sophiaserpentia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophiaserpentia) wrote2008-04-03 04:00 pm
sophiaserpentia) wrote2008-04-03 04:00 pm
Entry tags:
(no subject)
So i'm reading that Thomas Beattie, the pregnant man, is going to be on Oprah today. I'm sure Oprah and her audience will be completely open-minded and sympathetic and even-handed. (I'm also sure that pigs will someday sprout wings.)
It's been commented that Beattie is not, by far, the first transman to get pregnant. So it's something that has been known about and well-discussed in the trans community, who are like, "Why is this news?"
But it's not something that has ever been part of mainstream cultural dialogue. Most people still seem to basically have the impression that transpeople are 6-foot-tall men (remember, "FTMs don't exist") wearing short skirts and 6" heels (and don't forget the wig!) who go on Jerry Springer's show to talk about stealing someone's boyfriend.
Even sympathetic portrayals are usually about the transition, as if that were the only thing going on in our lives. We have yet to be commonly depicted as people who are loved by someone. We have yet to be commonly depicted as people who have jobs and families... as people who become parents.
It's high time that one of us gets to talk to the media about SOMETHING OTHER than transitioning. To that extent, i'm grateful that the Beatties had the courage to open themselves up for cultural scrutiny.
It's been commented that Beattie is not, by far, the first transman to get pregnant. So it's something that has been known about and well-discussed in the trans community, who are like, "Why is this news?"
But it's not something that has ever been part of mainstream cultural dialogue. Most people still seem to basically have the impression that transpeople are 6-foot-tall men (remember, "FTMs don't exist") wearing short skirts and 6" heels (and don't forget the wig!) who go on Jerry Springer's show to talk about stealing someone's boyfriend.
Even sympathetic portrayals are usually about the transition, as if that were the only thing going on in our lives. We have yet to be commonly depicted as people who are loved by someone. We have yet to be commonly depicted as people who have jobs and families... as people who become parents.
It's high time that one of us gets to talk to the media about SOMETHING OTHER than transitioning. To that extent, i'm grateful that the Beatties had the courage to open themselves up for cultural scrutiny.