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| Before my sister was born |
I grew up a Tomboy, and was once asked by another kid, if I was a boy or a girl? Fair question. As I recall, I'd just beaten him up. "I'm a girl," I said, "but I'm going to be a boy when I grow up."
Most of us, if asked, knew what sex we were from the time we could talk. I knew I was a girl, but I wanted to be a boy. Boys had freedom from dresses and dolls, perms, and keeping clean.
Historically, the terms "sex" and "gender" have been used interchangeably, but their uses are becoming increasingly
distinct, and it is important to understand the differences between the
two. This article will look at the meaning of "sex" and the
differences between the sexes. It will also look at the meaning of
"gender," and the concepts of gender roles, gender identity, and gender
expression. In general terms, "sex" refers to the biological
differences between males and females, such as the genitalia and genetic
differences. "Gender" is more difficult to define, but it can
refer to the role of a male or female in society, known as a gender
role, or an individual's concept of themselves, or gender identity. Sometimes,
a person's genetically assigned sex does not line up with their gender
identity. These individuals might refer to themselves as transgender,
non-binary, or gender-nonconforming.
From MedicalNewsToday
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| After my sister was born |
Until a couple years ago, I knew zero about transgenderism. I have lots of gay friends, but didn't know anyone who was trans. Or I didn't think I did.
Before I wrote
Finch, I had no dog in the fight. I'm straight,
cisgender, old, widowed, childless, white, and a lapsed Episcopalian. I grew up in Central Florida during the civil rights era, but was too young and self-centered to really notice what was happening. We certainly weren't in the thick of it. My saving grace has turned out to be that I detest injustice.
I swore that, given the opportunity to speak up for an oppressed group, I would. When an acquaintance came out as trans and had
reassignment surgery at age 70, I had my chance. I peppered her with questions, and read everything she suggested starting with Becoming Nicole.
Freeing Finch was a book I'd written a decade ago about an abandoned dog and a young girl whose mother died leaving her to be raised by her recently remarried step-father. The abandonment theme of that book reminded me of many of the stories I was reading about families turning their backs on their gender-questioning children. It didn't seem like too much of a leap to add
gender dysphoria to that character's issues, especially considering the recent spate of LGBTQ-bashing by this administration.
Now that
Finch is available, I'm seeing how deeply ingrained and common this government-sanctioned bashing is. Just today's news:
The tragedy is, there is strong scientific evidence that transgenderism is caused by a miss-timed secretion of male hormones during one of the two releases in utero. In other words, it has a medical cause.
For the first 5 or 6 weeks in the womb, the fetus is developing as a girl. (That's why males have vestigial nipples.) The first wave at about three months triggers the development of boy genital, and the second wave during the 3rd trimester, leads to the development of "who we are" by triggering the development of a boy brain or a male gender identity.
At my book launch in Mendocino, a teacher approached me after the reading and told me about a second grader at her school. The child, born male, identifies as a girl. His parents refuse to let him dress as a girl and send him to school in 'boy-clothes.' Those of us old enough to remember the song from South Pacific, You've Got to be Carefully Taught, about racism, bigotry, and the hatred and fear of "others", know prejudices aren't born in us, they are taught. This child's little girl friends have been taught acceptance and they bring him 'girl clothes' to wear during the day, then he changes back into his boy-clothes before going home.
Our gender identity is between our ears; our sex is between our legs. Transgenderism should be handled as just another challenge in life that’s no more
or less significant than all the others. Psychological issues arise too often from the big
deal we make of our differences. Dr. Kate Rohr
