The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/17828
Deconstructing the Myths of “Transgender” “That person is a transgender.” The phrase is becoming so cliché! And when I hear people use “transgender” in conver- sation, they sound as if they are talking about a “thing,” rather than a person. That is just so wrong” Simultaneously, the term “transsexual” seems to have taken a back seat to transgenderism, as it’s also known, and is slowly drifting out of our common, everyday vocabulary. And there lies the problem: people are becoming inept when it comes to under- standing the difference between what it means to be transgendered and what it means to be transsexual. Transsexual is a medical term. It refers to people who have had sexual assignment surgery to alter their genitilia to appear and function, as much as possible, as that of the other sex. This procedure is the final step in lengthy, required psychological and medi- cal evaluations, which enable the individual having the surgery to become reidentified in society, as well as to themselves, as the sexual being who he or she feels they are, rather than who he or she was assigned to be based on their sexual identity estab- lished at birth. “Transgender” refers to identifying with and performing as a sex other than what the person was identified by at birth. This includes: dressing, behaving and even speaking vocabulary characteristic of the other gender. I say “other sex” instead of “opposite sex” because there are people who are born as hermaph- rodites (intersexed). They share physical characteristics of both sexes. And going on a tangent for a mo- ment, medical research has recently discovered that a person’s biological sex, sexual orientation and sexually related behavior, in part, develop within us before we are born and exists in three different regions of our brain. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Whether you consider yourself to be ho- mosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, asexual, transsexual or transgender, as you now can see, who you are is not quite as simple to define as what you have been raised to believe. And who you feel you are doesn’t always match up to who you may appear to others. The rainbow is composed of many other colors besides pink and blue. And pink and blue come in many shades. _ KC Harloff Oct. 14, 2010 O-Town Scene 27 Facebook Keep Up Now! Remember Who You Are We are all perfect, complete and whole. Why, then, do we feel depressed, sick, angry and sepa- rated? Because we have forgotten who we are. How is that possible? Because we are surrounded by others who have also forgotten who they are. Here’s the kicker; it’s up to you to help them remember, and in turn, you will remember. My brother, Rob, shared a story with me about a poor bag lady he walked past day after day. Each day he would look at her and think how awful her plight was. In turn, he would feel guilty about all of the things he had. One day he decided to approach her and offer to take her to lunch, which she accepted. He thought how good he felt about his kind and generous deed and how he was making a difference in her life. What he discovered was a com- plete surprise. During the course of their luncheon, he quickly realized this woman was full of love and complete joy. He was overcome with a sense of bliss so immense it enveloped him. She was an end- less river of complete love flowing outward from her soul and into his. He thought she must be an an- gel. He told me it was the greatest gift he could have received. Rob thought he was doing this woman a favor by buying her lunch, but the lesson he was given and the love he received was greater than anything he could have imagined. Abundance comes from within. During Rob’s exchange with this woman, he was giving a free lunch, but in turn received some- thing far greater. He judged this woman as being poor, but clearly, she was rich beyond measure. The next time you see some- one and are quick to judge _ good or bad _ remember, we are all perfect. Acknowledge the at-one-ment we all share. Share everything you have, and accept the gifts that giving bring in return. Remember who you are. Being is known by sharing. Whenever you heal a brother by recognizing his worth, you are acknowledging his power to create … and yours. Deny his creative power, and you are denying yours. Remember, you are magnificent and glorious beyond measure! Do not deny your creative power. Be fabulous, for that is what you are! Keep Up Now, with the stream of consciousness we all share, and stay connected to the source. _ Terry Ludwig Like us. O-Town Scene on the Diversity Scene Oct. 14-20