The lyrics of this song sum up being transgender as well as I've ever encountered.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
Gender in Language
It’s really quite surprising how many of our English expressions and thoughts are predicated on gender.
• We have “crazy cat ladies,” not “crazy cat men.”
• “All men are created equal,” to say nothing about the women.
• “Nurse” conjures to mind a woman, not a man, for most people.
• Firemen, not fireperson or firewoman.
• Policeman, not policeperson or policewoman.
• Mankind, man-made, the common man.
• Freshman, not first-year student.
I never really noticed this before I admitted to myself that I was transgendered. It was just the way we as a society talked. Now, though, I’m starting to realize just how much we assume about gender, whether referring to a profession, a person, or anything.
Now, I realize that transgender people are not common, and I’m not going to get mad at people for calling me “he” when I’m presenting myself as male. In most cases, it’s perfectly fine to assume that a person’s sex reflects their gender. Still, it would be nice if English teachers got over their habit of correcting this:
“If a student writes this sentence, then /they/ will be corrected.”
The word “they” has evolved in our daily speech to the point where it is interchangeable with the phrase “he or she,” I would say. It’s mixing the singular “a student” with the traditionally plural “they,” I realize that, and as an amateur author I notice this kind of thing, but it’s much more convenient to use “they” than the unwieldy “he or she.”
Many non-English languages don’t have this problem at all. Lots of them have masculine forms, feminine forms, and neutral forms. I don’t think English is ready to create a “third gender” for its words—some linguists advocate using “hir,” for example—but an acceptance of “they” would be nice.
There’s a really fantastic article on gender-sensitivity in the language here: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/gender.html
Life is great! Kate (my girlfriend of two and a half years) will be coming to stay with me for the winter holidays—about two weeks. She gets in on Friday.
Happy holidays!
• We have “crazy cat ladies,” not “crazy cat men.”
• “All men are created equal,” to say nothing about the women.
• “Nurse” conjures to mind a woman, not a man, for most people.
• Firemen, not fireperson or firewoman.
• Policeman, not policeperson or policewoman.
• Mankind, man-made, the common man.
• Freshman, not first-year student.
I never really noticed this before I admitted to myself that I was transgendered. It was just the way we as a society talked. Now, though, I’m starting to realize just how much we assume about gender, whether referring to a profession, a person, or anything.
Now, I realize that transgender people are not common, and I’m not going to get mad at people for calling me “he” when I’m presenting myself as male. In most cases, it’s perfectly fine to assume that a person’s sex reflects their gender. Still, it would be nice if English teachers got over their habit of correcting this:
“If a student writes this sentence, then /they/ will be corrected.”
The word “they” has evolved in our daily speech to the point where it is interchangeable with the phrase “he or she,” I would say. It’s mixing the singular “a student” with the traditionally plural “they,” I realize that, and as an amateur author I notice this kind of thing, but it’s much more convenient to use “they” than the unwieldy “he or she.”
Many non-English languages don’t have this problem at all. Lots of them have masculine forms, feminine forms, and neutral forms. I don’t think English is ready to create a “third gender” for its words—some linguists advocate using “hir,” for example—but an acceptance of “they” would be nice.
There’s a really fantastic article on gender-sensitivity in the language here: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/gender.html
Life is great! Kate (my girlfriend of two and a half years) will be coming to stay with me for the winter holidays—about two weeks. She gets in on Friday.
Happy holidays!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Posting Holiday
Too much end-of-quarter schoolwork to do.
Will make post after break starts.
Love you all,
Liana
Will make post after break starts.
Love you all,
Liana
Sunday, December 7, 2008
GLBTQ and College
Well, my college plans have changed a bit.
I was planning for quite some time to head to the University of London for my higher education. The UK is more progressive than the US is about transgender and GLBTQ people, both socially and legally. Besides, I think London would be an amazing place to live, even if the cost of living is high. I'm a city gal--or at least, I hope to be.
Anyway, I found a very useful website called the Campus Climate Index. It rates all sorts of American schools based on their friendliness towards GLBTQ people, and has a breakdown of the various areas--transgender accommodations, safety, health, general GLBTQ information. Searching through the list of schools, I found one that looks perfect for me.
Goodbye, University of London. Hello, University of California, Berkeley.
Every single imaginable option on the list of GLBTQ concerns has a positive rating. Transgender students can be housed in the dorm of their internal gender, and they--get this!--even cover hormone replacement therapy in their insurance. How perfect is that? So perfect. This is an incredibly prestigious school. The average weighted GPA for entering freshman is 4.4--that's a perfect environment for someone like me.
I'm really excited by the location, too. This is California, right outside San Francisco. Aside from the Prop 8 nastiness going on recently, this is pretty much the GLBTQ capital of the world, as far as I've heard. I can't think of a better place for me to come of age in. One thing's for sure--it certainly beats the American Midwest in terms of safety and understanding.
Life is good.
I was planning for quite some time to head to the University of London for my higher education. The UK is more progressive than the US is about transgender and GLBTQ people, both socially and legally. Besides, I think London would be an amazing place to live, even if the cost of living is high. I'm a city gal--or at least, I hope to be.
Anyway, I found a very useful website called the Campus Climate Index. It rates all sorts of American schools based on their friendliness towards GLBTQ people, and has a breakdown of the various areas--transgender accommodations, safety, health, general GLBTQ information. Searching through the list of schools, I found one that looks perfect for me.
