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Frances Clayton was not the only woman to adopt a male persona to fight in the war. Dozens if not hundreds did so, too. The Miror of Race is interested in exploring the issue of gender passing as it relates to race passing. How do the two forms of passing compare? Which was more of a transgression at the time? When and why did it become acceptable to pass, either by race or by gender? What kind of "performance" was required to carry it off? And what does passing tell about the reality, or non-reality, of race and gender as natural categories? Please go here for a sub-exhibition of portraits of women pushing the boundaries of gender roles in this period. |