As an instructor of gender and women's studies, I often challenge my students about what in life is or is not 'gendered.' Can they, I ask, tell the difference between a biological male's writing versus a biological female's? Assuring me that they can, I present to them three separate pictures, and I ask them to write a short story about each picture. Then, I read them aloud, and students try to identify if it is a female author or a male one. We then discuss the 'results,' and the class sees that they were correct about 50 percent of the time. Which is exactly about right.
I then ask students what else they think is gendered—objects, expectations, performances. People?
And so I had just completed this lesson last week, when a friend who knows I teach on sexuality and gender topics asked me over dinner what I thought about the 'pregnant man.' I was a bit taken aback by her strong objections, as she claimed that he had made a decision. He was either to be a man or to be a woman. But he couldn't have it both ways.
I'm still not certain I understand why not. Why be so headstrong and insist upon living in a dichotomous world? Black/white, gay/straight, male/female. Certainly, real life is grayer.
So Thomas Beatie, born with female reproductive parts but now self-identifying as male, is going to give birth. So what? Why not applause rather than skepticism? Why question what he really is as opposed to embrace who he is, the love he has to offer, and the amazing role he's about to play in his child's life?
Mr. Beatie, who was disappointingly turned away from some transgender organizations for taking control of his life and sharing his personal narrative rather than having it shared for him, is a trans individual. He transcends gender norms, gender boundaries and gender expectations. A trans individual is one who comes to a sense of self-understanding that their physiology and their psychology are not in complete alignment. That person's biological sex is distinct from gender, which is a societal and cultural construction. Society dictates what is masculine and what is feminine and what men and what women are supposed to do. Thomas Beatie is now blurring those lines, which I find exciting rather than fearful. What makes a man a man and what makes a woman a woman is much more than genitalia, and yet, based on an ounce of flesh—the presence of or the absence of a penis—society determines a person's societal, social and legal status. I keep thinking that blurring gender lines would benefit all of us.
And while many in society are calling out now about natural and unnatural, the majority of these beliefs are also societal constructions. When new possibilities are introduced, there's always an initial 'ick' factor involved, from artificial insemination to in vitro fertilization to stem-cell research. But when someone's holding Baby Louise, her or his mind doesn't go to the science but to the living spirit. We need to stop putting God in a box, and stop with all the holier-than-thou condemnation and judgment. I understand that Beatie's visible presence will likely have further consequences. What does his story mean as he becomes a beacon of light on the trans community? Will he make it easier or harder for other trans individuals as he challenges notions of gender identity? Further, while I found him to be articulate—albeit, ironically rather non-gender blind in his articulation of household domestic expectations ( he's the husband/she's the wife ) —others may find him threatening and the impetus for unnecessary backlash. And while capitalism rules in this country ( he'll likely make a decent penny on his book ) , I'm tired of living in an America that is acceptable for some but is hardly a country of liberty and justice for all. Mostly, my concern goes to their newborn daughter because we're in unknown territory in terms of health and effects with this complex development.
Yet, I also believe wholeheartedly that each life is an experiment, and Thomas Beatie is creating a life. Whether he self-identifies as a man ( he does ) or not, he gets to be who he claims to be, not what society imposes upon him to be. And he gets to create life and raise a child in a loving environment whereby that child might learn a little bit more about self rather than about society's expectations of self based on that ounce of flesh. Sure, we currently live in a gendered and bigoted world. And with the Cro-Magnon mentality I've heard recently, even in evolving times, we're likely going to stay this way for an unfortunate while.
Patrick Finnessy is the director of the Office of the UIC ( University of Illinois at Chicago ) Gender and Sexuality Center.
