Currently in Australia, a court case is deciding on rather or not two Australian transsexuals can be legally recognized as men, without needing to have their female reproductive organs removed. I find it quite bothersome when we have to bring the government into the equation. When we are born we are merely a number to them, so why are they so concerned about our genders? A human being is born into their gender, however, the way they choose to live it should be no concern to the government or society for that matter. Although I know that people are never going to accept people who are "different," they should butt out of other people's business.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/sex-swap-pair-win-court-case/story-e6frg97x-1226160667223
On the other hand, our class discussions on gender identity has made me more aware to the differences between transgender, transexual, lesbian, gay and such. Before it I hadn't concerned myself with this topic because I lived on an island, there wasn't much. Also discussing this has made me realize how society has molded me into a "female." There were instances when I was little when people thought I was a boy because I had short hair and I dressed like a tomboy. I felt misplaced, I was a girl, but why were people calling me a boy? So in order for society to accept me, I grew out my hair and started dressing more like a girl, because that was how I was suppose to be. Don't get me wrong, I like who I am now, but it just makes me happy to realize that people don't give in no matter how "abnormal" society thinks you are. It may sound ignorant, but hey, that's what I think.
Hey An An,
Thanks for posting this. I think that the discussion of gender identity in the context of transgender folks, makes us think more closely about our own gender performativity. This means thinking about our gender presentations in a more open manner. In many ways, this underscores the basic point that gender, is more fluid than we generally think. Also, I think that we have trained ourselves not to see gender difference--especially transpeople who live and work in our communities. Perhaps, reading Butler, and thinking about the Aggressives, might open our eyes to different forms of gender difference, as well as examine our own gender privileges. Good work!