Transgender In Our Society

Going back to the Newsweek article discussed earlier in the semester (I believe it was the first week), men are no longer seen as the sole providers, and women aren't confined to their traditional role as nurturers. As I mentioned in discussion last week, when the economy took a turn in 2009 my dad sold the family business and switched careers. Since then, he's been working from home and does a great deal of the "housework," from laundry to cleaning. In fact, he enjoys it. While both my parents work, I would have to say my mother is still the primary "nurturer" in my home.

This article also discusses gender identity, more specifically gender dysmorphia (identifying oneself as transgender). When I think about transgender issues, I immediately think of Chaz Bono and the recent controversy surrounding his joining the most recent cast of Dancing with the Stars. So many right-winged "mommy groups" have reached out the message boards insisting that parents not allow their children to watch Chaz out of fear that he will "confuse our children." Chaz Bono, son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, was born Chastity Bono and in the last few years successfully transitioned to a man. In addition to fears that Chaz will be "confusing," these groups believe that Chaz will use his place on Dancing with the Stars to "convince" others to "become" Lesbian, Gay, or Transgendered. These angry outbursts are also influenced by the fact that Chaz has a female partner. There are so many articles on google that discuss these ideas, and it's amazing to me that these are actual concerns!

I believe we as a country are slowly beginning to accept a change in gender roles, but it may take more time for us as a whole to accept transgenders, transexuals, and transvestites.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/chaz-bono-paying-attention-dwts-controversy/story?id=14454987

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chaz-bonos-dancing-stars-selection-229868

Ancient Greece and Transsexualism

I know this is from a while back, but when I was reading the first couple of articles about the "Classical Medical Approaches to Gender, Sex, and Sexuality," I found it astonishing how these philosophers were describing the occurrence of transsexualism so casually. The idea that transsexuals would have existed even back then is pretty obvious, but I never realized or thought about it until now. With this in mind, I investigated a little further and found out that the ancient Greeks thought changing sexes/genders was close to a divine miracle. This was because the deities they worshiped had the abilities to change into other creatures, possess both male and female aspects at once, etc. If these immortal beings were capable of such feats, being able to do so as a mortal would be a high honor.

Another theory rather similar to what we learned from Galen and Huarte de San Juan, presented in the source I found, is that there is only one true gender on Earth: male. Heat can cause a female to become a male because her sex organs are just an inversion of a male's, but it won't happen the other way around because nature strives to become perfect with each change it makes. Even if these theorists made this phenomenon out to be a blessing, most common people of the era would consider it an abomination of sorts just out of pure instinct. Today, however, people are gradually accepting and even supporting transsexuals in their fight for recognition and rights, as seen in the Newsweek article we read about defining gender. My question is, why do you think the commoners of the time would abhor the occurrence if it could potentially bring them closer to the divine?

http://www.ftmaustralia.org/library/have-female-to-male-transsexuals-always-existed/devor-two

Women Versus Men

After reading the story on John Frog and participating in last week’s discussion, I wanted to analyze more about the circumstances of how society has changed their thinking of the “gendered clothes-line.” We no longer think that a man is gay if he decides to do the housework, while his wife works; however, we understand that a couple of centuries ago if such a scenario had occurred, the people then would have labeled the househusband as one who most likely committed sodomy. The ideology that men were superior to women has dissipated and we question now, how and when did that occur. Now, in today’s context, women are the equivalent of men. Generally speaking, women were physically weaker than men with an exception of a few outliers, but I noticed that that the strengths of women that people pointed out during discussion were largely casted or under the umbrella of a more emotional or mental type of forte. So what allowed women to become the equivalent of men and what made society come to be more accepting of that fact?

In the presentation about two weeks ago, the presenter mentioned the fact that women were able to rule in Egypt and hold the same status as their male counterparts do. She also mentioned that these women were given an education. I know I’m still missing key parts to answering this question, but I think that an education is a component that really enables a female to empower herself and become the equivalent of a man. An education gives or facilitates the ability to read, write, and the capacity to think more critically than before. If a male and female are from similar educational backgrounds, then it is difficult to say which gender is better, but if a woman is deprived of an education, it is much more challenging to be on the same level as a man.

Nowadays, it is further encouraged to make the business world more diversified—women are entering the boardrooms. Research shows that “companies with women directors or even just more diverse boards tend to do better than those with executive teams made up entirely of men” (Merriman). Elin Hurvenes, founder and chair of the Professional Boards Forum, states that the reason for this improvement is due to the fact that “women have a different perspective, which can sometimes lead to better decision-making.” Since “women have a different experience of the world from the typical male corporate executive. They are often not afraid to look stupid by asking the most basic or difficult questions” (Merriman). These are cited quotations that are not necessarily categorically true if done by a case by case basis, but in a broad sense, women are, for the most part, different from men personality wise. The difference in opinion can be attributed to the way that women were brought up. They are on a different side of the “gendered clothes-line” than the male are and thus raised differently than males are. Values are inherently different since the day that males and females were children. Now, some are reluctant to admit that women throughout the world are becoming more and more qualified and permitted to do the very things that centuries ago would have been frowned upon.