Goodbye, University of London. Hello, University of California, Berkeley.
Every single imaginable option on the list of GLBTQ concerns has a positive rating. Transgender students can be housed in the dorm of their internal gender, and they--get this!--even cover hormone replacement therapy in their insurance. How perfect is that? So perfect. This is an incredibly prestigious school. The average weighted GPA for entering freshman is 4.4--that's a perfect environment for someone like me.
I'm really excited by the location, too. This is California, right outside San Francisco. Aside from the Prop 8 nastiness going on recently, this is pretty much the GLBTQ capital of the world, as far as I've heard. I can't think of a better place for me to come of age in. One thing's for sure--it certainly beats the American Midwest in terms of safety and understanding.
Life is good.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Psychiatrist Appointment Report
Well, my first ever psychiatrist appointment is done.
Can't say I'm thrilled. Didn't really like the lady I was talking to--she was very dour. I was in a relatively good mood and joked around a bit, but she barely cracked a smile. Not in the "Liana is just awful at making jokes" kind of way, in the "I don't even smile at babies" kind of way. Obviously that's an exaggeration. I almost wonder if it is deliberate--she might not want to lead on her patients. It was very clinical.
It's a good thing I'm such a straight arrow, socially. There were a heck of a lot of questions--have I done this, have I thought that, is there any history of this, and on and on. I found out about a test that they're having transgender people take frequently these days before they'll prescribe hormones; it's over 500 pages long. Eeek.
The psychiatrist actually gave me some bad news. While she didn't seem fully up on her transgender-game, she did say that in this area, it's extremely unlikely that I'll find a doctor willing to prescribe anything. Even if I could get the letter of recommendation that I need, I'll have to find some far-away doctor to actually give the endocrinologist the go-ahead. Sigh. Cruddy conservative area.
Well, anyway, I scheduled another appointment at the same place, but with a different person. Hopefully she'll be nicer. It'll happen next Thursday, December 11th.
Can't say I'm thrilled. Didn't really like the lady I was talking to--she was very dour. I was in a relatively good mood and joked around a bit, but she barely cracked a smile. Not in the "Liana is just awful at making jokes" kind of way, in the "I don't even smile at babies" kind of way. Obviously that's an exaggeration. I almost wonder if it is deliberate--she might not want to lead on her patients. It was very clinical.
It's a good thing I'm such a straight arrow, socially. There were a heck of a lot of questions--have I done this, have I thought that, is there any history of this, and on and on. I found out about a test that they're having transgender people take frequently these days before they'll prescribe hormones; it's over 500 pages long. Eeek.
The psychiatrist actually gave me some bad news. While she didn't seem fully up on her transgender-game, she did say that in this area, it's extremely unlikely that I'll find a doctor willing to prescribe anything. Even if I could get the letter of recommendation that I need, I'll have to find some far-away doctor to actually give the endocrinologist the go-ahead. Sigh. Cruddy conservative area.
Well, anyway, I scheduled another appointment at the same place, but with a different person. Hopefully she'll be nicer. It'll happen next Thursday, December 11th.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Named Liana?
For the first time tonight, I thought of myself as "Liana," not "Alex-whose-name-is-Liana."
This one might just be a keeper.
This one might just be a keeper.
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Appointed Hour Approaches
I’ve got my first psychiatrist appointment on Thursday!
I don’t really know what to expect. This is one area of transsexuality that I have deliberately done as little research into as possible. I don’t want to know what kind of questions are coming, I don’t want to know how I’m “supposed” to respond. This is about me, and deciding whether I’m ready to continue to the next stages of transsexuality, as it were.
Psychiatry is the first external step forward for a transsexual. I mean, I can dress and act however I want, but anatomically speaking, I’m still male. Psychiatry, however, means that, provided the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care are met, I can start to change that. I’ve covered hormones in previous posts, so I won’t get into that.
I’m a little apprehensive. I haven’t met the psychiatrist, so I’ll be going in blind.
What should I wear? Should I go feminine-casual, wearing everyday clothes? Should I wear one of my dresses (I have three now!)? Do I need to practice my voice? Is it possible to go overboard? Can I be “trying too hard?” Eeek! So many things to consider.
I’m excited, though. This is the first little step towards the very big step of hormone replacement therapy.
Life is good.
I don’t really know what to expect. This is one area of transsexuality that I have deliberately done as little research into as possible. I don’t want to know what kind of questions are coming, I don’t want to know how I’m “supposed” to respond. This is about me, and deciding whether I’m ready to continue to the next stages of transsexuality, as it were.
Psychiatry is the first external step forward for a transsexual. I mean, I can dress and act however I want, but anatomically speaking, I’m still male. Psychiatry, however, means that, provided the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care are met, I can start to change that. I’ve covered hormones in previous posts, so I won’t get into that.
I’m a little apprehensive. I haven’t met the psychiatrist, so I’ll be going in blind.
What should I wear? Should I go feminine-casual, wearing everyday clothes? Should I wear one of my dresses (I have three now!)? Do I need to practice my voice? Is it possible to go overboard? Can I be “trying too hard?” Eeek! So many things to consider.
I’m excited, though. This is the first little step towards the very big step of hormone replacement therapy.
Life is good.
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