to unifying the split between the subject's imaginary body and the symbolic body. But the most important part of being the whole in the context of aforementioned issues , also as Jay poser suggest; their autobiographies.

According to Jay Poser;

"autobiography brings into relief the split of the transsexual life; transsexual history brings into gendered relief the difference present in all autobiography between the subject of the enunciation and the subject enunciating. I was a woman, i write as a man. How to join this split? How to create a coherent subject? Precisely through narrative. Over the couser of the recountin, the narrative continuity, the trajectory of autobiography, promises, like transexual transition itself, rejoin this split into a single, connected "life."

As we can clearly see also from this passage, what joins the split in the symbolic life is language. Hence the form in the imaginary thus can be originated in the symbolic or to put in another word the total transition is provided with the util of symbolic system that is language. Obviously the author is having word this situation as a narrative process. After transgender one been through the sex change operation the completion period ends up with narrating. The shattered mirror stages are united with narrating the progresss. Accordingly the person completes his or her process with using the language.

Hitherto, i tried to more or less explain transsexual ego construction in the frame of mirror stage. This topic is such an issue that if one was willing to properly explain the whole process , it would be written pages. Hence i chose to explain briefly.

Now i would like to go through my second important issue which i mentioned at the beggining of this paper, that is , why most of transgender peope are murdered by stabbing.

I shall also touch briefly on this issue either. Why all transsexual people especially prostitute ones have to be murdered by their clients. To my mind, the person who commit murder does not see these people as a substitution. They see the mother in the imaginary. It means that this is like a phallic mother. She has a omni power. She is really powerful. She gave you a birth and life and she can take your life as well. This can be considered some like self-defence. The unconscious' self defence. However this does not mean that I try to justify the murder. I just want to state out that we can relate this ostensible action with the unconscious' self-defence or to put in another word we can illustrate the process as a self-defence of the unconscious. For them these people cannot be real, they cannot place transgender people in the symbolic world. Because he already give up the best image with castration.

At some point these people attack their mirror images. They rehearse the process which they went through by castration. Because they already accepted that there is no perfect body, there cannot be a such. Accordingly they attack their mirror images. Symbolic order cannot enable them to perceive the aforesaid people as a real or acceptable. Hence symbolic order is the responsible these attacks. If symbolic order forbids merely incest and permit the rest, probably we would not encounter such an unwelcome situations at all. Accordingly when these people encounter or have an affair with transgender people, they relived the castration anxiety. They feel lack because the person before them she has everything. They go through a trauma. Because of the fact that they see the person whom cannot be placed in the symbolic world. They have been told for years that there cannot be such kind of bodies or people. Once , they had been told that they had to give up their ideal-ego. Here goes the castration anxiety again. Transsexual transgresses the everything which have been told to them for years.

And we know that there must be some narcissistic problem, they cannot substitute the person whom he commits murder. Therefore they regress to the mirror stage again. Accordingly they encounter the perfect image and then they take this perfect image to “The Imaginary”. Then, “The Real” opens there and they feel themselves dropped in a well. Then, as we all know what happens when the person regresses to real, that is, he goes through a psychotic break.

Afterward, this person attacks she-male one, because he thinks that he looses his ego. He has to go back to the symbolic world and that's why he stabbed the transsexual one. He cuts into pieces the body. Because this body has no place in the symbolic order. He cannot configure the body image in the imaginary. He has to kill the transsexual one to go back the real world. (The Symbolic)

As a result, in this paper , as far as in me lain, i briefly explained the important issues by using Lacan's significant notions(“The Real”, “The Imaginary”, and “The Symbolic”)

I used the concept of mirror stage to frame the ego construction of transgender people and i refer the aforementioned notions which is stated above to discuss and to briefly answer the important question which i pointed out at the beginning of this paper.

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