IS THAT YOUR REAL MASK?: One of the reasons I’m deeply opposed to the whole notion of “discovering” one’s authentic sexuality is that, as far as I can tell, there are countless people out there who don’t actually have an “authentic sexuality” anymore. All they (…we) have is damage. Scar tissue is a real part of oneself–it is authentic in the most important senses; that’s one of the main themes of my story “Desire.” But no one looks to scar tissue to figure out how unharmed flesh ought to look or feel. Better to figure out what you ought to be than what you currently are.

Of course, the other reason I’m so opposed to this authenticity fetish is that I don’t rightly know what is supposed to be so wrong about artifice. But that’s a very different rant.