Karen Tongson: Why Queer People Love Karen Carpenter

"Are you a boy or a girl?" It's the question Karen Tongson's been asked more than any other throughout her life. When she was in grad school, following in the footsteps of countless butches before her, she finally cut her hair short, leaving behind the performative version of femininity. "I finally just shed that last bit of gender trouble." 

"Gender is something that is fun and fluid," she asserts. The performance of it all, the reluctance to conform to historical gender norms, is just one of the many qualities that drew Karen Tongson to Karen Carpenter, the now legendary singer who died at the age of 33. Karen Tongson's new book, Why Karen Carpenter Matters, delves into the LGBTQ+ community's unlikely connection to the late singer. 

LGBTQ&A is hosted and produced by Jeffrey Masters. @jeffmasters1