Response to Question K

            The Beautiful Daughters film and “Trans Woman Manifesto” article successfully challenge preconceived notions of transgender identity.  Transgender people are harshly stereotyped in US culture.  Transgender people intimidate a lot of people, I feel because others don’t understand that persons choice. Transgender are only trying to express who they truly are, and they are sometimes exiled from society for it.  Transgender males and females are just like any other man or woman in the world.  They just feel they were born into the wrong body, and given an incorrect gender.  When they looked into a mirror they did not see themselves, and were not comfortable in their own skin.  Some even knew as a young child that they did not feel as though they were meant to be the gender they were born.  I can’t imagine how terrible it would feel to confess your feelings to family, friends, or religious group and have them turn their backs in disgust.  It’s their personal life choice, and are trying to create a comfortable, happy lives for themselves.  If changing someone’s gender makes them feel better about themselves, and gives them the feeling of belonging, then why can’t they strive to obtain that feeling by changing their gender.    If our society would stop judging and stereotyping about these people and actually listening to them, maybe people would begin to accept them for who they are.  I think the Vagina Monologues are a great way to start building the bridge of acceptance for peoples differing life choices due to hearing peoples stories.

            Julia Serano defines a trans woman as “any person who is assigned a male sex at birth, but who identifies as and/or lives as a woman.” She also states that, “no qualifications should be placed on the term ‘trans woman’ based on a person ability to pass as a female, her hormone levels, or the state of her genitals.”  I think that transgender people should not be discriminated against, and we should try to understand what that person is going through.  One of the most interesting terms that this article talks about in my opinion is transphobia, which is essentially the discrimination and fear of gender identities that deviate from social norms.  People come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and have so many differing characteristics. Gender is just another small detail that makes up who someone is as a whole person.  One detail should not decide the way they are treated by society.

            We need to end the judging, the dehumanizing, the attacking, and hurting of others who are different than oneself.  Its about love, being able to love yourself for who you are, as well as being able to love others for who they truly are.