Jennifer Terry - Anxious Slippages between "Us" and "Them"

Selection from text:

"Hermaphroditism in an individual was the sign of a lagging evolutionary process because the lesser the distinction between masculine and feminine traits in any one person, the lower the individual on the evolutionary scale. Thus, individuals who displayed what were taken to be sexually ambiguous traits - whether these be anatomical or behavioral - were interpreted to be primitive and, most likely, degenerate. Conversely, progress was signified by a greater degree of sexual difference, or dimorphism, as well as procreative heterosexuality. Homosexual inverts, because they were seen as blurring the boundaries of gender - either as masculine women or effeminate men - were regarded as 'unfinished' specimens of stunted evolutionary growth, a status they shared with 'savages' and certain types of criminals" (Terry, 1995: 135).

My Response:

I chose these photos from People Magazine to show how prevalent gender is in the American society. Magazines such as People show the American public about the ideal couples, and what it means to be male and female. This may not be intentional, but it becomes the standard for what we consider to be "normal". It simply ignores those who are not "normal", whether anatomically or socially.This couple, on the other hand, attracts more attention. Why are they not shown in People Magazine?

Transgender Video

I think this video clip is interesting, because it has very emotional music playing along and really paints a sad or depressing picture of what life is like for a transgender individual. I think it further separates these people from the "normal" when they are portrayed in such a victimized way.

Sources:
Terry, Jennifer. 1995. Anxious Slippages between "Us" and "Them": A Brief History of the Scientific Search for Homosexual Bodies. In Deviant Bodies: Critical Perspectives on Difference in Science and Popular Culture. Terry, Jennifer, and Jacqueline Urla, eds. Pp. 129-169. Bloomintgton: Indiana University Press.
http://images.google.com/imghp?tab=wi
http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20045075_20049947,00.html?cid=hottestphoto-2
http://www.youtube.com/