Sexual Identity Crisis

Politics of Sexuality

Sexual identity Crisis

Sexuality is usually ambiguous. It should not be assumed that an individual born with a vagina or a penis would sexually identify with his or her assigned gender. Sexual identity is a label that people adopt to signify to others who they are as a sexual being. Mind you, sexual identity, sexual orientation and gender identity are not the same thing even though they are similar in many ways. Sexual identity crisis occurs when an individual does not conform to the sex they were assigned at birth. Many people deal with sexual identity crisis usually transsexuals and transgender people. Brandon Teena from the movie, Boys Don't Cry and Jennifer Finney Boylan from the book, She's Not There both experienced sexual identity crisis. There were similarities and differences between their stories. These similarities and differences will be discussed in this essay.

Brandon Teena was a transgendered male who was biologically born as a female. Brandon Teena can be characterized as a gynephilic woman. Brandon Teena was attracted to females. He dated a female named Lana Tisdel and permanently took on a male identity when he moved to Falls City in Nebraska. Brandon Teena strongly identifies with male. He dresses like a man, binds his breasts flat with bandages, cuts his hair short and puts socks in his crotch. Jennifer Boylan is a male to female transsexual who can be characterized as a gynephilic man. Jennifer Boylan is attracted to females. She married Grace Finney and had two sons with her. Jennifer began cross-dressing during her teenage years. Even though Jennifer knew she was a girl, she struggled to conform to her male identity. Brandon Teena and Jennifer Boylan were both seeking love and acceptance. Brandon Teena found love in Falls City, Nebraska, which eventually led to his death. Jennifer Boylan thought love would cure her from wanting to be female. After her marriage, the feelings of becoming a woman were gone for a few years.

The story of Brandon Teena and Jennifer Boylan illustrated sexuality as socially constructed instead of a natural occurrence. Society assumes that an individual born with a penis or a vagina will grow up to identify as a male or female respectively. Society has placed us in a box such that those who don't fit in that box are seen as non-conforming to society. If transsexuality was perceived as a natural phenomenon, Brandon would not have hidden the fact that he was a male trapped in a female body. Jennifer would not have struggled for many years with sexual identity.

Generally, people's attitudes towards homosexuality, transsexuality and transgender people differ in terms of location as well as the historical period. With Brandon and Jennifer, location contributed to the way people viewed homosexuality, transsexuality and transgender people but historical period, not so much. Brandon lived in rural Falls City in Nebraska while Jennifer lived in rural Maine. Although, they both lived in rural areas, Maine was more accepting of transsexuality,