Jun 022013
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She sensitively explores the controversial subject of the blurring of gender as well as the serious social and family problems – even dangers – often faced by those whose gender may fall somewhere in between male and female. Narrated by noted author Gore Vidal and filmed in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, Middle Sexes examines the ways different societies and cultures handle the blurring of gender, sexual identity and sexual orientation. Through
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Society and Diversity,
Antony Thomas’ Middle Sexes explores diversity within sexuality that makes all people unique. Focusing on transgender issues accross society that film helps to create the feeling that diversity is good and that one of the keys to peaceful coexistence is tolerance for all views.
The film’s most powerful message is that there is no one real normal definition of human sexuality. All life is neither black nor white, male nor female. Everything and everyone is made up of shades of gray.
The film makes its point by intoducing the viewer to other cultures where the idea of transgender roles are more accepted than in our own. We travel to India to learn about the Hindu third sex and to Thailand to get the insights of the Ladyboy community.
This is a quite good documentary produced by Sheila Nevins for HBO. While it offers no stunning conclusions its message of diversity and tolerance is well appreciated.
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|Very well-made and informative documentary,
This 75 minute documentary delves into the topic of sexual identity and sexual orientation across cultures, ages, and even into the animal kingdom. What is revealed is that the border between male and female isn’t as cut and dry as we are led to believe in our western society.
Middle Sexes addresses many controversial topics, including the development of human sex organs in the first trimester, hermaphroditic animals, transgender lifestyles, violence against people with differing sexual identities and many other related points of interest. What this documentary really points out is that while human nature and biology thrives on variance, society frowns upon it. By showing different cultures and the way they address sexuality, this documentary really provides some eye-opening insight into human sexuality.
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|Movie is irresponsible in it’s (mis)representation,
First, I was confused by the title given only one intersex individual’s story was told. I think it is very irresponsible to conflate the experiences of trans and intersex identified folks. I failed to see what the director, Antony Thomas’, intentions were.
Second, I was extremely bothered by the fact that no one who was biologically born a woman and seeking to queer gender boundaries appeared in the film. I can only infer that this might be due to penis worship. This is summarized in the film by Mark, the man who left his wife and kids to be with a Thai Lady-boy: “it’s one thing to have breast implants… but to have your tackle sawn off, it’s just a big step”. Translation: of course women want to have penises, but why on earth would a man ever want to be a woman?
Third, I found the presentations of non-American gender ideals, while typical, very exoticizing, reductionist, and offensive. The argument about nature is very understandable, given the western idea that if it is found in nature than it is Right. However, to use examples of animals in order to transition into discussing non-mainstream-Euro-American cultures, very… Walt Disney. That aside, the lack of context was by far the most offensive part of the film. Again returning to the Thai Lady-boy examples, where was an analysis of the historical treatment or cultural position of Kathoey. Sure one was a model and many are the subjects of touristic voyeurism, but what about Kathoey who can’t pass as American 50′s show girls? (To say nothing of the films claim that Thailand has never been colonized.)
(To practice what I preach: I am a college educated, white, middle-class, queer, American woman. While I have traveled, I do not claim to know much about cultures other than my own; and, where I have spent more extensive time, those experiences were viewed with the lens of my American experiences.)
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