In today’s Western media, there has been a growing contribution to the many dialogues that challenge gender identity, heteronormativity and cisnormativity. Understanding gender as a construct, the need to categorize a body has become violently determined through one’s biological sex. Cisnormativity runs on the assumption that most bodies are cisgender; while heteronormativity suggests that all bodies are distinctly men and women who are in heterosexual relationships, and anything in-between is ‘abnormal.’ These rigid structures represent a ‘superiority/inferiority’ rhetoric, that violently others bodies. To acknowledge the difference that is being made visible in popular culture and the media, it is commonly misconstrued that gender non-conforming and trans* identities have not always been a part of mainstream Western culture. This however, is based off the assumption of the coloniality of gender, as discussed in Lugones’ “Heterosexualism and the Colonial/Modern Gender System”. It is important to understand that these experiences have always exist, despite criticisms that are produced. Referencing Julie Greenberg, Lugones states:
“Sex is still presumed to be binary and easily determinable by an analysis of biological factors. Despite anthropological and medical studies to the contrary, society presumes an unambiguous sex paradigm in which all individuals can be classified neatly as male or female […] The manner in which the law defines the terms male, female, and sex will have a profound impact on these individuals.”
(Julie Greenberg in Lugones)
These “profound impacts” are necessarily imagined when reading the experiences of the young child in the blog’s legal case from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Considering the (lack of) representation of the child’s voice, the court orders bound clothing restrictions that became the responsibility of the parent in charge. This is problematic as it not only dismisses the voice of the child, but suggests that the child should conform to their biological sex and listen to whomever is caring for them at the time of dress. After confirming their aspiring feminine identity numerous times, the mother said, “Our eyes locked and it was maybe the millionth time they told me they were a girl… and I promised I was going to do whatever I could to validate and support them and to be that one person they could go to” (Underwood). In addition to the silencing of the child, the father and his lawyer made no comments on the case. This silencing demonstrates a patriarchal power that is attempting to devalue the child’s truth of expressing a feminine identity.
In a 2014 The Globe and Mail article, entitled “Transgender kids: Have we gone too far”, Margaret Wente considered how gender identity in children and adolescents has become ‘popular‘ in the West. Wente shares a fear that “we’re manufacturing more problems than we’re solving” through a desire to achieve social progress of accepting an individual on their terms. After interviewing Dr. Zucker, the head of the Gender Identity Service at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, he claimed “The No. 1 factor is the Internet […] If you’re struggling to find out where you fit, the Internet is filled with things about gender dysphoria.” Drawing on the conclusion of gender dysphoria is highly problematic as it assumes a disorder, at the odds of one’s assumption to not identify as cisgender. Dr. Zucker considers the affect on young children who raises the commonality of ‘gender confusion’ and its likelihood to pass, stating “a child’s identity must be honoured, and that treatment should start sooner rather than later”. The discourse of this article dismisses the coloniality of gender, essentializing visibility and discussion as ‘popular’.
By considering the following two CBC News Short Documentaries, both films below were ontologically created to explore the discourses around gender identity from a child’s perspective as feminist subjects. The films challenge the constructs of what make up a masculine and feminine identity, mobilizing real representation. Contributing to the dialogue of gender politics and the production of Canadian media, the films effectively include the voices of the children by allowing them to speak on behalf of their experiences. When watching Princess Jack and Genderize, there is an impact of emotion and passion, where one can see that a child is more than capable of confirming their decision. Both films exemplify how the individuals would like to be identified through their difference and understanding, which ultimately embody and represents a shift from Western norms.
Princess Jack
September 27, 2016: The film explorers how 11-year-old Jack chooses to express through fashion, challenging stereotypes of masculinity. With a passion for princesses and fairy tales, the film follows Jack on a trip to learn how to sew a ball gown.
“When I put this dress on I am going from rags to riches! I’ll never forget this.” – Jack
Genderize
August 30, 2016: Created by transgender filmmaker, Chase Joynt, he sits down with three siblings to discuss their understanding of gender identity, the affect of parenting, and puberty. Four years later, Joynt interviews the three children again, allowing them to speak on the same questions. The film tackles the construct of gender and the limitations that gender could have on engaging in feminism.
“I don’t really understand why it can’t be mostly just stalls. Like, you can use a toilet like a urinal, but you can’t use a urinal like a toilet.” – Dexter, age 10
References
CBC Short Docs. August 30, 2016. Accessed December 03, 2016. http://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/shorts/genderize & http://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/shorts/princess-jack
Lugones, María. “Heterosexualism and the Colonial/Modern Gender System.” Hypatia 22, no. 1 (Winter 2007): 186-219.
Underwood, Colleen. “Medicine Hat Judges Ordered 4-year-old Not to Wear Girls’ Clothes in Public.” CBC News. October 24, 2016. Accessed December 03, 2016. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/medicine-hat-judges-ordered-4-year-old-not-to-wear-girls-clothes-in-public-1.3816829.
Wente, Margaret. “Transgender Kids: Have We Gone Too Far?” The Globe and Mail. 2014. Accessed December 03, 2016. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/transgender-kids-have-we-gone-too-far/article16897043/.