How does it feel to be Transgender?

http://cjung-allen.wixsite.com/genderverification/single-post/2013/05/01/LEAVING-SOUTH-EAST-ASIA

In the spoken word “What it feels like to be Transgender” by Lee Mokobe, the author expresses his emotions and feelings as an uncomfortable girl, wanting his desired identity to be a boy. Although his body parts, face structure and voice completed the requirements of a girl, anatomy did not defeat his belief that inside lived a caged boy. As someone who is religious, he continued to pray, hoping Jesus would fix him, but no answer arrived. When his mother tells him, he could be anything he wants, he decides to be a boy. Despite feeling shameful and conflicted with questions, he starts dressing like one, unaware of the consequences he may face with his family: “When I turned 12, the boy phase wasn’t deemed cute anymore. It was met with nostalgic aunts who missed seeing my knees in the shadow of skirts, who reminded me that my kind of attitude would never bring a husband home, that I exist for heterosexual marriage and child-bearing.” (Mokobe). His mother, ashamed of his decision and afraid that he will get hurt or disappear without a trace of words, has put him down for wanting to express himself. This shows that he does not have the support of his family or anyone at his school, and therefore, he is on his own. The environment that surrounds him has also become haunting and harmful as there are many transgenders that lost their life. His life has become a spectacle, everyone flooding him with unwanted questions of curiosity, mixed with ignorance and persistence. He was treated as if he was not human and used as a freakshow on social media: “That my body is a feast for their eyes and hands and once they have fed off my queer, they’ll regurgitate all the parts they did not like” (Mokobe).  As a result of being a transgender, many feel they are doing wrong and feel ashamed of wanting to change genders. They are filled with uncertainty, not many being embraced and supported by their family, and are afraid of the conflicts that may arise. Their life continues to be in the hands of danger and they are confused and lost on how to take action. Therefore, life of a transgender is a self-discovery journey that is filled with obstacles such as shame and conflict as well as unwanted media on their queerness, which may result in family conflicts and becoming the spotlight of danger and social media.

 

 

Works Cited

Mokobe, Lee. What it feels like to be Transgender. May 2015. March 2018. <https://www.ted.com/talks/lee_mokobe_a_powerful_poem_about_what_it_feels_like_to_be_transgender>.