I've been thinking about the term "transgender" and how it is supposed to be an 'umbrella' term for transexuals, cross-dressers, drag queens/kings, gender queers, gender fucks, and a whole assortment of individuals who do not conform to gender norms or feel like they fit into their biological sex. My concern is that 'trans' implies that there is going to be a TRANSformation from one thing to something else. I've identified as transgender for over a year now, but I don'tthink this accurately represents that part of my identity.
The name of my blog is NO GENDER, which is more in sync with how I feel about my own gender and gender in general. I don't identify with gender. I'm biologically a female, I have female parts (which i treasure), but I don't go around emphasizing this characteristic. I think gender is limiting and whether people would like to admit it or not, our biological sex greatly influences our fate in life. There are undoubtly hundreds of rules and regulations (written and unwritten) that apply to gender. And the enforcement of these laws all depends on what part of the world you live in. Here in the U.S. I am pretty comfortable defying gender norms. In other countries, not so much!
I support individuals who identify with a gender and their expectations. I just don't like being boxed in or out, depnding on how you look at it. Gender has devastating affects on our culture. I respect all transgender people and the choices that they decide to make -- it certainly does not interfere with my life. But I have to make an observation. How is it that transgender individuals are said to challenge gender norms, when in fact many of those people are attempting to pass as the opposite sex. Often times, when a trans person wants to go on hormones or have sex-reassignment surgery they are required to see a therapist for X number of months and need written permission to change their bodies. There is also usually a requirement for them to "live" as the opposite sex, which means imitating certain "gendered" behaviors associated with being male or female. I think this is self-defeating. Why does one have to "pass" as something to be accepted? Why does gender matter so much? Who is the passing actually benefitting?
And I've always questioned what drives a person to want a sex change? I think the social construction of gender might have something to do with it. For example, a certain individual is born as a biological male, but as he is growing up he exhbits behaviors that are normally associated with the female sex, like dancing or playing with barbies or wanting to wear dresses, etc...Society (usually mommy and daddy in this case) say no you're not supposed to act that way. He tries to be different, he feels shame, defective. He can't seem to stop these behaviors and one day at school the other boys start teasing him, calling him a sissy and a fag. His homeroom teacher even sits him down to have a chat with him about how normal little boys
act (keyword). But still, he can not help acting like a girl. It is what he enjoys and what he wants. He is miserable when he tries to defy it. So he does some research for support and learns that he is transgender and although he was born a male, his brain is female. His external structure does not match his internal psyche. Solution? Sex change. literally become the other sex. How does this help? Well, now she can exhibit female behavior without the stigma of society...so long as she passes as female.
Question: What if we could let go of gender norms and expectations? Would less people feel the need to physically and chemically alter their bodies in order to be happy? What if behaviors, roles, and careers weren't associated with gender? How would that change our culture?
So, I'm not transgender because I don't intend to transition to anything. I'm just Becca.
And, I'm not discrediting people who identify as transgender whatsoever. I completely support the transgender community and the struggle to win their rights. I'm suggesting that we should have the freedom to be who we are without stigma. I wanted to go on hormones for a long time and get my breasts removed because I felt so stigmatized for my androgny. I wanted to fit in somewhere. I decided that changing my body was not the solution for me. I'm sick of changing for the world...when is the world going to start changing for me?
