Today, as I was reading an anthology of short stories by other transgender folk, I realized that some of the basic principles of Discordianism applied as the essential positives of transsexuality. Discordianism states that, rather than scorning strife and discord, we should embrace it as a driving force for enacting positive change. It's also about deconstructing basic issues and assumptions of systems in order to use them for your benefit. In this, Discordianism and transsexuality come together.
All transsexuals are astoundingly tough individuals and not necessarily through inherent personality, but through basic necessity of our transsexuality. We are tough because our environment demands that we be tough. Another benefit of transsexuality is our ability to gain insight towards how gender works. While others see gender as simply something that is, we get to see the inner workings. Our transsexuality has given us a backstage pass to gender. Which is not to say that gender is nothing but performance. No, gender is a very complicated beast, but only we see that. And some of us see this machine and start pulling levers and throwing switches in ways that others can't. They just see the shiny smooth business end of it.
CT Whitley, a trans man in a corporate office, did just that. He manipulated gendered behaviors to advance up the corporate ladder by understanding the crucial social interactions and speech patterns of both men and women and was able to switch between them depending on who he was talking to. As a result, we was known as the best communicator in the office, and served as a crucial bridge between the women and men in the office, especially in times of stress. The best part is no one even knew that he was doing that. All they saw were the results.
People often assume that transsexuals are timid, shy creatures, terrified of being found out and poked and prodded. I've found that the opposite is true. When I was a boy, my self-confidence was nil. I never got a real date, and it was during that period that I was worried about being found out. When I came out, that was the very peak of self-confidence. In fact, I found my first girlfriend just a month after coming out.
Us trans folk have a special confidence in our gender because, rather than being handed it at birth, like someone handing you a cup of pre-made soup at the store, we have hand crafted ours. For us, gender isn't some lukewarm thing that just happened, it is a fiery passion piece that we have made our own. We aren't confident in spite of the strife of others, we are confident because of it. Transsexuality isn't a curse, birth defect, or mental disorder. It's a goddamn blessing.
All transsexuals are astoundingly tough individuals and not necessarily through inherent personality, but through basic necessity of our transsexuality. We are tough because our environment demands that we be tough. Another benefit of transsexuality is our ability to gain insight towards how gender works. While others see gender as simply something that is, we get to see the inner workings. Our transsexuality has given us a backstage pass to gender. Which is not to say that gender is nothing but performance. No, gender is a very complicated beast, but only we see that. And some of us see this machine and start pulling levers and throwing switches in ways that others can't. They just see the shiny smooth business end of it.
CT Whitley, a trans man in a corporate office, did just that. He manipulated gendered behaviors to advance up the corporate ladder by understanding the crucial social interactions and speech patterns of both men and women and was able to switch between them depending on who he was talking to. As a result, we was known as the best communicator in the office, and served as a crucial bridge between the women and men in the office, especially in times of stress. The best part is no one even knew that he was doing that. All they saw were the results.
People often assume that transsexuals are timid, shy creatures, terrified of being found out and poked and prodded. I've found that the opposite is true. When I was a boy, my self-confidence was nil. I never got a real date, and it was during that period that I was worried about being found out. When I came out, that was the very peak of self-confidence. In fact, I found my first girlfriend just a month after coming out.
Us trans folk have a special confidence in our gender because, rather than being handed it at birth, like someone handing you a cup of pre-made soup at the store, we have hand crafted ours. For us, gender isn't some lukewarm thing that just happened, it is a fiery passion piece that we have made our own. We aren't confident in spite of the strife of others, we are confident because of it. Transsexuality isn't a curse, birth defect, or mental disorder. It's a goddamn blessing.
