So, I jumped on the Orange is the New Black bandwagon ages ago, and I've got to say, I honestly think it's incredibly revolutionary. Its cast of characters includes all kinds of women, including a transgender inmate played by Laverne Cox. In society there is a ton of stigma attached to trans people, but Cox, in my opinion, is a symbol of upcoming change for those who feel like the world is leaving them out for choosing to step outside of the gender box. I mean...good grief, just scrolling down and looking at the comments on this article is kind of disturbing. I realize this isn't an idea that everyone is comfortable with--the idea that you don't have to identify with your assigned gender--but all of this discrimination has got to stop, we're still people no matter what we wear or how we want to show ourselves to the world. The fact that Laverne is gaining popularity and hoping to use said popularity to spread awareness and a call for tolerance gives me hope in spite of people's hate, and I hope we see more people like her take the spotlight in the near future.
Read the article here.
I think exposure to such topics is amazing and essential. When I was younger, I was confused by the concept of transgenderness (I'm making that a word) simply because I had grown up in a more conservative school where things like that weren't addressed. However, once I met people who were transgendered and was exposed to the topic, it made complete sense and seemed so normal. Like it just was. There was nothing complicated about it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was first exposed to this kind of thing I just rolled with it, you know? I truly feel that people don't start out judgmental in any way, it's society that imposes these judgments upon us. But kids, even a lot of teenagers, can prove to be perfectly accepting as opposed to adults, I've noticed. I'm just gonna assume that the people making mean comments on the article are older and just clinging onto what society's told them is "normal." I think--hope, at least--that they don't realize how hurtful it is.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. There is so much more to gender than a binary system. There are shades and intonations creating a spectrum. Every single point on that spectrum should be considered "normal" because no person is going to be exactly like another.
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