Our acceptance that women are entering the very spheres that were once dominated by men is, in my opinion, paralleled by the ending in John Frog. John Frog was accepted despite being a pregnant male man who, in the end, gave birth to the “multitude [of] offspring [as] a hermaphrodite;” “peer pressure transformed” the last person, the scribe, “into another Juan Ranilla [John Frog Jr.] likeness” (Thompson 107). Just as how John Frog was accepted, women might have been accepted through a semblance of peer pressure as well. The true ability of a person may only be inhibited for so long and if a person is given the right tools he or she can succeed. With so many women succeeding in areas where their predecessors from hundreds of years ago could not, men can no longer ignore the women’s latent aptitude for the things that once separated men from women. If men can do the work, we now understand that women can also do it too. There are probably many more possible ways to how women were accepted into the realm of men, but this is currently my take on it. After rereading this, I most likely only scratched the surface of this whole question.

Sources:

Merriman, Jane. "In Business, a Woman's Place Is in the Boardroom Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News Reuters.com. Reuters, 05 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. .

Thompson, Peter E. The Triumphant Juan Rana: A Gay Actor of the Spanish Golden Age. Toronto: University of Toronto, 2006. Print

Transgender in Thailand

While reading the Newsweek article on transgender issues and how these people are generally frowned upon by the society, a country that popped up in my mind instantly was Thailand. As a Asian country, many may think that the Thai society is conservative in such "unorthodox" aspects, but it is not the case. In fact, it is part of the Thai culture - transsexual shows, transgender beauty pageants are just some examples of how transgenders lead the same life as any other individual. The prevalence of transgenderism in Thailand has always intrigued me, as I wonder what it takes for the society to be able to tolerate these issues.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7529227.stm

This article talks about a local school in Thailand offering transsexual restrooms. As the society is so used to transgenderism (Thailand has about 500,000 transgenders - CNNgo), they are sometimes considered as the "third sex". By having the "pink" restroom, it helps transgender students feel more comfortable as they can feel more at ease. However, what I found interesting in the article is that transsexuals in Thailand cannot change their legal gender status, even though they are generally accepted in the society and are able to hold mainstream jobs.

Just for fun:

http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/life/miss-tiffany-universe-thailands-newest-transgender-queen-says-i-am-so-beautiful-887766
Pictures of the contestants in the transgender beauty pageants. Can you tell they are transgenders?


Man or Woman? Enjoy :)

Witch Hunts of the Early Modern Period

After reading the article, "Portrait of a Monster" by Pedro Manchego, I began to wonder when and why the famous witch hunts of the early modern period got their rise. This question befell me while reading about the punishment of the witch portrayed in the article. Though in modern times, we know that the thought of witches is merely make-believe, during the early modern period witchcraft was seen as a very real problem, that resulted in very real punishments such as being burned at the stake.

The first evidence of witch hunting arose in the famous text Malleus Maleficarum ("The Hammer of Witches"). This book was written in 1486 and described standards for identification, interrogation, and conviction of witches (malleusmaleficarum.org). The reasoning behind the start of the witchcraft craze has many theories, two of which include, a way to better spread Christianity and a scapegoat for all the evils of the world (departments.kings.edu). Both of these arguments have much support, as do the many other theories, which means that there is no true way to be certain about the rise of the witchcraft persecutions.

If you are interested inn learning more about the rise of the witch hunts here are some links you can check out:

http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/

http://departments.kings.edu/womenshistory/witch/worigin.html

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/transsexuals/index.html

Hey guys,

I was going through some articles in the New York Times and I ran across this. He was fired from his job because his boss, a female, said that only a man can do his job, which was to watch former drug addicts urinate to make sure that their pee was being used for the drug test and not the urine of someone else. What I found interesting is that his boss herself is a female. How is it that she can tell him that because he used to be a female he can’t do the same job that she is doing? He has a new birth certificate; his drivers license and the social security administration all identify him as a male, as did she before she was informed about his surgery. This woman is extremely wrong for firing him and I do not blame him for filing a lawsuit against her. Agree?

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/transsexuals/index.html

Hey guys,

I was going through some articles in the New York Times and I ran across this. He was fired from his job because his boss, a female, said that only a man can do his job, which was to watch former drug addicts urinate to make sure that their pee was being used for the drug test and not the urine of someone else. What I found interesting is that his boss herself is a female. How is it that she can tell him that because he used to be a female he can’t do the same job that she is doing? He has a new birth certificate; his drivers license and the social security administration all identify him as a male, as did she before she was informed about his surgery. This woman is extremely wrong for firing him and I do not blame him for filing a lawsuit against her. Agree?