Gender: another perspective

Juan Tomas
Contributor
With his new book slated for release, Chaz Bono’s decision to go through a sex change has become a contentious issue once again.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey on CelebTV.com, Chaz Bono, the offspring of entertainers Sonny and Cher, stated why he  wished to change his sex. “When I was really little it was very clear to me that I felt like a boy.”

The image shown onscreen of Chaz— then known as Chastity— as a youngster is that of a cute little blonde girl. There is no visual indication of gender ambiguity at that stage, however, as Chaz’s present image is displayed, one can easily see that of an individual of mixed gender messages: the build of a man with the face of a woman.
I empathized with Chaz as he went on to explain, “I literally felt as if my body was betraying me.”
My heart and soul are that of a young man, though my body shows its old age. If I try to run too fast, I trip and fall. If I walk as far as my younger friends do, my flat feet kick in and my brain tells me, “hey, lose the excess weight or else.”
In the case of Chaz, he describes how over the years he manifested into a “curvaceous woman”, which horrified him. Much to his chagrin, coming out as “lesbian” didn’t help. Being transgendered, he concluded, is not the same as being a homosexual female.
Chaz went on to describe the fear he felt after making the decision for a surgical sex change. Questions of insecurity and doubt flooded his mind and he wondered who would love him afterwards. Presently, judgments regarding sexual orientation are made too easily.
We don’t get to pick out our body types when we’re born. Imagine our little souls in some heavenly warehouse of genetic probabilities, being able to select what facial features, intellect and sexuality factors we would be born with. It might be a good idea for a science fiction novel, but it’s not likely to happen any time soon.
In an interview with Oprah, she asks Chaz if the transition has finally made him happy. His response is, “I’m incredibly happy.” If he is happy then we should accept him as he is. He went on to say that everything is much easier for him now and that he is “on the same playing field as everybody else”. If one considers that he is not hurting anyone else, then his happiness must make it all worthwhile. Everyone should have the right to pursue personal happiness within the limits of the law, and fortunately for North Americans they have that right.
However, having said that, I should also caution that Chaz Bono is placing himself in a potentially alienating position. Not everybody is tolerant of people who are different. I have had some experience with being scrutinized by the public in my capacity as both a teacher and musician. It has taught me that people tend to spread innuendo and negative rumours much faster than good news.
As for Chaz Bono, he is definitely in a minority position. It must take a great deal of courage for him face the veritable gauntlet of public criticism.
Happiness is an elusive quality. Some of us have it and some of us don’t. We have only one life to live in this existence, and a lot of the time, many of us are depressed about one thing or another. Chaz’s decision to physically make his body conform to his true gender is his business. Who are we to pass judgment? It takes guts to stand up for one’s right to be happy when it contradicts the staus quo. There is an old proverb about walking in someone else’s shoes. Maybe we could all learn a little lesson in courage from Chaz.