Originally posted at Progressive Blue.
Tonight the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), will present the world premiere of Becoming Chaz, a documentary that follows the story of Chaz Bono's transition from his birth gender of female to his true gender of male. There is a sneak peek on the website.
Chaz, of course, puts a very visible face to the average trans person. Very few of us are nearly as open and public about our transitions. There are good reasons for that. Many of us fear social ostracization, others, appropriately, fear being attacked physically. But the reality is, that regardless of the negative reaction of society in general, most such reactions stem from the fear of the unknown, the "Other". It is my sincere hope that Chaz will help society in general overcome some of that fear of the unknown.
Another wonderful example of current media coverage (if a bit derivate in its title) is a piece in, of all places, the Tulsa World, entitled Becoming Katie. (h/t to GrinningLibber) It is a moving two day piece that includes a short video as well, and does an excellent job of presenting the other side of the trans experience, that of moving from birth gender of male to true gender of female. In this piece, you read of some of the very real harassment that trans people face on a daily basis. And, reading between the lines, you can get a sense of one of the greatest losses we face. Katie's father seems incapable of accepting her as who she is.
Loss of family and friends, of support systems in general, is one of the worst things that can happen to trans people when we come out. We have no guarantee that we won't lose our livelihood. We face terrible risks by choosing to live authentically. And yet, we are accused of making a "lifestyle" choice. We are no more making a lifestyle choice than people with brown eyes chose their eye color. Trust me, no one would choose the pain and difficulties we suffer. We simply are who we are.
Ultimately, it is only through being out and open about who we are that any minority overcomes the majority fear of the Other. Once they come to realize they know [gay, lesbian, trans, Pagan, Muslim] an Other, and can put a friendly, safe and sane, face to that label, it becomes much harder to hate that Other. Such coverage as the documentaries Becoming Chaz and Becoming Katie can only be good for our community, and society in general.
I'll be watching tonight. How about you?