Salon 1

So there was a big news story last week about this pregnant “man”, and “he” was on Oprah today.  I did not watch the show – I am not a fan.  However, we must discuss this.  Is this how utterly stupid our society has become?  Is this evidence that we have become so concerned with not offending people or their feelings, that we will be supportive of someone’s delusions about themselves.  Have we come to the point where we have terms and definitions for concepts that have no basis in reality (e.g., transgender).  This person is in no way a male by any definition.  Gender is defined by your chromosomes and corresponding physical organs, with some gray area FOR INDIVIDUALS BORN WITH GENETIC GENDER AMBIGUITY.  You are not male or female merely because you WANT to be one or the other. Even with an operation, you are still defined by your genetics, which still play a role in your physiology and your ability to reproduce.  This woman has a uterus.  The only reason she calls herself a man is because she wants to be one, she took hormones (which she had to stop for the pregnancy), and had surgery on her breasts.

So, I don’t think there is room for discussion about whether or not she is a male, but feel free to comment if you so desire.  However, I am more interested / concerned with the collective intelligence of our society.  Or is this evidence of the influential power of the press and their sensationalism?  What was most disturbing was the various ways different articles twisted the facts to make it sound like a “pregnant man”.  I am also concerned about the risk to the child from the hormone therapy.  Hormones play critical roles in embryonic development.  I don’t know, but I am assuming that is why some physicians refused to provide pre-natal care, not because they were homophobic as some press tried to imply.

People need to understand the difference between physical and cultural aspects of male and female.  For example, if you are a male and like women’s clothing, it does not mean you were born in the wrong body.  There are several potential reasons, but none of them have to do with genetics or wether or not you have a penis.  Taoists believe one should strive for a 50-50 balance between their yin and yang with respect to emotions and behaviours that are traditionally considered male and female – androngony.  The reason being is because we are not really constrained to think / act one way, and therefore, thinking both ways makes you a superior individual.  The western counterpart to this concept can be seen when men recommend, “…getting in touch with one’s feminine side.”  But this has nothing to do with your physical gender.

I was watching the “Tigger and Pooh” show with my children one day, and there was an episode where Tigger thought he was a jaguar.  He insisted he was one because he wanted to be one and he believed it in his heart.  But when he tried to do things a jaguar can do, he was not able.  He tried to rationalize it different ways; but in the end, his friends had to help him understand that wanting to be a jaguar does not make you a jaguar, you are still a Tigger.

I would like to clarify that this discussion has nothing to do with sexual preferences.