1. The accounting practices described in this reading refer to the achievement of an important part of an individuals social reality, that of gender identity. Discuss some ordinary social practices which might allow someone to accomplish a Canadian social identity. What are some of the pitfalls?
2. In the Hilary Swank film Boys Dont Cry, a cross-dressing teenager named Teena Brandon attempts to live life in her preferred male identity of Brandon Teena, by dressing as a male, stuffing her pants with rolled-up socks, and in general, passing as a male. The films tagline describes it as A true story about finding the courage to be yourself.²⁶ The tragic ending to the story, Teena Brandon/Brandon Teenas rape and murder, illustrates the dangers of what Garfinkel describes as the restrictive and rigorously enforced controls of any society over "sexual status" and consequently, over any attempt to be yourself. Discuss some of Agnes accounting practices which make it very clear that, for Agnes, passing as a female is very serious business. What are some of the social consequences for "ordinary" individuals, who have the appropriate genitalia, but who for some reason do not seem to have "accomplished" gender according to the requirements of "normal" society, the young man with a high squeaky voice, the middle-aged woman who revels in bawdy jokes and refuses to shave her legs?
3. If gender cannot be taken for granted, but must be continuously made real through the use of accounting practices, how is another status such as race accomplished? This question is even more important when we consider that race is often described by sociologists as a master status and individuals are often in the position of having to "act as if" they are part of the dominant group, when they are applying for a job, trying to rent an apartment, or just trying to fit in.