KRISTEN SHULTIS
Staff Writer
“It’s okay to be different,” were the wise words of an eight-year-old transgender girl in “Trans: The Movie,” a film shown on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in McEwen Hall as part of TransDiscovery: Exploring Gender Variant Lives. “Trans” is a documentary about transgenders either transitioning, in the beginning stages of or well into being the gender they identify as. The event also included a panel of three transgender people who addressed any questions that the group of moviegoers had.
“Support for individuals who transgress gender norms is growing, particularly at Fredonia. However, this event was an opportunity to continue to raise awareness and provide discussion regarding local resources,” said William Boerner, chief diversity officer, director of diversity, equity and inclusion and professor of women’s and gender studies. “It was our hope in organizing this event that we would continue to encourage other members of the community to speak up, engage and advocate for support of transgender individuals.”
According to “Trans,” there is a high rate of crime against the transgender community. Many people who commit these crimes feel as if transgender people are “weird” and that there is something wrong with them that can be fixed.
The problem is that they can’t be “fixed.” This is something that they are born with, and people who don’t understand this sometimes resort to violence, name-calling and making transgenders feel that they aren’t normal.
The little girl from the movie also said that she hated God because he gave her the wrong body — a boy’s — and she was a girl.
The panel, made up of author Elliot DeLine, Chautauqua County transgender community activist Helen Walther and student Cameron Caulfield, had varying opinions on different topics in the movie.
One topic was the suicide of Chloe; the movie made it seem like her parents were happy with her choice to be a woman, showing them reading letters that she wrote and even erecting a memorial in her mother’s house, but one could tell that they weren’t as happy as the film producers wanted to make it seem. It became evident that her parents’ true feelings led Chloe to think that she wouldn’t be accepted in the world. Other people in her life were also pressuring her to get a job and do other things, eventually leading her to a breaking point.
The panel members had mixed views on this situation, but all agreed that it was a little over-the-top because of the way the parents acted toward Chloe’s transgender identity.
When the focus of the event was finally turned over to the panel members, they were asked questions about an array of topics relating to the film.
Someone asked how difficult it was for a transgender individual to change their name. This was a question that panelist Walther answered.
“I know, when I changed my name, that I had to go through the process of changing everything. The worst thing is that New York State does not have laws about gender identification; this can make it hard to be able to get a job, and some people will give you a hard time about changing your name,” Walther said.
She also went on to say that most of the people she encountered were respectful and cooperative — but not everyone.
Something else that the panel ended up talking about was how difficult it is to get the hormones and the surgery that people may opt for.
“Insurance doesn’t cover [those] things. You have to pay for your hormones, surgery and therapy out of pocket, and this can be a burden for people,” said Walther.
Another question that was asked was about the sex box on medical forms.
The person who raised the question asked the panel’s opinion on if, instead of just “male” and “female” being listed as options, what if there was a box on forms that said something like “gender at birth,” and then, “gender you identify as.” The panel gave some good explanations as to how this could be good and bad.
“It might save you from having to explain [your transformation] to every single doctor you visit,” said one of the panelists.
“I feel like having a box with M/F, or even the sex at birth, is something that we should avoid altogether. If I have a cold, it doesn’t matter what I have in my pants,” said Deline.
“Having a box just labels us and puts a label on gender, and gender and sexuality is not a box, so why should we label it that way?” inquired Caulfield.
One thing that spectators learned during this event is that no matter what one’s major is, that person should be educated on the people they may encounter everyday.
“Individuals from any academic discipline could find something pertinent to their studies in the TransDiscovery event. It is my hope that students are able to make these connections on their own and value these moments as helping to develop themselves as a whole person,” said Boerner, on why events like this are educational for all students on campus.
This event was part of the convocation series, “The Joy of Discovery.” It is also one of many events being put on as part of Queer History Month, which is the month of October. Keep an eye out for upcoming events put on by Pride Alliance and other groups on campus in conjunction with Queer History month.