THE CUTTING EDGE
Barbara F. Anderson, Ph.D., LCSW
In his newest book, “In One Person” the noted writer, John Irving, introduces the reader to Billy Abbott, a teenager beset by confusion about his sexual orientation and gender identity. According to the NY Times reviewer, Janet Maslin, humor yields to pathos as time passes and he encounters the era of AIDS. Ms Maslin criticizes the author for “his blunt politicking for a full understanding of gay and transgendered identity [which] sits uncomfortably with his zany side.” Although a mixed review, sounds like a book worth reading.
On a less literary note, a well-received episode on the TV show, “Glee” featured a transgender character, Unique. This contrasts with “Work It,” a short-lived show that focused on 2 unemployed men who try to counter the effects on their lives of the recession by seeking work as women. It met disdain on several fronts by viewers as well as two advocacy groups and was cancelled after 2 episodes. A NY Times review of recent TV offerings addressing LGBT lifestyles asks, “What’s missing? The outrage. The cultural battlefield of television has changed markedly since the 1990’s, when conservative groups and religious figures objected to Ellen DeGeneres coming out and ‘Will & Grace’ coming on.”
A Business Wire article on The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, described its recent policy offering employees “new transgender benefits that include sex-reassignment surgery and related prescription drug treatment…. It illustrates our commitment to an open and non-discriminatory environment where transgender persons are welcomed to our diverse and inclusive organization.” In formulating their benefit package, DTCC has followed the guidelines set by the World Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), an international organization committed to establishing and promoting the highest standard of health care for trans people. Other financial services organizations offering TG health benefits to their employees are American Express, Bank of America, Barclay’s Capital, Credit Suisse USA, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co.
A CBC (Canadian Broadcast Company) 2-part radio show, “Ideas” aired recently. The Gender Trap, Part 1 deals with the belief that men’s and women’s brains are hard-wired to learn differently. This has been used to justify gender stereotyping and to route men and women into discrete occupations. It has also given rise to a number of best-sellers such as; Men Are From Mars, Women From Venus; The Female Brain; and The Essential Difference. The program explores both sides of the debate.
The Gender Trap, Part 2 describes the Toronto family that decided not to reveal the gender of their newborn baby to any but a few people. When the story of Storm became public, a “storm” of controversy ensued. This program describes the story fully and the resulting debate. The programs can be heard on podcast-http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/podcasts/
Brief notes: In an e-mail exchange, a psychiatrist posits that trans children “may in general be more advanced cognitively…I think of this in terms of having to think creatively…i.e. when a 2 and a half year old discovers that he/she is in the wrong body... it takes on a need to think creatively on how to deal with the world in ways the average child does not need to deal with.” The writer continues, “studies of creativity in children have a checkered past and most have found it is a difficult subject…to assess.”
Argentina became Latin America’s 1st nation to legalize gay marriage 2 years ago and in May 2012 passed a gender rights law. It gives people the legal right to officially change their gender without a court appearance and obligates health care companies to provide them with surgery or hormone therapy on demand.
HUD secretary, Shaun Donovan, states that new regulations being proposed by HUD will “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in several of the federal agency’s programs—from government-backed mortgages to public housing.”
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