Gender; Boys Don't Cry

I would like to dedicate this post to the memory of Brandon Teena (1972-1993)

I watched the film Boys Don't Cry today, it was so powerful and emotional. I'm sure I'll never forget it. Hilary Swank plays Brandon Teena, a female to male transgender man. She portrayed the part so well, I forgot that she was an actress and completely believed her performance. I will admit that I didn't know it was based on the true story of Brandon Teena until the end in which it tells the audience what happened to the men that abused, raped and murdered him. At that point I was sobbing, I just could not believe that people are so small minded. I was sitting in my bedroom, shaking with rage at the monstrous behaviour of the two men, john lotter and tom nissen (their names do not deserve capital letters in my opinion) I was utterly gobsmacked. I am lost for words, the anger and sadness I felt could not be put into words.

I'm studying gender in psychology at the moment, and it reduces it to genetics, and hormones. It makes me sad that it hardly brushes over the psychological aspect of gender. "Traditional" gender roles are a social construct, why are men still being paid more than women? Why is it humiliating or unnacceptable for a man to be feminine, or a woman to be masculine without being called a fag or a dyke. I just hate the world sometimes.

Why can't a person identify as whatever gender they feel that they are? I don't see how it could offend anyone. Just how? Why can't someone with the XY chromosome wear make up, or have long hair or act like society feels that someone with the XX chromosome "should act"? If I fall in love with someone it's because I like them, as a person, not what's in their underwear, or what has been in there previously, or what may or may not be there in the future. I love people for people not for their genitals. I think small minded people don't like seeing someone who is transgender because it confuses them and their tiny brains. They feel that their own sexuality and identity are being challenged so they attack the unknown. Which is ridiculous and I really hope this changes in the near future. I'm still in disbelief that same sex couples can't get married! What the hell is this? This is going to stop being coherent pretty soon because my emotions are spilling over the top here.

Lastly I will just say that you should just be who you want to be, whether that's straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, male, female, pansexual, asexual, transexual, transvestite, tortoise. ANYthing, just be who your heart wants to be. Love yourself and who you are.