Beautiful Daughters pretty much showed me a world that I knew nothing about and it was very interesting and moving to hear their stories. I don't know any transgender people and having never had to deal with it firsthand it is not something I give much thought to. I was when in high school when I first even heard about transgender and it was shocking to me. I really didn't even know that their were other sexes besides males and females. I have to admit I when I was young I perceived it as very weird that there could be transgender people but I was very immature.
There were a couple things that really stood out to me from the video Beautiful Daughters and the article "Trans Women Manifesto". The first was the definition of transgender that Julia Serano gives that a trans woman is defined as any person who was assigned a male sex at birth, but who identifies as and/or lives as a woman. It was hard for me to get that but when I watched the video when the women were having their meetings, the woman who was doing the research for the group said she never understood how these women didn't understand men because at one point they were a man. Then she said that she finally understood that they didn't know because they never thought of themselves as a man they always saw and thought of themselves as a woman. That really made sense to me and kinda shook me that these women saw themselves as being trapped in a man's body. It really made me appreciate the courage and fortitude of these women who have gone through so much to become who they see themselves as, and then go out into the world and try to live their lives and become accepted for who they are.
The word cisgender is a little strange to me but what I gather from the reading is that cisgender is someone who is comfortable with the assigned gender that they were given at birth. I didn't realize that makes me a cisgender but I guess for us to help transphobia is to just be accepting of people. Be kind and understanding to the delicate and fragile soul of everyone. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of how they wish to treat people, but I think we all can be respectful of people as their own individuals.
I think I was also probably in high school when I first learn about transgender. Like you, it wasn't something I ever thought about because I didn't think it was possible or that it really happened. I feel like I was super sheltered, and was initially freaked out by the whole concept, but primarily because I knew nothing about it. I think the reason our society has such a tough time accepting transgender people is for similar reasons, basically out of fear and lack of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if those who are transgender are seen as being a different sex as much as them being people who choose to change their sex. I’d need someone who is more an authority on the proper wording to help me out, but I feel a nice question here.
ReplyDeleteIs a transgender another sex or are they individuals who feel uncomfortable about their current gender, and thus, choose to change their gender? Is it a bit of both?
Transgender is really an umbrella term to denote a wide variety of types of sex-gender diversity. In general, transsexuals are individuals who feel a complete dis-identification with their assigned birth sex and take steps (hormones, surgeries) to correct their bodies to create an alignment between their bodies and their identities. These men and women were born with a birth challenge that needs to be corrected through technology. Other people under the trans umbrella may feel like both genders, neither, or a third option. So, the short answer to your question is both-which is why it is important to know that each person under the trans umbrella sees themselves somewhat differently.
ReplyDeleteI never gave it a thought that transgender people are around before watching these documentaries. it is surprizing to me that they feel so strong that they agree to through painful surgery. I feel it is just a matter of choice and be yourself. Society should just take it as their personal choice and treat just them like everyday people.
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