Kate Bornstein has gone ga-ga over WALL-E, as have tons of people. But only Kate Bornstein can talk about a robot movie and move seamlessly into a discussion of gender fluidity and butch/femme roles:
Marlene Dietrich in a tuxedo can make all our hearts flutter. So can Justin Bond in a gown or a tux… or both! Gender ambiguityâ€”when itâ€™s safely positioned onstage or up on a movie screenâ€”is and always has been sexy to damn near all of us, no matter what our gender might be. All of our desires are being tickled. So howâ€™s that happening? What is it thatâ€™s signaling sexual attraction to an audience with such a wide range of gender identities and sexual desires? I think the answer is that WALLâ€¢E is butch, and EVE is femme, two genders defined by the expression of strong, respectful, sexual desire.
She kills me.