Coming soon on BBC3.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012p4kc
I'm afraid the video links, in the article, probably won't be available outside the UK though.
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Comments
Drag queens
This is a good example of where my understanding and my tolerance part company. I do not truly understand crss-dressing, or even the drag queen thing. It is too foreign for me to empathise with. My problems are of a profoundly different nature, even though to an 'outsider' they look the same.
However, and it is a big however, the fact that I can only understand the thing in the barest intellectual way does not mean that I belittle or condemn it. Why should I? People are people. Now, if only that attitude had more adherents...
Drag queens
tend to be gay men, and Jamie seems to think that's what he is, although without seeing the whole programme, it's difficult to decide what I think. Just the little I saw in the clips tend to suggest he's more transgender than gay, it looks as if it's the glam bit which attracts him to the drag element, but he said he doesn't want people to see him as man in a dress but as a beautiful woman. Given that most drag queens caricature women, he doesn't seem typical of the genre.
Normally I steer well clear of such things because like Steph, I don't understand why they do it, and given that most are very vulgar in sexually based humour, I find them a double turn off.
Angharad
Angharad
Truly, I can understand where Jamie's coming from.
It seems to me that there are various reasons why I need to 'cross dress' (Not the best expression but usable.)
Strangely, whilst I have within me, several reasons for wanting to cross dress, I have only one reason for wishing to live for long periods as a woman and with female features like real breasts (Which I now have.)
The reasons for cross dressing are not always contemporary insofar as when I dress I sometimes behave outrageously and at other times behave much as a real woman would, relating emotionally with other real girls and not being extrovert to the point of embarrassment.
The dichotomies within me used to perplex me (In fact they still do.) in as much as my partial transexualism is sometimes at odds with my transvestism and sometimes at peace with it.
The complexities I face within me cause me to recognise much of what Jamie is facing. His need to pass and fool other girls on the one hand flies in the face of his wish to be a 'drag queen' who would ordinarily behave outrageously and disturb women by mocking their sexuality. These conflicting needs seem to fuel his frustrations as he struggles to get his appearence just perfect even if it is outrageous to some people.
Women seem much more at ease with their sexuality than men and yet they are often disenchanted with their bodies and their sex. Drag queens often seem to attack women's sexuality and, despite the often comic aspect, this can cause a sense of fear or threat amongst some women.
There's nout so strange as folk.
Bev.
Growing old disgracefully.
Sadly, I don't think this does us any favours
I've seen the occasional drag queen on television and, whilst I have little problem with them expressing themselves, they do, in my opinion, help to reinforce the common public perception of all trans-people. That is, we are all camp, gay paedopiles with big hair, excessive makeup and skysraper heels; we could be 'normal' if we wanted to be, this is a lifestyle choice and we are a danger to society.
Such could not be further from the truth. And there is surpise that some of us live in stealth? There is as much variation in trans-people as there is in society as a whole.
I haven't worn heels over 4 cm for about 30 years (I live alone and my balance is poor), I can't see well enough to apply makeup so don't use anything apart from lipstick and fragrance, my hair is short and straight and I am bisexual by inclination and celibate by force of circumstance.
S.
I disagree
Yes in the past society lumped everyone together prefering fewer boxes, but there have been many positive transsexuals on television and in the media in general.
I remember Nadia on big brother fondly, it was at a time I was struggling with my family's acceptance, my parent's tolerated me but my stepdad's parents refused to even acknowledge me. However, when Nadia was on big brother my grandparent's being fans of the show watched despite their predujice, as the show went on they realised more and more that Nadia was a real person, they ended up falling in love with her personality. My parents were the same, although it didn't mean immediate acceptance it allowed them to realise I was just like Nadia, real.
Slowly things changed, my parents accepted me more, not fully but more than before, my grandparents began to at least tolerate me. Sadly it wasn't until my nan was in hospital that my grandparents finaly accepted me unconditionally. Ironically it was the other ladies in the ward who did it. I went in one day wearing a little black dress as I was on my way somewhere. My mother told me the next day that the ladies on the ward had all told nan what a beautiful granddaughter she had.
That pretty much did it, but the acceptance started with Nadia.
Many people on TS forums and such complained Nadia "didn't do us any favours"
Sadly everybody's idea of what will or wont do us favours differs, there's an old saying
You can please half of the people all of the time
Some of the people half of the time
but you'll never please all of the people all of the time
I'm sure there are drag queens out there who complained that Nadia, Dana or for that matter Caroline Cossey "didn't do them any favours"
The answer is a simple question "Why should they?" At the end of the day these people including Jamie place themselves in the media spotlight for their own reasons and it's not nessasarily to "Promote the public image of trans people."
I too am bisexual, although currently in a hetrosexual relationship, most days I don't wear make-up occasionally I do, I wear Jeans, trousers(pants to US readers) but I also wear skirts and dresses when the mood takes me. I wear slippers at home, outside I'll wear everything from trainers to 4" heals again depending on my mood.
In fact I'm pretty much on a par with most other women, personally I don't bother to keep up with shows like this, I'll never deny my past but at the same time I'll never scream it from the rooftops. I'm a woman, the fact I had a harder route to womanhood is only my concern.
Society will think what it wants to regardless of what people like Jamie, Nadia, Dana or Caroline Cossey do, opinions they have today will change again as another takes the stage.
Sadly society as a whole are sheep, very few think for themselves, they will follow the latest trends blindly, changing as the trends themselves change.
Basically what I'm saying is Jamie will be old news a week after the show airs, the only ones who'll remember are those who it relates to directly, like that German girl who had surgery at 16, I can't even remember her name, my only thought at the time was lucky bitch lol.
Lizzie :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p