i came across a copy of hbo’s middle sexes dvd at a big lots yesterday for a whopping $3.00. needless to say, we bought it and watched it (again) last night. having seen it before a couple of years ago, it reminded me that this piece of work is one of the best overviews of all things trans available. i highly recommend it.
“biology loves variation. society hates it.”
the dvd includes interviews of trans people of note such as calpernia addams and andrea james as well as other trans people from various cultures, thailand and india as two examples. there are additional interviews with intersex and bi people, as well as medical, scientific, and academic representatives.
big lots also had a copy of normal, also for $3.00, which i did not buy. i had trouble sitting through it when i watched it, and didn’t wish to revisit that discomfort. that scene in the barn, shotgun in mouth, finger on trigger, hit way too close to home. and no, i have never been in a barn.
I agree.
cutter.tblog.com/post/1969933548
Comment by Jon — January 19, 2009 @ 3:24 pm
yes, in fact, i thought of you when i found it. i remember you saw it and really liked it, and i saw it at some point after, and agreed.
and you’re right, the whole damn world should watch it. it should be required in school. and kids should be tested on it for their final exams.
Comment by nexy — January 19, 2009 @ 4:55 pm
“it should be required in school. and kids should be tested on it for their final exams.”
Amen to that!
Comment by Jon — January 19, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
You’ve never been in a barn?
Comment by Kelly — January 19, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
not that i can recall. there aren’t too many barns in the new york city suburbs.
Comment by nexy — January 20, 2009 @ 6:56 pm
Good point. My Mom’s family is from a small town in Eastern Kentucky and when we would visit my Aunt Maggie, I used to love playing in the barn and getting lost in the woods. It’s a great memory that I have, that and the fact that she had a tin roof and when it rained, well, it’s heaven to sleep under a tin roof in the rain.
Comment by Kelly — January 20, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
I haven’t seen “Middle Sexes” but will see if I can track down a copy.
But “Normal”, though – yep, I felt much the same as you. Extremely well-observed, I thought, to the point where some scenes *were* difficult to sit through. Wish my folks had watched it before binning the copy I gave them, though.
Comment by Helen — January 22, 2009 @ 7:02 am
i’m still trying to isolate what specifically made me uncomfortable about it. it’s not like the story was very similar to my own, though there were a few parallels. perhaps it was simply too well done.
Comment by nexy — January 22, 2009 @ 7:51 pm