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You know, I saw a great film last year called "My Life In Pink". It was about this little Transgendered boy (I highly recommend it!!). He was really dealing with some big issues of gender, he would refer to himself as a "boygirl". What was he meaning by that? That's a good question and one that is open to interpretation. Here is mine: Gender is really a braid. It is a braid of how you express yourself (how you look)and your physical/biological state. In that braid as well, is your sexuality and your inner/spiritual state (sexuality and gender ARE seperate, but so many times they can be braided). Other non-western cultures understand and accept this braid. Many Native American cultures have a rich tradition of Transgendered people. Different tribes had different names for them. In India as well, there are a caste of healers who go to births, deaths, and weddings. In our western bi-polar culture, there is little room for people who cross the spectrum of gender. The little Trans boy in the film called himself "boygirl" because he had no vocabulary to describe his state. I think a big component of our journeys (our Transgendered journeys anyway) is finding our own vocabulary. This is an important point to make: If the words you use to describe yourself have meaning for you, then they are valid, use them. I encourage you to celebrate your validity! When we're little, we are taught a particular vocabulary. I was born with a penis, therefore, I was taught the vocabulary of boys (even though at times it was hard for me to understand the lanquage). Another vocabulary I was taught was heterosexism. I neither identify as a boy or as heterosexual. I'm Queer and Transgendered. That is my vocabulary. I can also say that because I know this, I now get 100% on all my "spelling" tests.
Links to other sites on the Web
Susana Marques' website: web resource
A site for all you sissies out there!
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