The above image compares Caitlyn Jenner to our Canadian hero, Terry Fox. Every single Canadian grows up knowing who Terry Fox is, but for my American and international friends (of whom I'm suuuuure there are many reading this...), he was a young man who, after being diagnosed with cancer and losing his leg to it at age 18, decided to run across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Throughout his journey Terry amassed a huge national following, but was never able to complete his cross-Canada run, having to stop in Thunder Bay only several months after he started, due to his cancer having spread. Less than a year later, he died in hospital at age 22 - just shy of his 23rd birthday. Since then, Canadians have participated in the yearly Terry Fox Run and the Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $700 million for cancer research. (For a much more detailed account of this awesome man's story or how to donate to his cause, go here or here.)
OK now that we've got that (mostly unnecessary) Canadian history lesson out of the way, let's get into it. Obviously the above image attempts to mock not only Caitlyn Jenner, but those people (in this case, Americans), who recognize her bravery - because "HA HA, people think this "woman" is a brave man!"
This is SO WRONG in SO MANY WAYS and makes my heart sick.
First of all, there is not one single definition of what bravery is. A person can be brave in myriad ways. A father can be brave to his daughter because he removes a spider from her room. A woman can be brave for speaking out about women's issues (or men's issues, who cares!) A child can be brave for jumping into a lake to save another child from drowning. A person can be brave for conquering something from climbing K2 to surviving cancer. Courage is not the lack of fear of something - it is acting despite the fear of something.
I've also seen an image with a firefighter rescuing a small, ash-covered naked child, with the caption: "If Bruce Jenner wants to be a woman, so be it. His body - he can do what he wants to it. But please - stop calling it heroic, courageous & brave because it isn't. This is heroic, courageous & brave........."
These images have aaaaall kinds of connotations and and implications. I'll start off with the gender aspect.
You'll notice in both these images Caitlyn Jenner is compared to a cisgendered man. Can only a cisgendered man be heroic? Was Caitlyn only a hero when she was Bruce Jenner - a masculine, athletic, Olympic medalist - and now that she is a woman she has lost the respect awarded to him? She is the same person who achieved athletic success as Bruce Jenner - her body is the same body (with some tweaks, to be sure - though none of that is anyone's fucking business but her own) that won gold at the Olympics. Her mind and spirit are the same mind and spirit that helped her focus on and conquer her athletic goals. We need to be aware of these inherent gendered assumptions and reshape our ideas that have (whether we're aware of it or not) been influenced by them.
Someone had commented on this image: "That is correct.. the photo of a rescue is heroic,courageous & brave.. Bruce Jenners' is a choice.." (sic)
The idea that it is a person's choice to be born in a body whose sex does not match who they know they truly are is fucking outrageous, small-minded, and (most importantly) scientifically incorrect (as discussed here, and here). And if courage is not a lack of fear, but acting despite that fear, then a trans person's very scary decision to transition - in the face of a society that doesn't understand or accept this decision (and often mocks and vilifies them for it) - is, by definition, courageous. You've just been word-ninja'd, fools.
My sister had a beautiful, informed response to the firefighter image and its commentator, which I'm pleased to share as part of this discussion:
"There are so many things wrong with the way that argument is framed. It is not a choice to be trapped in the wrong body your whole life - to feel anger, depression, and anxiety because you're trying so hard to adhere to society's expectations of a macho white male athlete while your soul is screaming at you to do the opposite. It is absolutely heroic to claim and proclaim your true self in a public forum. And if we're measuring heroism by lives saved, consider that millions of LGBTQ people die as a direct result of prejudice - whether it be via suicide due to the worthlessness that one feels when they know that they are not accepted by peers or family members or from direct acts of disgusting bigoted violence. People like Jenner help to educate the general (often ignorant) public and show LGBTQ people that it's ok to be who you are and to be proud of it. There are exceptionally high rates of suicide in the LGBTQ community and if Jenner's actions change the minds of a few people considering ending their lives, that is indeed heroic. A friend of mine went to 8 funerals last year. All LGBTQ people, all suicides. All because at one point or another, the people in their lives who were supposed to love and support them the most (along with society) made them feel unwelcome, unwanted, and unworthy. Yes people who put their lives on the line directly are heroes and are brave, but people who go against the grain to inspire those who need it most in spite of what a large portion of society might think are also."
