How is it possible that so many people are beyond unhappy with their birth gender? Is it possible that “who” we are has been affected – perhaps, infected – by some outside source? Is transgender the result of nurture or nature? Has the overuse of prescription drugs in children, particularly steroids, caused mental and emotional confusion about what was once a “given.”
Before anything else is known… before an Apgar test is performed… even before the umbilical cord is cut, our gender is on display for all to see. Male or female. Mom and dad are told, “It’s a boy” or “It’s a girl.” Could it be that the use of the pronoun “It” is the source of confusion? Have we failed to humanize a child from that moment when they take their first breath outside the womb?
There are no easy answers to why so many people want to change their biological identity. From all my years writing an opinion column, I know that being heterosexual or homosexual has nothing to do with choice. Something in the physiological makeup of the human genome decides that for us. We all have male and female chromosomes. All people are a mix of both genders. When the balance leans more one way than another, confusion can occur. Mostly, that confusion is the result of societal norms, which thankfully have been shattered in recent decades. A person’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with their strength of character. It has nothing to do with their “heart,” that part of them which makes them a valuable member of society. To think otherwise is a sign of ignorance.
I do not want to minimize the importance of the transgender issues, but I cannot stop thinking back to my childhood. My mother was never happy with her physical appearance. Long before cosmetic surgery became as common as pulling a tooth... long before over-the-counter products sold the idea of perpetual youth, she found ways to change what she did not like about herself.
My mom had wigs for every day of the week and every occasion. She used fake fingernails years before they were available in salons, crafting them from powders and gels which she mixed at our kitchen table with the confidence of a cosmetic chemist. She wore body-enhancing undergarments long before Victoria revealed her Secret to the world.
While the result of all these external changes made her happy for a few hours every day, they were temporary. Every night, whatever wig she was wearing was returned to a mannequin’s head, the hips and breasts that had been contained by boning, wiring and stretchable fabric sagged, and the face that had been augmented by layers of tinted lotions and oils returned to its natural state. No matter what we do to ourselves on the outside, on the inside we are who we were born. No amount of surgery… no amount of enhancement drugs can change our biological identity.
No matter the issue facing society today – rape, abortion, gun control, drag shows, gender identity – my biggest concern is the lack of truthful information given to the public by the government, the news media, even physicians who no longer adhere to the Hippocratic Oath. “Do no harm” has become “Do whatever is needed to make money.”
Why is it that no one talks about the number of suicides among transgender individuals? That number is rising daily. Why does no one talk about the diseases… the pain and suffering… that transgender people can face because the human body is not a giant erector set which can be reconfigured on a whim? Where are the psychiatrists and therapists who treat transgender people and know that roughly 32% to 50% of transgenders attempt suicide? Why are doctors not talking about the fact that transgender people are at increased risk for certain types of chronic diseases, cancers, and mental health problems? Does not quality of life have as much (more) importance than the pursuit of something that never can be?
As for the question raised by Dr. Phil: “Are Women Being Erased?” Yes, and it is our own fault. We fought to be recognized for our brains and not our bodies and, somehow, we have stopped using our thought processes. It began subtly when we accepted without question so-called gender neutral terms which were actually male centric. Suddenly, everyone is an actor. Nope. Not in my theater. We are actors and actresses and proud of the role we play in bringing quality productions to our stage. I do not recognize words like “server,” or “mailperson,” or “chairperson.” I am proud to be a woman. I am proud of what I and all others of my gender have accomplished. We are not successful in spite of being female; we are successful because we are female. If we forget who we are we are doomed to return to the second class status we held for far too long.
Donna Carbone is the Executive Director/Playwright in Residence at the Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts. Please visit PBIEA at: pbinstituteforentertainmentarts.com