Thursday, September 22, 2011
Transgendered, not homosexual.
One of the most interesting ideals I have come across while thinking about the differences that the word "transgender" brings is its own independence from homosexuality and other assumed meanings behind the word. The term transgendered is actually an umbrella term that encompasses many of the subsets of division that being transgendered mean. None of these subsets is by definition homosexual, yet the general population seems to still be shrouded under the mystery of the somewhat ignorant acronym that is LGBT. Being transgendered doesnt mean just one thing; in fact, this word has an extensive history behind its origin. One of the first usages of the word began in 1992, and ever since, there seems to be controversy over what it means to be transgendered and if that defines you as homosexual or not. To delve further into the matter the binary between homosexuality/heterosexuality is throroughly limiting to the other categories of gender and sexuality and becasue of these limiting binaries, I feel like it becomes harder to understand that there is life beyond the common homosexual and heterosexual person. So I would like to end this mystery and stomp out the fire of ignorance with knowledge and empowerment. In the modern world of today, more and more people are aware of the other category of being transgendered but maybe not of its difference between homosexuality and itself. Images in the media have been popping up and representing trangendered people. For example, in seasons of television shows and reality shows alike, there have been transgendered representatives, even though, while they were on T.V., it is still assumed that they are homosexual. This, once again is not true. One of the problems with being transgendered now in modern society and media is that it is too often combined with being homosexual and its implied definition decreases the strength of the people who represent the word. This is problematic because it does not give a fair representation of who they are, instead the word labels people as just being gay. I think it's important to note the difference between the people and then to make sure that the differences are not combiend and mismatched together. Being gay is a defined sexual preference, as is being a lesbian and being bisexual, these differences relate to transgendered identities under specific cases, not in general. Though there are many subsets of the even bigger umbrella terms gender and sexuality, it is still important to note the differences, yet to assume that these categories go hand in hand, doesn't account for the difference that is inherent in the people of the past and present. Stressing the importance of the distinciton is like giving the term and the people a more equal playing field
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I completely agree that there is a distinct difference between someone who is Homosexual and someone who is Transgendered. I know, from my personal life, someone who identifies as Transgender and she still likes females. Being transgender doesn't automatically make you homosexual, as being homosexual doesn't automatically make you transgender. Therefore, yes, I believe that there are differences between the two that need to be let known to the public.
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ReplyDeleteI like how you went about writing this because it was almost like you were trying to redefine and reclaim the word transgender (correct me if I am wrong). I think it is very important to identify and realize that homosexual and transgender are not the same and should not be under the same category unless the individual decides that for themselves. To put the two together and say they are the same thing, is insulting to people who identify that way and does not give them an opportunity to be themselves and be whatever they want to be called. The only question I have is why do you think LGBT is an ignorant acronym? Is it because of the umbrella terms that you mentioned? Fill me in with what you mean
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog, Duane because I have to confess, to this day, I am not quite sure I would be able to identify the different subsets of what it means to be transgendered. I think it's something that most people in society, including myself until recently, tend to lump into a large category of "otherness." However, like you pointed out, this is unfair because all of the subsets under the umbrella term represent different lifestyle choices, sexualities, etc. It would be like calling everyone who wasn't American, foreign (which obviously, there are some people who do this, and it is just as offensive as the different subsets all being labeled "transgendered." I am looking forward to discussing the meaning of "transgendered" in class, including all the different subjects that the umbrella term consumes, as it's something that I am still not completely understanding of, and as I think it's something that is going to be the focus of American society's redefining of the simple two-category (homosexual or heterosexual)in future (hopefully!) I think it'll be really great, and probably frustrating at times, to see how transgender opens up our awareness of "the other" as we become more aware of the transgender presence through TV shows and the internet. (P.S. sorry for that really long run-on sentence!)
ReplyDeleteHey Brianna, sorry i have not responded to this before, but what i wanted to say about that is that the acronym does not accurately define the group which it affects. I believe that the T in LGBT sometimes gets forgotten about or even grouped in with the other letters. This makes the affected groups look interrelated but sometimes, especially with the "T", this is not the case. Transgendered means something totally different than Gay, Lesbian or bisexual but the acronym clouds up, then groups up the terms together as if they were all synonomous, and that is why i think the acronym is sometmes more ignorant than helpful. I hope this was helpful and sorry for the late response.
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