> Originally, this essay quoted Alix Dobkin as singing "Any One Can be a Lesbian." I received an email from someone who said that after reading my satire, she wondered if I were aware that Alix Dobkin never sang, wrote, or stated that "Any One can be a lesbian." She correctly pointed out that the correct quote is "Any woman can be a lesbian." Alix Dobkin also wrote me and asked me to correct the quotation. This correspondence ensued:

> In a message dated 4/2/03 2:08:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> rosewood@cats.ucsc.edu writes:
>
>
> Dear Alix,
>
> I copied you in on my response to Lydia--I didn't know if you were the
> person who she copied.  I am very familiar with your song, and its point, and
> I agree that the fake quotation doesn't even scan.
>
> I would prefer not to "correct" the misrepresentation of the song
> because the entire essay is about how wrong people are to say that lesbians
> don't exist. *Everything* that is stated as fact in the essay is incorrect.
>
> I realize, however, that some people who are not as familiar with your
> song as I am might think that this one sentence, out of all the others,
> is true. I think you are the only person I mention by name in the essay.
> What would you say to the proposal that I include this email exchange
> on my web site, and a link inside the essay right at where I misquote you,
> so that there is no question that someone might think I was actually quoting a
> your song?
>
> I'm very sorry to alarm you. I've enjoyed your music and work for
> many years and I'm sorry that our first email exchange was about
> something like this.
>
> Linda



On Sunday, April 6, 2003, at 08:07 PM, XXAlix@ wrote:

> Hi Linda -
>
> Thanks for your reponse.
>
> Actually, your satire is so close to so much postmodern/queer theory
> that I actually believe I have seen some of your satiric reasoning
> expressed academically with almost identical wording, so it was really difficult to
> distinguish as a joke. Of course as far as I'm concerned most
> postmodernism is pretty much a joke when it tries to define Lesbians out of
> existence and discredit what they label and dismiss as so-called "identity politics."
>
> If you changed the quote to something like "any being can be a
> Lesbian"  or "any old body can be ..." then maybe it would come across
> as sarcasm, but the way it is, well, it's just too close to the
> postmodern party line.
>
> I appreciate your effort - that stuff does seem so worth ridiculing,
> but it gets tricky when the truth of what's being put out there is not
> stranger than satire, but identical.  It's good knowing that you know
> better.
>
> Keep smiling, keep the faith, & thanx for spelling my name right.
>
>Peace,



XXAlix>

In a message dated 4/8/03 8:25:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time, rosewood@cats.ucsc.edu writes:



Dear Alix,

I will change the essay to read "Any being can be a lesbian." That
sounds just terrible, could never be a lyric, and would be something that someone
might write in a theory essay.  They actually might write "Any agent can be a
lesbian." But that would be over the top.

Because I am more interested in conversations than conclusions, I'd like
to include our email correspondence as an appendix to the essay. When I
change the sentence, I'd like to add another sentence: "This line has
been changed; read why." This sentence would be linked to your original
email (and Lydia's if she gives permission), my response, and then your
response.

I am also going to add a note to the top of the page that explicitly
says that everything stated as fact in the essay is not true. I'm sad
to have to write that, but I just didn't realize how close to the
truth my "joke" is. I say on the "table of contents" page of my archive
that the essay is a satire, but if someone searched the web for "alix
dobkin," for example, and came upon the page without seeing the introduction,
they could draw the same conclusion that you and Lydia did.

I considered pulling the essay down entirely, because it puts in
one place, all the arguments in favor of there being no lesbians,
and doesn't explicitly answer them. I guess I didn't think I had to.
Maybe I should write that one next.



      

Hi Linda -

I think "Any being can be a Lesbian" makes the point, & you're welcome to use my corresopondence in an appendix to the essay, provided it is the edited one below, rather than the original.  It makes my point better. thank you for your openness, and for spelling my name right the first time.  Please keep me updated, and

Keep smiling,

XXAlix