What a title, right? I thought so myself. The main point of the title is to catch your attention; you are still reading, am I right? Yes, “tranny” is a common term used to describe trans-gender, transsexual, or transvestite people. However, there is a huge misconception here that even I was shocked at due to pure ignorance; none of these are the same.
Many people, including myself before the recent past, used the slang term “tranny” to define these three types of individuals, when they are actually nothing alike. Transvestite, as many fail to understand, is not the physical changing of a persons biological parts to become another gender, or to even indicate homosexuality. According to Urban Dictionary, as well as other “more valid” sources, it is simply the crossdressing of an individual, wearing the clothes of the opposite sex. Crossdressing does NOT indicate an individuals sexual preference, which means that heterosexual people are usually the ones that crossdress! So when you think about it, 99.9% of men and women alike have worn clothes of the opposite sex, or put on makeup, nail polish, wigs, or simply sagged their pants just to imitate the opposite sex out of silliness and good humor. Well guess what, you are a transvestite!
Don’t be upset with this article, as I am simply poking a little bit of fun at the way society declares certain things to be something they are not. I would not like to be called a transvestite either, but the simple fact is that each person has likely done it at some point in their lives, even if it was for a “gender bender” day in high school during homecoming week. Though this does not indicate homosexuality, transsexual and transgender may actually indicate this. Or do they?
Transsexual is a term that was commonly used in previous decades, but has since been deemed inaccurate by most people, with transgender being the proper terminology in such cases. The prefix “trans-” means a change in something or the cross of something. Sex is the biological classification of male or female in a person or animal, and is based on an individuals reproductive genitalia and chromosomal make-up. Gender is the cultural, social, or mental aspect of ones chosen “sex,” and it may range from heterosexual and homosexual, to an large number of other classifications to include pansexual, asexual or omnisexual.
In the documentary Southern Comfort, Robert Eads, the main character, seems to be as normal of a Georgia-living old man as you could find; thick southern accent, chain-smoking cigarettes, living in a trailer, and loving the peace and serenity of his land. Early on, he tells us that he is dying. In our modern society, the first thing that popped into our heads would be cancer, right? Eventually, we find out that it was cancer that kills him, but the shock was the fact that his cancer was of the uterus, ovaries, and cervix, and it was spreading rapidly.
Surprised? I did, in fact, say that the name was Robert, and that he was a man. Well, he was. When Eads was born, he was a she. Now, based on the information given above, I am sure you are figuring out the situation. Eads was a transgender person. Growing up, Eads claimed to have felt to be a man trapped in a girls body, but he never thought of himself as a homosexual. Sexed as a female originally, but believing that he was a man on the inside, he felt as though his attraction to women was natural, even to the point of heterosexuality. He underwent surgeries to remove the breasts, and he was a consistent user of testosterone, which allowed him to grow the bone structure, voice, and body hair of a man. It’s amazing what a simple hormone can do.
Since Eads kept his internal sexual organs, he was still susceptible to the cancers that he was diagnosed with. However, by the time they found the cancer, it was too late, and there was nothing that could be done. But why was it not found earlier? Eads could not find a doctor that would allow him to be treated or checked. They claimed that he would be “bad for business” and make other women seeing an OBGYN uncomfortable. Is this something that should be allowed?
HELL no. Are men and women not born the same way? Do we not have the biological fortitude and medical advancements to treat men and women alike? Do we not know how to take care of the needs of heterosexual men and women? We are, and we do! Just because a female has taken testosterone, has had their breasts removed, and identifies as a man, should he not be treated for their biological medical needs? This is a major problem within our society, as I do not believe medical attention should be denied to any person, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sexual preference or state of sexuality. This needs to be stopped, as a persons medical needs and check-ups go far beyond what meets the eye, and Eads was one of the many to have experienced this issue prior to a society that was growing accustomed to transgender people. Do I think it is okay to be a transgender? I would not say that I agree with it by any means. However, I do not believe that people should be denied normal medical attention based on this.