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Oh, for FUCK'S sake.
Oct. 9th, 2004 08:54 amAt the AfterEllen.com forums, someone brought up the movie Boys Don't Cry- you know, the one about Brandon Teena. (I like it, but I can't watch it often- it's too upsetting.) And up pops a fucking MODERATOR, saying:
I found myself simply mad at the main character for the entire movie for the way they were acting. I can understand their reasoning, to a degree, but they spent the entire movie avoiding the label of 'lesbian' - Maybe this was them being true to themselves in not accepting the label. I dunno, I am rambling and not explaining myself well - I just did not enjoy the movie at all.
So a few people, myself included, point out that Brandon was not, in fact, a lesbian- he was transgendered. And we get the reply:
I would say that her sexual identity was transgendered, but her orientation was homosexual.
ARGH.
NO. Brandon Teena was a HE. He was TRANSGENDERED- NOT A LESBIAN. Don't refer to him as SHE.
I say that, but more politely and with fewer capitals. The response?
Now I am confused. Wasn't Brendan Tina a woman who masqueraded as a male? Why would I call them a man if they were not? They may have identified with the male sex more, but that does not mean they are a man nor that they did not engage in lesbian sex. Had they had an operation to make them male I would have no issue referring to them as a man. But they were not male and I am not going to say they were.
ARGH ARGH ARGH.
Being pre(or non)-op does NOT mean that you're not the gender you identify as. The penis does not fucking make the man. Brandon was a boy, and he was fucking KILLED for identifying as one. Who the FUCK is she to turn around and say "No, actually, she was a lesbian, because I know how to identify someone I never even met better than he knew how to identify himself."
And then to add in that "She was meeeeeeean to decieeeeeeeve her girlfriend- she didn't tell her that she wasn't maaaaaaaaaale!" Yeah, and look what happened when people found out that he wasn't biologically male. Look at what's happened to transpeople for YEARS when they're honest about themselves. Christ, look at the Gwen Arujo case! This wasn't the same as lying about sleeping around or already being involved with someone- this was fucking LIFE AND DEATH. He needed to lie- otherwise he wouldn't have been safe.
This BS, coming from someone who claims to be "an extremely conscious person when it comes to political correctness as well as far as labels go."
... I can't believe someone actually said this shit in a supposed queer space.
I found myself simply mad at the main character for the entire movie for the way they were acting. I can understand their reasoning, to a degree, but they spent the entire movie avoiding the label of 'lesbian' - Maybe this was them being true to themselves in not accepting the label. I dunno, I am rambling and not explaining myself well - I just did not enjoy the movie at all.
So a few people, myself included, point out that Brandon was not, in fact, a lesbian- he was transgendered. And we get the reply:
I would say that her sexual identity was transgendered, but her orientation was homosexual.
ARGH.
NO. Brandon Teena was a HE. He was TRANSGENDERED- NOT A LESBIAN. Don't refer to him as SHE.
I say that, but more politely and with fewer capitals. The response?
Now I am confused. Wasn't Brendan Tina a woman who masqueraded as a male? Why would I call them a man if they were not? They may have identified with the male sex more, but that does not mean they are a man nor that they did not engage in lesbian sex. Had they had an operation to make them male I would have no issue referring to them as a man. But they were not male and I am not going to say they were.
ARGH ARGH ARGH.
Being pre(or non)-op does NOT mean that you're not the gender you identify as. The penis does not fucking make the man. Brandon was a boy, and he was fucking KILLED for identifying as one. Who the FUCK is she to turn around and say "No, actually, she was a lesbian, because I know how to identify someone I never even met better than he knew how to identify himself."
And then to add in that "She was meeeeeeean to decieeeeeeeve her girlfriend- she didn't tell her that she wasn't maaaaaaaaaale!" Yeah, and look what happened when people found out that he wasn't biologically male. Look at what's happened to transpeople for YEARS when they're honest about themselves. Christ, look at the Gwen Arujo case! This wasn't the same as lying about sleeping around or already being involved with someone- this was fucking LIFE AND DEATH. He needed to lie- otherwise he wouldn't have been safe.
This BS, coming from someone who claims to be "an extremely conscious person when it comes to political correctness as well as far as labels go."
... I can't believe someone actually said this shit in a supposed queer space.