Frankly, I liked her more in comedies than in drama. Maybe because in drama she is that effective that your mood could just be easily pulled down. But nevertheless I love watching her. So I was trying to catch up in the middle of the HBO movie when I realized that it's about a serious topic. It's about a mother trying to save and cope up with the angst and trials of her transgender teenager, Eduardo now named Gwen played by J.D. Pardo. Gwen is trying to survive highschool and trying to belong with the crowd. In the process she becomes associated with co-ed groups, develop flings, jealousy among women and finding love with this man under false pretenses. It all went haywire from there when Gwen was blinded by her love that inevitably led her to her doom against her friends who were shocked and couldn't accept the truth about her.
Now this is where I messed up. I get a little confused sometimes and I really want to get my knowledge straight to fully appreciate and understand the subject more.
Okay, there are heterosexuals who are in lingo straight, only attracted to the opposite sex. No confusion in that. There are homsexuals specifically broken down to Gay (men who get attracted and prefer men) and Lesbians (for women). Bisexuals, if ever there is a recognized category for that, pertain to those who either do not have a specific gender preference in terms of having a relationship intimate or not. Now, here's where I lost it, and thank god for the movie for educating me.
Transgenders. The word is not alien to me, believe me. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word Transgender is a person, who in the outside very much resembles the physical traits of the opposite sex . For example, if a person who resembles the features of a woman almost complete with long hair, constructed and modified facial features, vocally enhanced, who dresses like a female and who essentially acts as a female, is identified as a transgender, it means she is really biologically a male. Beneath those clothing and surface, she or he may possess his/her given organ or he might have already modified it. In a nutshell, that's what I know about transgenders.
According to wiki, it is generally correct. Transgenders are "People who were assigned a gender, usually at birth and based on their genitals, but who feel that this is a false or incomplete description of themselves" or "Non-identification with, or non-presentation as, the gender one was assigned at birth" So transgenders are essentially gay or lesbian, but who are keen into the transformation of their physical aspects. A transgender opts to look, act and live the lifestyle of the opposite sex to the most pertinent detail to the extent of even trying to modify their biological organs or enhancing what needs to be enhanced. They seek recognition to be seen in their "DESIRED GENDER" compared to just gays who still maintain or protect their physical aspects.
I get even more confused when words and questions just pop out. Transgenders. Transexuals. Transvestite. Cross Dresser. Intergender. Drag Queens. Which are the same? Do they belong under one umbrella? How should they be properly called? How should they be identified? These questions for me are important, because they are real. They are part of the society and they make up our reality. It's best that I try to get it clear once and for all.
I searched it up, obviously. I first looked at Transgender and gave the particular description as mentioned above. Okay, Transgender has different names probably used in various countries. They can also be called "agender" "intergender" "third gender" or "bigender" it just depends on how the particular group in a specific society would respond to that.
According to Wikipedia, Transgenders were made popular in the 1970's as those:
"describing people who wanted to live cross-gender without sex reassignmentHowever in 1980's, the word transgender expanded to being an umbrella of term and became the popular means of uniting ALL those whose gender identity didn't match their gender assigned at birth." When I mean ALL here is the different clusters that fall under the term Transgender, now here are the the few terms that get mixed up, associated but not related with TRANSGENDER.
surgery"
1. TRANSSEXUAL
Transsexual is a type of transgender who are keen to surgically transforming their bodies to their "desired" gender. They undergo different attempts like hormone replacement therapy and sex reassignment surgery. Usually, once the full transformation and operation are complete, they essentially identified now as Man or Woman. They do not necessarily change or forsake their group, they may still be in touch with other transexuals.
2. CROSS DRESSER
Cross Dresser is a type, not necessarily under a transgender, who wears clothing of the opposite sex because it is the clothes of the opposite sex. (Okay, dig more) Most do not want to identify with or fully incorporate the lifestyle, behaviors and practices of the opposite gender. They are also NOT keen to doing surgical operations to change their sex, since most of them are heterosexuals even.
3. TRANSVESTITE
Transvestites are those who practice cross-dressing, which is wearing the clothings of opposite sex. It might be a little bit confusing against a Cross Dresser, but Transvestites are Transgenders in a way that they do not identify themselves with the genders they were born with. They are more public, detailed and meticulously dressed to the tee, than cross dressers. Naturally, they would adapt the behavior and the lifestyle of the opposite sex, yet they DO NOT NECESSARILY want to be a Transsexual or to surgically change their sex.
4. DRAG QUEENS and KINGS
The term Drag, according to wiki, "is a term applied to clothing and make-up worn on special occasions for performing or entertaining as a hostess, stage artist or an event." Now it gets more confusing. Drags are usually in contrast with cross dressers or transgenders. Drag has a more of an artistic and professional side to it. Drag Queens are "illusionists who do try to pass as another gender." This is where some transgender people could seek employment and acceptance in environment.
5. GENDERQUEER (Waaa!!!! Overload!)
Genderqueer, which is frankly not much popularly used. But according to wikipedia is an "attempt to signify gendered experiences that do not fit into binary concepts, and refers to a combination of gender identities and sexual orientations." Example is a person sometimes perceived as male or female, but whose gender is really either male or female. Confusing? Example: Expression is BUTCH and sexual Orientation is LESBIAN. They do not want to conform with the stereotypes. Basically Genderqueer is a little bit confusing for me....
6. ANDROGYNE
Hear the song androgynous? There are some people who are hard to figure out, physically and personality-wise. They do not limit themselves to a specific gender or live their "desired gender." They move across. Androgyny are often times used in music videos wherein women are dressed manly, but not exactly that masculine. Their features are melted into neutrality that makes you pause and thing whether or not he or she is a female or a male. They are often associated with being fashion forward or unrestricted. But they do not immediately assumed to have transgender behavior.
