, ▁Lu ce ▁Ir ig ar ay , ▁Mon ique ▁W itt ig , ▁Jacques ▁Der r ida , ▁and ▁Michel ▁Fou ca ult . ▁The ▁book ▁has ▁even ▁inspired ▁an ▁intellectual ▁f anz ine , ▁Jud y ! ▁ ▁The ▁cru x ▁of ▁Butler ' s ▁argument ▁in ▁G ender ▁Tr ouble ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁coh er ence ▁of ▁the ▁categories ▁of ▁sex , ▁gender , ▁and ▁sexual ity — the ▁natural - se em ing ▁coh er ence , ▁for ▁example , ▁of ▁mascul ine ▁gender ▁and ▁heter osex ual ▁desire ▁in ▁male ▁bodies — is ▁cult ur ally ▁constructed ▁through ▁the ▁repet ition ▁of ▁st yl ized ▁acts ▁in ▁time . ▁Although ▁the ▁repeated , ▁st yl ized ▁bod ily ▁acts ▁establish ▁the ▁appearance ▁of ▁an ▁essential , ▁ont ological ▁" core " ▁gender , ▁Butler ▁understand s ▁gender , ▁along ▁with ▁sex ▁and ▁sexual ity , ▁to ▁be ▁perform ative . ▁Butler ▁explicitly ▁challeng es ▁bi ological ▁accounts ▁of ▁binary ▁sex . ▁The ▁performance ▁of ▁gender ▁is ▁not ▁volunt ary , ▁in ▁Butler ' s ▁opinion , ▁and ▁she ▁bel ieves ▁the ▁gender ed , ▁sex ed , ▁des iring ▁subject ▁must ▁be ▁constructed ▁within ▁what ▁she ▁calls , ▁borrow ing ▁from ▁Fou ca ult ' s ▁Dis cipl ine ▁and ▁P un ish , ▁" reg ulative ▁disc ourses ." ▁These , ▁also ▁called ▁" framework s ▁of ▁intellig ibility " ▁or ▁" dis cipl inary ▁reg imes ," ▁determine ▁in ▁advance ▁what ▁possibilities ▁of ▁sex , ▁gender