Shawn Maxam is glad that another public figure is sharing their gender identity story with the world.
In a article from today’s Daily Beast singer Cindy Bullens describes her decision to publicly announce her transition to Cidny.
This fact is not something I recently uncovered from the depths of my psyche. This is a fact that I have known from my first conscious thoughts and memories and I’ve lived with it every single moment since. I knew I was a boy before age 4 and was terribly confused—and later horrified in puberty—knowing that I had been “born wrong,” as my mother would say.
I think this interesting especially because on yesterday’s GMP call we discussed issues of identity and morality and why they are considered provactive topics. We also talked about the concept of The Overton Window - which is a means of visualizing how acceptable ideas are by where they fall of spectrum of political discourse — ranging from Unthinkable, to Radical, to Acceptable, to Sensible, to Popular, to Policy.
Bullens also discusses why the gender binary was never an adequate way to describe the lives of
Still, there are so many questions. How should I be addressed or introduced? Will I be “she” or “he,” “him” or “her”? I’m not sure when or how that will happen. It will come when and if it feels right to me. Unfortunately, the world’s perception of gender is binary: That there are only two genders. For me and millions of others who fall somewhere in between, this binary system just doesn’t work.
As more people come forward with their issues regarding their gender identity struggles I believe we reach a popular consencus in our society where trasnsphobia is no longer acceptable and children are able to express their true gender identities regardless of biology.
I would love to hear from you and other GMPers about this story. Share your thoughts below.
Image via Cindy Bullens
About S. Maxam
Has Cidny expressed any pronoun preferences? It seems, just from reading the article, that someone who identifies as a man should be referred to as ‘he’. (Or at the very least, if Cidny is not a woman, using *any* pronoun other than ‘she’ would be more appropriate.)