Mixed LGBT reaction over Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono is receiving a not entirely positive reaction from the LGBT community on the publication of his new memoir and a documentary about his transition from female to male. But this should not be a total surprise. Transmen who embrace the gender binary and surgically transition from female to male have an uncomfortable presence in the lesbian community. This is understandable: If the lesbian community is dedicated to celebrating — and fighting for the rights of — women who love women (in all their diversity on the genderqueer spectrum), what do we do when one of our own (transmen usually originate in the lesbian community), determines she is not truly female and chooses to legally and surgically become a man? There is concern among some lesbians that the decision to transition — rather than live as a butch lesbian or other genderqueer female— has an undercurrent of misogyny.

Perhaps more surprisingly about Chaz Bono's case is that even the trans community appears conflicted. A recent column on a leading lesbian website, Autostraddle, explores the reasons why Chaz's story is not an ideal representation of the experiences of most transmen. Sebastian, a columnist who is also a transman, expresses concern that Chaz seems too hung up on the medical procedure as the key to his transition. Specifically, Sebastian objects to the notion that simply taking testosterone and having your breasts removed automatically makes you a man. His column also points out the troubling result that, as a man, Chaz now espouses sexist male stereotypes, as if he has become an outdated cliche of manliness:

"According to the film, after T[estosterone], Chaz lost some softness, became angrier, less tolerant of the annoying things 'women do' (like 'chit chat' or 'worry about how fruit should be set out on the table for brunch…'), less sweet, more stubborn, and always needed to be right – traits his partner said were typical of men. I’ve never bought into this concept that men and women are so inherently different and that it is so much a result of our physiological makeup that changing our testosterone and estrogen levels can seriously alter who we are mentally and emotionally. I mean honestly this is absurd."

Sebastian also argues that Chaz is a troubled person who apparently thinks that changing his sex will magically improve everything in his life. According to Sebastian, transitioning is more complicated than that, and he says this point is the one thing that makes the film worthwhile.

"Becoming Chaz is pretty honest about how little Chaz ultimately has figured out. He’s still early in transition and is a recovering addict and comes off very adolescent in his dealings with the rest of the world. He plays a lot of video games, doesn’t seem to have very many friends, struggles with his girlfriend, and as far as I can tell, hasn’t held a job. His transition didn’t solve all his problems, and I value a film that honestly portrays that reality."

Lesbians Lose Another Butch

Naturally, we are all for transgender rights and the freedom for everyone to express who they truly are. And in keeping with this position, the Sapphist Gazetteer applauds and celebrates Chaz Bono's decision to transition from female to male. A courageous decision which no doubt will help diminish ignorance about trans issues—considering he is inherently likable and is probably the most famous trans person since Renee Richards. But Chaz's transition has also brought to light the sotto voce conversation in the lesbian realm regarding the concern that our best butches are choosing to become male, and, hence, no longer lesbian.

While trans persons are, of course, very much a part of the larger LGBT community, there is some controversy about where female-to-male individuals fit specifically into the lesbian community. Obviously, butch lesbians who become male are no longer lesbians. Yet often their female partners are lesbian. And the community in which they initially express their otherness in gender—or, come out as trans—is almost always the lesbian community. It's a conundrum that was first discussed in the mainstream media in March 2008 in "When Girls Will Be Boys" by Alissa Quart in The New York Times Magazine. This article examined the experience of female-to-male persons—or "transmales"—at women's colleges, and whether they even belong there. The issue was also examined somewhat on the L-Word. Interestingly, the issue primarily discussed on that show was the hostility and discrimination that Max, played by Daniela Sea, faced during transition (especially when he became pregnant.) But the question of Max's membership in the lesbian community was less prominent. Yes, there was the speechifying by Jenny about how, as a lesbian, she didn't want a boyfriend. But Jenny was pretty much universally hated (except by me! How could you not love a character so arch!), and thus this interesting nugget of conversation was dismissed.

Perhaps there is an alternative. In the early 1990s, the Sapphist Gazetteer attended a talk by Leslie Feinberg at the LGBT community center in the West Village in NYC. I recall that Feinberg, author of the seminal trans work, Stone Butch Blues, advocated for a third gender. A third gender, Feinberg argued, would allow individuals who did not identify with either female or male gender roles to express themselves most authentically. It's important to distinguish here that Feinberg (according to my memory) was not asking for a third sex. (Although a third sex arguably already does exist in nature: hermaphrodites.) While I cannot speak for Feinberg today, I do believe the idea of a third gender, the social construct, would allow some among us to avoid the troublesome issue of sex assignment and, therefore, the difficulties presented by anatomy, plastic surgery, and, one could say, self-mutilation.