Men in Makeup

Trans on the media stage started with a former Olympic gold medalist to a Hawaiian transgender individual who explains, “I didn’t take to life as my family’s son. I wanted to be their daughter,” stories of trans individuals coming out are in the news. Experts in human sexuality and social sciences note that, for many people raised in the Western cultures of the United States, Canada, and Europe, gender identity is considered binary, a simple either/or statement.

In culture, the male “setting” is typically associated with aggressiveness and machismo, such as a highly competitive and successful sports figure. Females are thought of as being nurturing and loving and are naturally associated with motherly attributes.

From Wheaties Boxes to Supermarket Tabloids

The most-talked about transgender figure in current news has to be Bruce Jenner. The Olympic gold medalist noted for his win in the decathlon event, Jenner was the model of male physical prowess. Forty years later, he goes through a very public transformation to the female identity he prefers and explains his story widely to the media. The range of coverage of the event mirrors the fractures in American society, from horrified speculation about aspects of his life in some tabloids that pander to base human instincts, to open and accepting interviews that mostly allow her own story to come out.

Teaching Understanding

A former teacher explains that he once showed films that sparked discussion and interest among students about issues of gender identity and perception, such as:

• “Ma Vie en Rose”
• “Boys Don’t Cry”
• “Osama”

The teacher appreciates the Bruce Jenner interview and imagines he would have screened it in his class if he were still teaching. The former teacher, who is also a writer, wonders how the truths gleaned from the Jenner interview will inform his efforts to create characters with honesty and diversity at their core. He believes the effect will be positive.

The Islands Way

In Native Hawaiian culture, locals note that there was a welcoming space for those who occupied a place between genders—or at the opposite end of the gender spectrum from where expectations would place them. A PBS documentary called “Puma Hina” explores the journey of one individual born as a man who wasn’t comfortable in the role of son, and became her family’s daughter. Still, in her struggles and “personal journey in life I’ve had to embrace the side of me that is more aggressive, the Western-associated masculine, when I need to.

Those like Hina are traditionally welcomed in Native Hawaiian society, the show notes. Respected for their ability to encompass both roles with aspects of male and female personalities, they often serve in valuable roles like teachers, child care providers, and healers. According to a Hawaiian activist and performer, the concept the society embraces in its transgender individuals is “the expression of the third self. It is not a gender, it’s not an orientation.”

Coming to See

As people like Jenner and others embrace their true selves with courage and hope, society has the opportunity to learn new stories about those who are different than the “norm.” While it is obvious and true that lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender and queer people have been part of society forever, some people with conservative mindsets and limited worldviews see these public stories as a “new” thing.

Timeless Realities in an Opening Society

The stories are essentially timeless. From the Native Hawaiian culture to Western society throughout the ages, human sexuality has never been the simple binary concept that many people have tried to contain it within. The changes that allow stories to be told widely in the media now come from a growing understanding in society, as well as the benefits of advancing legal rights that are opening up—after many decades of struggle by activists and allies—for life with dignity for all gay and transgender people.