MTV’s “The Real World,” the show that give birth to reality television, took a step closer to representing the real world by adding a transgender to their cast for the first time. But while MTV was taking their time getting to the transgendered population, a pair of USM alumni were bringing transgender issues to the forefront of peoples’ consciousness.
On Thursday, Jan. 29, a classroom full of faculty, staff, and students gathered in Bailey Hall to witness the premier showing of Alex Roan’s “Gender Outside the Box,” a collection of interviews with transgenders that hopes to shed light on an often convulted issues.
The concept for the film, ironically, came from a textbook. Roan said his entire idea started when he took a human sexuality class in college, and was shocked at the “misinformation in textbooks {where} everything was dated.”
Alex, a FTM (female to male) transgender, is a graduate of USM and foundor of the Maine Transgender Network.
He said the intent of the film was to show “diverse experiences and viewpoints of those who are transgender.”
Originally a project to educate mental health and social services professionals about transgender issues, the film’s goal is to fill in gaps left by textbooks and conventional teachings.
The film is split into two parts, with the first part being comprised of interviews and the second being advice for health professionals.
Roan’s vision begins with various images of Maine, reminding everyone where we come from and giving us a shared sense of community and belonging. What follows is a remarkable journey for the viewer, listening to the stories of transgender people.
All of the interviews represent real-life situations that transgendered people face. For some, it’s just the lack of understanding by other people. For others, it’s not knowing how to tell those that they love.
One interviewee, Dal, said it was at the age of five that it hit him, and he knew there was something wrong with this picture, he just didn’t have a name for it.
One MTF (male-tpo-female) said that she didn’t socialize well in school and “didn’t understand the male bonding thing”, both of which are common experiences for the transgendered.
In the film, Roan reminds viewers of the different terms revolving around transgender. He defines transgender as “an umbrella term that encompasses any individual who does not conform to society’s expectations of what it means to be male or female. Often an individual whose gender identity does not ‘match’ their birth sex.”
And Roan’s distinction is an important one since many people confuse transgender with transexual. In reality, a transexual is someone who has taken steps to physically change their body to be more like their gender identity.
Also in attendance at the film was Sarah Parker-Holmes, program-coordinator of USM’s Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity. Also a USM alumnus, Parker-Holmes was asked to co-sponsor the event by Associate Professor of Counselor Education, Bette Katsekas.
Parker-Holmes said the main focus of the Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity is to “help identify local therapists in the area, since very few are familiar with transgender issues.”
The group participates in the Safe Zone project, which identifies and trains allies on campus, makes contacts, and works with Residential Life with gender neutral housing. They are currently working towards promoting gender neutral bathrooms on campus.
The Center also gives referrals for therapists and medical providers.
In terms of gender identity, Parker-Holmes said that it’s really an “internal sense of who you are” and everyone’s gender expression can be different.
Parker Holmes emphasizes that society plays a significant role in gender identity, and that people “can have the freedom to explore in a way that is meaningful, whether that means changing their bodies or not.”
Conversations about transgender are often taboo, and stereotypes about the role of women often lead to unfulfilled expectations.
“This issue is important for everyone, not just about transgender,” Roan said.