Monday, June 16, 2014
“How do you explain human sexuality or
sexual identification to gang members, skinheads and Mexican Mafia members?” I
can tell you from first hand experience that it is not as difficult as you
might think.
If you are one of the millions of
people binge watching the Netflix show ‘Orange is the New Black’ then you
should be familiar with an actress by the name of Laverne Cox. She was
interviewed by Katie Couric this past Friday and so began a conversation I
never thought would happen.
The guys in my dormitory began asking
me if she was in fact a man and what did I know about her. It was as if because
I was a gay man, that I should automatically know everything about her. I asked
them if they thought the LGTB community had a secret society in which we all
know one another. They laughed and responded that, no, they did not think that.
Still though, they pressed on.
I did my best to explain to them that
Laverne Cox would not have ever identified herself as a gay man. They were
incredibly confused. I digressed and began a human sexual identity psychology
class.
I painted the image that if they were
born, just as they were, but inside believed that they were supposed to be a
girl – that it would be like being trapped in a body that wasn’t theirs. I
asked them how they would feel if people told them that they had to be with
other men and that being with a woman was wrong. It was clearly a light bulb
moment for them. All of a sudden they began to understand that Laverne Cox
would not be a gay man or simply gay because inside she always identified
herself as female. I explained that it is not about genitalia, or even the
physicality if it, but rather, the mind and the soul of the person.
A few of the guys commented on how
pretty Laverne Cox was ‘for a man’. I corrected them and said that she is
beautiful for a woman. They were silent for a moment and then began referring
to Laverne Cox as “her” and “she”. I couldn’t help but to smile inside.
- Lesson Complete
