Should Homosexual Be Accepted by Society? Essay Example

The debate to accept or reject homosexuals in the society has been ongoing for a long time now. In their part, homosexuals believe that they should be given special attention by the society, besides being offered protection and sanctioned. In their arguments, homosexuals believe that they are not to blame because their sexual disposition is involuntary and inherited. From the casebook, I will choose essays that challenge similar cultural assumptions about gender. I will then identify an assumption that interests me and put each writer’s argument to the test by examining the way he or she uses evidence to challenge that assumption. My first task would be to make a list of the evidence used by each writer. Later, I will track down some of the original sources scientific articles, newspaper reports, or statistics used by the original writer. I will address my chosen assumption, and write an essay that makes an argument about the origins, meaning, or validity of the assumption challenged in the essays I have chosen to work with.

The first essay from the casebook is ‘The Body Narrative of Transsexuality’ by Jay Prosser. In the essay, Prosser is vocal on three areas that transgender persons use in order to express their feelings. Firstly, Jay Prosser identifies the use of autobiography by people who are transsexuals in order to establish a self. He also identifies ‘politics of home’ a disposition he says transsexual attempt to attain coherence between their gender and sex. Thirdly, Prosser explains the way transgender bodies are misrepresented owing to queer theory. According to Prosser, ‘body narrative’ is ‘the story the transsexual weaves around the body in order that this body mat be read’ (Prosser 101). In that regard, Jay Prosser allows his readers to use his personal body narrative in an attempt to understand the transgender persons. From a personal standpoint, Prosser has provided his autobiographical information in order to express the discomfort he experiences in his attempt to change from female to male. He defends the fact that, most transsexual persons have a body image different from the visible body, making it difficult for them to own their ‘material’ image. Conclusively, most transgender strive to change the fresh as opposed to the body image in attempt to feel acceptance in the society.

In tracking down some of the original scientific materials in regard to Jay Prosser’s argument on transsexual, the theory by French psychoanalyst Anzieu comes in handy. In the same breath, Freud argument in regard to human body is also a scientific evidence for use in this work. According to Freud, the body remains a self-image in which human beings invest in, although it deviates from being synonymous with the material organism or body. In addition, the scientist is equally vocal that the body image equally contributes towards persuading transsexual persons to alter their body and conform to it. According to Freud, the body image has a force that pushes the transgender to express their feelings, as opposed to the physical image. Another scientific figure that prompted Jay Prosser’s argument is French psychoanalyst Anzieu. In 1989, Anzieu argued that, the skin ego is a sanctified entity and should not be looked at as a mere image. In French psychoanalyst Anzieu’s own words, it is ‘an organ enabling and illustrating the psychic/corporeal interchange of subjectivity.’’ In his words, Jay Prosser borrows from Anzieu and describes the skin ‘as the point of contact between material body and body image, between visible and felt matter (Prosser 43).’’

The second essay that challenge similar cultural assumptions about gender from the book is Graff’s article “The M/F Boxes” in which she explains the way life is unfair and difficult for some persons who try to change their body to suit a different sex from the one they were born having. In Graff’s own words, male genders “patrol each other’s masculinity with a… level of ridicule and violence that can seem, to women, nearly surreal.” In view of the title that Graff gives his article, it comes out clear that some people are torn between being male and females. When the article opens, the readers are introduced to a girl in Chicago who has decided she will not wear dresses, despite being female. The society has been amazed with the increased number of persons coming out openly to admit that their body feels different from their physical sex. The afore-mentioned category of people are identified as ‘transgendered’. In her argument, the author strives to show that, the society to some extent has to accept that transgender people have no other way apart from being accepted. The author cites a case of Daphne Scholinski, who appears so masculine at only six years of age. She was meted harassment for trying to use women toilets. She proceeds to expose a girl who had to be subjected to a mental hospital for over a decade, owing to her transgender tendency. Surprisingly, even her parents did not seem to agree to her sexual disposition. She suffered torture because at one time, she was put in a boy’s ward, and she was raped all in a bid to confirm he femininity.

In view of the above argument by Graff, it is obvious that her argument is somewhat prompted by some scientific figures such as John Money. Money established some theories in which he argues that the only way to help people grappling with issue of transgender is to subject them to surgery to change them. Graff’s article is equally closely connected to behaviorist theory that classifies people with transgender tendency as having mental issues. The behaviorists ignore the fact that, the persons experiencing such problems have inborn gender feelings that should not be ignored. Money’s theory supports the idea of denying people with transgender tendency their right to express their feelings. According to association of psychiatrist in the United States, transsexualism is classified under a mental illness, making it difficult for people with such feelings to come out and seek help as they will be put under a mental facility.

In my own observation, the issue on whether one should retain his or her biological gender should be put behind in the society. As seen, people who have the feeling that their gender contradicts what their body feels end up being tortured and subjected to mental facilities. Such moves could be easily avoided in the event that the society accommodates them. Their contribution in the society is very vital and as such, they should be embraced and accepted. Research has established that individuals who are accepted as transgender end up being very productive in the society. Instead of wasting their time and torturing them psychologically, they should be allowed to enjoy life the best way they see it. For instance, in the case of Scholinski as seen in Graff’s article, the hospital decided to cure her masculinity and completely ignored her childhood. As seen, she would be scolded for not putting up make-ups, something that would have been avoided if at all she were allowed to live her life.

Transgender should be given a chance in the society because forcing people to lead another life will only create more problems that can easily be avoided. For instance, when Jepsen, a female who felt she ought to be a male was asked to put up makeup at her workplace, she ended up losing the job (Graff 270). According to her revelation, it was difficult for her to act like a female bartender, while in actual sense she felt like a male. In another instance, Peter Oiler felt more of a woman than a male. He spent a good part of his life serving as a truck driver in a ship company. Owing to his transgender feeling, Peter led a double life, wearing women clothes on weekends, and wearing like a man on working days. In view of the above cases, it is clearly seen that disallowing people to express their gender feelings makes life hard for them. The society should just allow them to live their lives the best way they deem fit.

In conclusion, Jay Prosser and Graff in their articles have established that it is evident that people find it difficult to live in a society that deems them as either male or females, while in actual sense their body feels otherwise. In my argument, transgender should be given a chance in the society because forcing people to lead another life will only create more problems that can easily be avoided.

Works Cited

Graff, E. J. The M/F Boxes, 1958

Prosser, Jay. Second Skins: The Body Narratives of Tran sexuality. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. Print