faith is a journey

The moment I heard Degrassi was doing a trans storyline, I was excited. They’ve done school shooting, gay, lesbian & bisexual students (and parents), self-harm, bullying, all sorts of things that seem like an after-school special, but the thing about Degrassi is that it does them well. Transgenderism was, in a way, the logical issue for them to tackle next. I was curious as to how they’d do it. When I heard they were bringing in a trans student, my heart leapt. A trans high school student? This had the potential to be awesome (or really bad). They named the trans character Adam and I just smiled (because my mind interpreted that not as the “first man” but as the first human – the primordial genderless being created by God).

So far, I have been impressed. Adam has been in the episodes since the beginning of the season – as just one of the regular students – passing completely as male. There were hints of something in earlier episodes – Adam’s attempt to fit in with the guys leading him to overcompensate a bit led him to make “that’s what she said” and other machismo comments. But they didn’t make it an issue. It wasn’t a big – oh, hi, this is Adam and he’s trans. I liked that. A lot.

The two part trans storyline episodes are titled “My Body is a Cage” – a phrase that resonates with me completely. I think many trans folks have often felt that way. Your feel that your body betrays you when you're trans, that it's wrong. It's not about making it better, it's about making it right. It confines you and holds you prisoner - prevents you from being who you really are.

Thoughts on the individual parts (contain spoilers)
( “My Body is a Cage” Part I )

( “My Body is a Cage” Part II )


The Degrassi tagline has always been “Degrassi. It goes there.” It went there and it went there in a good way. Yes, there are things that could have been done differently, but there weren’t any moments of OMG! Fail.

The writing was absolutely superb in both parts. You hated the characters you were supposed to hate and felt sorry for the ones going through hard times. I loved the portrayal of Drew as the uber supportive brother (something I’m lucky enough to have) as well as Claire and Eli who are curious and never waver in their support and friendship with Adam. In addition to a well-written script, I was impressed by Jordan Todosey’s acting. It was impressive to see a fifteen year old take on that role and portray it so well, especially all the emotional subtleties throughout the two-part ep.

While I might have liked a different trans narrative than the “man born in a woman’s body”, that’s because I wish there was more room for other trans narratives sometimes. There isn’t a one size fits all trans narrative, but I am damned proud of degrassi for doing a good job portraying *a* trans narrative, and portraying it in an accurate, and at times painful, way. Hat’s off to you, Degrassi, I commend you.

This piece in yesterday's Boston Globe irked me. I'm not sure I have the ability to form coherent thoughts. An excerpt:

Gender Identity Disorder is not "incredible," no matter how politically fashionable it has become to claim otherwise. It is not just another hue in the rainbow of diversity. It is a dysfunction. It should be met with sympathy, counseling, and therapy, not with five-page spreads in People and appearances on "Oprah."

Headlines notwithstanding, there is no "pregnant man." There is only a confused and unsettled woman, who proclaims that surgery, hormones, and clothing made her a man, and is clinging to that fiction even as the baby growing in her womb announces her womanhood to the world.

Yeah.