Trans America

By Denise Holliday

Denise is a freelance writer, Male to Female transsexual and transgender activist who educates people regarding transgender issues through her Maritime Transgender Workplace Solutions Project that offers workshops to groups, businesses, educational facilities and government depts. She welcomes questions regarding these issues. Her Web page is: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/winpapernews

Awesome, Accurate, Detailed, Empathetic, Realistic, and emotionally devastating for a TS that is 58 years old, who raised a son and two daughters as a father should and transitioned late in life only to have the son take off for parts unknown without a word in almost three years, because of the new (to him) TS stressed parent in his life.

I, like everyone else, had some personal ideas of what was probably coming. The sublimely ridiculous way Hollywood is able to turn our life experiences into the pervert or idiot of the year award. 3 minutes into the movie I was becoming aware that this was the one time that Hollywood might not have screwed up.

It displayed without apologies the fact that we as a community have no control over our lives. That regardless of the advisor, by any title, being right or wrong, they still maintain control over every step of our lives up to and through transition. Even pointing out that we have to convince two different shrinks that we are “SANE” so that they will give us letters that allow us to apply for a surgery procedure no SANE man or woman would volunteer for. Also very briefly touching on voice, hair and hormone procedures as it raced to the starting climax.

Bree, the Male to Female Transsexual Pre-OP played by Felicity Huffman was Sooooooo believable that I was amazed at the make-up work that had been accomplished. The degree of voice degradation she accomplished to sound like a male to female struggling to attain female tones, was astounding. Every TS faces different social situations and while the social stress and scenarios are very similar, friends and family disowning you, social isolation and destruction in many cases of self worth. Social stigma and stresses from the kid in the mall saying “Hey, are you a man or a woman,” the mother slamming the door in your face and the personal stress when, presenting in your chosen gender (especially as in the movie a pre-op) and some one of the opposite gender takes an interest in you. This movie hid nothing from the audience. The son’s problems were many and diverse but in reality, for the sake of the movie had no other purpose than to show what we go through while striving to make our way through life and meet our family commitments.

The end of the movie is something you will need to go and see. As I said at the beginning, although my son’s situation bore no resemblance to her son’s the emotional turmoil and stress is every bit as tremendous.

She is a Pre-Op awaiting surgery. Does the doctor give or withhold permission? If so does she make it to the operating table? Does family challenges in the way of a son she never knew she had and his dire needs change her mind? Does the son stay, leave, live or die? Can any of her family come around to seeing her for who she really is? Go find out and take some tissues if you are emotionally inclined, sniff.

As for me, this was a walk through memory lane. An at times dark lane for me that so far has no light in sight when it comes to my sons whereabouts and while I struggle daily with many of the issues shown in this movie I rejoice that my spouse, family, spouses family and my daughters have stood by me. Most transsexuals are not that lucky, so go see how Bree does.

I have never ever come out of a movie theatre so stressed out in my life. I give it 11 out of ten.