June 12, 2015
(This is part of a 365 project
during my 70th years where I write and illustrate a blog on each
day’s gift.)
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| Pink or blue? |
Improv theater took me to Baltimore tonight. I’ve
often admired people who can get on stage and go with the flow in the moment
without benefit of a script. I’ve been on stage with no script a couple of
times at Stoop Storytelling but I was in control of what I would say. In improv
theater, the actors play off of one another and you have to be able to shift
directions.
Our new daughter-in-law, who has shifted directions, performed with the improv
group Remote Possibilities tonight. She used to be our son-in-law. It
would seem that what was once a remote possibility has turned into a reality
for her. She is facing her gender dysphoria head-on in what might seem like
improv to some but which is a transformation that has evolved over many years.
The transgender concept is not new to me. I have some
transgendered friends and have had many discussions on this topic. Deborah
Rudacille’s book, The Riddle of Gender, shed some light for me on a topic
that most people cannot wrap their heads around. What makes the most sense is
to understand that gender is not binary—although when a baby is born, a most
asked question shows an acceptance of binary gender, “Is it a boy or a girl?” The reality is that there is a gender
continuum. Regardless of physical appearance, people fall in different places
on the continuum. Most things in life
are not binary. When a doctor asks how much pain I am feeling, it’s on a
sliding scale. There are degrees of sadness and happiness and usually not an
either/or.
I have noticed a transformation in our
daughter-in-law. She smiles much more now than s/he used to.
My
gift today is witnessing transformation.
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