I could not have said it better.
(I'll also note that my sister's response actually received a "you're right, I had never thought of it that way" from the original commentator, which is an AWESOME outcome of any discussion, and exactly what I aim to do with these types of conversations.)
The most disturbing aspect of this type of attack to me, though, has more to do with the comparison to Terry Fox, and more specifically the comparison of people's suffering. There is no doubt that people with cancer suffer - we've all seen it and I'm not at all discounting or disrespecting that. And Terry Fox is absolutely a hero and a Canadian icon who contributes to my pride as a Canadian. But I've heard people argue that the suffering of people with cancer far outweighs a trans person's suffering, which to me seems a ridiculous assertion; first of all, since we can't actually know the extent of a person's suffering (duh), how can we compare it? Secondly, can you imagine being born with the expectation of behaving and functioning as someone you know you are not? Can you imagine struggling to figure yourself out, and once you do, realizing that you are not at all accepted by society, and possibly not even by those closest to you? Can you imagine constantly wondering who you are, what you are, fighting for visibility because people still believe it's impossible to be born in the wrong body and that (much the way some people still somehow view being gay) it's a "choice"? Some trans people suffer their entire lives. So you can not tell me one situation is worse than another.
All this aside, though, WE SHOULD NOT BE COMPARING PEOPLE'S SUFFERING.
Trans issues are a very new thing at the forefront of society, I know. So I can (to an extent) understand people's ignorance on such issues. But simply because you don't fully understand or aren't properly educated on one subject does not delegitimize the subject or make you right (in fact, it sorta does the opposite). You are never going to know what truly goes on inside a person's head, or fully understand a person's experience; the angst a trans person might feel is unimaginable to someone born cisgendered, just as the pain and suffering a person with cancer might feel is unimaginable to someone who has never gone through it. Most importantly, though, your experience or suffering absolutely does not invalidate someone else's, or give you license to compare or comment on it.
Also, I just fully don't understand the need or impulse to pit one group's suffering against another. What's the fucking point? We are all human beings and we all feel suffering, regardless of the cause. Rather than arguing "oh I've suffered more than you because..." or "my suffering is more valid than yours because..." my hope is that the knowledge that we have all felt the pain of suffering would incite empathy within us, fuel us to try to ease each other's pain instead of compounding it with our own irrelevant judgement. I feel the same when I hear people arguing over who has had it worse: blacks, Jews, gays, women... when we have these arguments we are missing the point entirely; having these arguments only serves to further divide us, instead of inciting unity and solidarity in the shared experience of humanity. As much as certain people would like to convince you, it is not "us against them." It is never "us against them" and never should be. We are all human beings, and though we certainly experience life differently, we all have the capacity to love, to feel pain... and we are all worthy of the same respect and acceptance.
I also wonder if people are simply sick of Caitlyn Jenner as a celebrity. It's true - as Bruce Jenner she was part of the incredibly annoying Kardashian-fuelled trend of people being rich and famous just for being rich and famous, so I kind of understand if some people are feeling like they've had enough already. And from what I can gather, Bruce Jenner was kind of a huge asshole (which I feel can almost be excused, because wouldn't you be pissed off and miserable if you were stuck inside the wrong body all your life?) But that shit is small peanuts compared to what Caitlyn Jenner stands for now, the strength and courage she has shown in her very public journey, and consequently the strength and courage she has given to trans people everywhere who are only now beginning to gain visibility and acceptance (even within the queer community). For these reasons, Caitlyn Jenner is absolutely a fucking hero.
Finally, I question who actually creates these images for public viewing. My guess is it's the same kind of person who generally likes to stir up trouble on the internet because they crave attention and have nothing else better to do: at best, a pre-teen kid whose mind and opinions haven't fully or properly formed, and at worst, some close-minded, back-country evangelical Christian who thinks earthquakes and terrorism happen because "God hates fags."
We shouldn't be encouraging this immature drivel.
Instead, we need to think critically before posting something like this. It may just be a simple image, a way to voice a person's (ahemmisguidedahem) opinion. But whether we realize it or not, these hateful, hurtful, unnecessary images have extremely damaging implications.
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