I always have to pause when I read that someone is changing genders. For them it must be a personal victory, the culmination of years of feeling alienated by their own sexual identity, and now, they've come into being as they should be. They are very lucky.
But I wonder if they think the struggle is over.
Because stepping into the shoes of the opposite sex is complex. You're taking on history and current events.
How is Christine going to address these issues:
-sexual abuse of both girls and boys
-the vernacular that has been incorporated into mainstream vocabulary that denigrates women and girls as 'ho's.'
-the selling of young girls into sexual slavery in other countries
-birth control and the erosion of reproductive rights
-the rise of HIV in women and girls worldwide
I hope that Christine will join those of us (both men and women) who have been addressing these issues for years. As a journalist, I figure she already knows. I just hope she's able to fully embody Christine, and work to help others who are struggling for human rights.
If she wants to 'get it,' she can look over at Ex Pat Jane's blog and watch the videos, "On Being Black and a Woman, Whichever Is Worse."
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1 comment:
This is the first I've heard of the story. I have to say Mike is brave because there is still such a huge stigma surrounding sex changes.
I do sometimes think about exactly what you hit upon. Being female isn't about just having the option to wear heels and dresses with no judgment. There is a lot more to it, and, a lot of it, is negative. Although my spin on womanhood is a lot more positive than the video I posted from YouTube, but I differ in that my childhood was, fortunately, blessed.
Well, at least, Mike and others don't have to deal with PMS and period cramps. ;-)
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