See my areas of confusion? This is only the start of understanding the different terms that should be appropriately used to individuals. Some may contradict each other, while some overlap and just possess a distinctive factor to make one exceedingly different. Like for Example, A Transvestite, as a transgender, kind of incorporates some attributes of the cross dresser yet both gender preferences are different. Or Transvestites can incorporate same attributes of transsexuals, but they cannot be called as transsexuals because they have not engaged in any surgical changing procedures. That's why it's a little bit tricky to use these terms out and its' a little fascinating to know why so many different terms pop out. Now, I basically know the reason of distinct definition. One tip though, if the detailed factors seem a little more vague for you to identify, I think there's no harm in asking and you can immediately just use the term transgender or not. Well, at least you know which ones are transgenders or not at least...hopefully.
I find the whole gamut of gender identifications complex, yet it's very interesting to figure out. They are real and they deserve to be properly recognized. Although there are reports that certain inter-gender conflicts in their group occur because people may be not informed well or sensitive issues are at bay that are too complex for me to understand. I would just leave it up to them and sort it out.
It's amazing to think that Transgenders really have their whole lives to live in educating and expressing themselves in a very compromising world. It may be a little bit shocking at first, but I'm sure given time and proper education, the acceptance will be softened and improved. It already is in some parts. It's also amazing, as a woman, when I see transgenders who are so freaking BEAUTIFUL! I mean, not just beautiful but flawlessly beautiful to the point of thwarting other women entirely. Amazing. They have to double their efforts to get recognized and triple their efforts to express themselves. Sometimes when I see pictures or actual transgenders who look like beauty queens, flies just come zooming inside my mouth. Amazing. Yet, unfortunately there are other cases because of lacking in acceptance, some might result to engaging in relationships under false pretense, which often than not screw up in a big way sooner or later.
It's good in a way that I've gotten confused (Actually I still am a bit) and eventually learned the specific distinctions. At least I know a thing or two. The confusion may have waned down a bit, but the amusement and awe are heightened than ever.
Pix sources:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Gay_pride_transsexuals.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Coffee_Run_Cross_Dresser_by_David_Shankbone.jpg/606px-Coffee_Run_Cross_Dresser_by_David_Shankbone.jpg
http://img.romerican.com/post070614_hot_romanian_transvestite_at_gayfest_2007_in_bucuresti_romania.jpg
http://www.bizbash.com/content/editorial/mediafiles/e862sho_01_0404_BeautyBall_1_320.jpg
http://img.timeinc.net/time/2004/style/090604/androgyny/photos/andrgny_top.jpg
2 comments:
Hey, you're not such an opinionated banana after all are you! it's fantastic that you're looking at all these questions, and I wonder if I can clear some of the confusion. You're right to be confused, and you'll probably find that there are all sorts of opinions that are different from mine. But I'll give you my shout for what it's worth. I'm a bisexual androgyne, and know a thing or two after years of self-examination.
If you met me for a coffee, though, you may not notice anything unusual. We might well have a good conversation and a laugh, and you'd relate to me as an ordinary person, I'm quite sure. So don't expect a 3-headed monster.
There are at least 5 separate items that you need to keep separate.
1. The person's sex. This is about what genitals they were born with, basically. Babies are born male, female or somewhere in between, which is intersex.
2. Sexuality is about who you fancy, amonst other tghings. As someone grows up, they may fancy people of the opposite sex or same sex. Also, this can change over time, as it did with me. I thought I was just gay until I had affairs with some remarkable women......
3. Gender. This is crudely about how masculine or feminine someone feels themselves to be. This isn't the same as what sex they are. It isn't always connected with their sexuality either. You can have a straight man who has a pronounced feminine side, a gay man who is extremely masculine and many other combinations.
4. The way someone behaves. This may or may not give away their sex, sexuality or gender.
5. The way someone looks or presents themselves to the world in terms of clothes, hair, etc. Again, this may or may not give you any clue about the person's sex, sexuality or gender.
Often, people have said to me when I've come out as a bisexual male, "But you're not like a gay man or a bisexual." Thank God for that, I say, you mean I'm just myself??? And if anyone has ever guessed at my gender, they haven't said anything. But then, not many people will know what an androgyne is. That's a pity, because I suspect there are more of us around than we'll ever know.
A useful hint about all this is ignore the mainstream media, ignore showbiz, and ignore a lot of what people do in public places like clubs. These things might not give you any clues at all about the real person. David Bowie looks androgynous on stage sometimes. Does that mean he's an androgyne? I don't know, and you'd have to ask him.
A note on genderqueer> To me it means androgyne, but maybe with more political overtones. I don't mind being called genderqueer if it implies that I want to do my bit to change the world.
As you say, transgender is now an umbrella term for people who don't fit neatly into the "masculine boys, feminine girls" scheme of things. It's even used to cover people like me who aren't in any state of transition, so it is a bit contentious like everything else in this field.
These are deep waters and I hope you've got something from my little paddle on the edges!
Thanks! I certainly got a first hand information about the complexities of these things. It's true that it's really confusing and sometimes a little bit harder for us to understand and sometimes it's best to kind of forget boxed up terminologies in an attempt to define genders, people sexuality and how they should be called. I guess it was an attempt to satiate my confusion. Nevertheless, I agree that it will forever be a mystery and instead of concentrating on that, I think one should just appreciate life and concentrate on self.
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