Middle Sexes

The exclusivity of Western thinking is dominated by a gender/sex dichotomy of either male or female. It ignores opposing cultures and biological evidence for additional sex/gender categories. Native Americans, the first inhabitants of our country, believed in a third gender category. These persons, the berdache, were socially accepted in their culture. However, with colonization came Western ideas of what was right and wrong. Male and female were the only acceptable gender/sex categories in Western thought. Other examples of cultures who believe in another gender/sex category are Creole, Indian, and Bangkok. In Bangkok third sexes are believed to be stemmed from karma in a past life. However, this karma is not seen as a negative result of their sex. Creole people believe that spirits, or rather God's choice, has rendered them different. In India, the hidrja is a third category. While they face family rejection, hidrjas hold a space in society for things like celebrations (Weddings and birthdays) and sexual diversions (prostitution). To see oneself as a third sex/gender one can either have psychological feelings opposing one's birth given sex; or they may also have physical indications of having both male and female genitals. As Noah's parents said in the beginning of the film, “he didn't choose this” it's just how he is and they support him for whomever he wishes to be. The fatality of the nature to be different is that 50% of these individuals have a chance of being killed or killing themselves. So why is different so scary? Since the foundation of Western colonization, to be neither male nor female has been seen as immoral. It's easier to demonize the “other” than allow it to exist. For beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not in the division of anatomical parts. One woman in the film says, it is “beauty of mind and character.”
This course is reflective of deviance or how we come to define and categorize individuals as deviant. “Deviants never exist except in relation to those who attempt to control them. Deviants exist only in opposition to those whom threaten and those who have enough power to control against such threats....Winners obtain the privilege of organizing social life as they see fit. Losers are trapped within the vision of others” (Pfohl, 12). The vision of “others” is of course those individuals who prescribe to the sex-gender norm. Fausto-Sterling also touches the idea of transgender as being not an abnormality, but a lack of acceptance. The findings in this piece, The Five Sexes: Why Male And Female Are Not Enough, illustrates that there is need for including additional sex categories. I wonder, if there is prevalence enough for five sexes, why is sex/gender still limited to two categories?
I don't find any parts of this film to exclude important aspects of transgenderism. I do think they do a very good job covering questions many people may have, by questions I mean assumptions we thought to “know” previously. The documentary covers neurological aspects through autopsy brain analysis of transgendered individuals.

I found Noah's story very interesting. It would be interesting to see how other children are raised that feel this way. If we could study that, increase accepting parenting- could that be enough to defeat peer insults? An ex-boyfriend of mine was raised by two-male-gay parents. He often wore pink to school, not because they chose it, but because he did. They felt he could wear flowers and dresses if that made him happy. He was bullied at school for this but to this day is very well-rounded and accepting to all differences. So I think a study on parenting techniques from deviants and to deviants would be interesting.