Abstract
On July 19, 2000 a chance encounter changed one writer’s
life and reshaped her perspectives on self, on the other, and on
gendered identity within the lgbt world which must exist within
the constructs of a society that shuns it. Part memoirs, part sociopolitical and cultural history, this article contains excerpts from a larger work, Everything I Know about Being a Girl I Learned from a Drag Queen. It is an account of life, love, and acceptance that explores the issues of gendered identity and bridges the gap
between the academic realm of gender studies and personal experience.