The film starts out with a heart-wrenching examination of the violence in the West against not only some transgendered folks but also, surprisingly to me (of course, I tend to be naive), to those who love them.
How do non-gender conforming children in the US survive the taunts of their peers? Do they have parental support? What are the parents' fears for their children?
I found it eye-opening that one in one hundred people are considered intersexed from birth. I'm sure Jesus will correct me if I'm getting any of this wrong
There's a very interesting look into what growing up intersexed can mean. What gender fits, if any? Figuring out one's gender identity can be a lifelong struggle for these individuals.There's a huge variation in the way gender differences are viewed in different cultures. Interestingly, gender variation in India was seen as totally normal until the British arrived and passed laws outlawing anything but typical Western expressions of sexuality. Great Britain has since rescinded these laws on its own territory. India, though now independent, has not!
OTOH, Thailand never saw such a Western influence and to this day is much more tolerant of, and even celebrates, differences in gender expression. I'm ready to move to Thailand! It's got the added benefit of being significantly warmer than Minnesota
, especially at this time of year.Jesus told me that the experts interviewed are the tops in their fields. I highly recommend "Middle Sexes" to anyone interested in transgender issues and in variations of sexual and gender expression acceptance across cultures and time.
I'll report more on this documentary once I've finished viewing it. I'll probably watch it a least one more time. There's so much information that one viewing isn't enough.
Kirit, aka todd