As we didn't get to discuss the readings for this week, I thought I would talk about them in this reflection. I, for one, was not very familiar with the terminology and discourse surrounding transgender and transsexual people in our country. However, I was aware that a great deal of people, not only in our country, but the world, experience feelings of discomfort in their own skin due to their assigned gender from taking a few Psych classes. But I found the information in the readings quite eye-opening and informational.
This is certainly not a topic that is discussed in our country or our media with a great deal of ease. And as we learned in the articles, that is partly because of the way the media portrays trans men and trans women. Like the other cultural groups that we studied this semester, trans men and trans women are vilified in our media. Movies portray them as the evil-doers, or the silly, harmless characters - never allowing the public to form their own opinions on whether or not to accept this group of people. Because they are different, they're depicted as an "other," people who are not like us and cannot be like us. And as I was reading, I kept asking myself what it must feel like to not be comfortable in the gender role you were born into - to feel like you are truly a member of the opposite sex, trapped in a body you don't feel comfortable in. Add to that a society that forces you to maintain your given role anyway, or be ostracized, and it's heartbreaking. I'm glad to know a bit more on the topic through these readings, and to have gained a better understanding of the way we view trans men and trans women, and a better understanding of my own opinions about them.
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