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gender, the dualistic gender concept, and typically male and typically femalecharacteristics. This discussion requires careful moderation (by the seminarleaders) to make sure that everyone has his or her say within this often unpopulardiscussion. Basically, the frontline between the feminists and non-feminists hasto be softened or the discussion will not delve as deeply as it should.Body work “gender hierarchies”Can roles be switched at all? This unit serves as a starting point for perceptionexperiments and role-playing. The exercise demonstrates how difficult it is todissolve hierarchies. A reflection on gender is playfully introduced by settingthe scene; meanwhile, the tried and tested method can be taken right into theclassroom.It is well known, nowadays, that drag queens are men who portraythemselves as women. Drag kings, women who dress up as men, have alsobecome better known. Delving beyond the masquerade, “drag-kinging” canprovide those who desire a physical gender transformation with the possibilityto try out their concepts of identity before more irrevocable steps are taken. 24_In this organizationally complex exercise, participants switch roles for twohours. As workshop leaders, we converted the seminar room to a performanceroom during the evening dinner break. We hung nicely pressed men’s suits,shirts, ties and hats in different sizes on the pin walls and flipcharts. We placedwigs, dresses, tops, skirts and eyeglasses on the tables. The make-up corner isalso equipped with charcoal, lipstick, and eye make-up as well as Mastix skinglue, short-cut artificial hair, glue-on beards, and beard adhesive. There are asmany outfits as there are participants, only as many dresses as there are menand as many suits and shirts as there are women.We explained to the participants beforehand that participating in thisexercise is voluntary and asked those who did not want to join to come anyway,but as the audience. We announced the exercise as something special andprepared the participants for a surprise. The exercise began as we expected:very hesitantly. Especially the transformation, the changing, the make-up – allthis is important, it is an experience. While the more insecure participantsdecided for a suit or a wig after all, we started to help those already changed– immediately performing as macho or as femme fatal – to do their make up.The “Men” got genuine hair beards; first the courageous ones tried side burns24Judith Jack Halberstam, Female Masculinity (Durham/London: Duke University Press, 2003).141