The Middle Sexes
The Middle Sexes
A Reflection
Ashley Harper
EDF2085-400447
It is easier to believe that some things are black and white; that they can only be this or that, no other. In the case of sexual orientation, there lies a huge gray area. Not all men and women are attracted to the opposite sex. Some are attracted to the same sex, which is referred to as homosexuality, and some are attracted to both sexes, which could be either pansexual or bisexual. While homosexuality, and what lies in between, is becoming more tolerable in the world, it is not without a few hiccups along the way. In the documentary, The Middle Sexes, HBO highlights how homosexuality is shunned in some areas and yet widely accepted in others.
Being a non-heterosexual woman, I am drawn to documentaries like this one. I believe HBO was able to approach sexuality and sexual orientation in a tasteful way. Not only did they give light to how non-heterosexual people are treated as adults who have a more clear definition of who they are, but also children who have not yet discovered their sexuality, both here in the United States and other parts of the world. I am lucky to live in a place that will not imprison or kill me for my sexual preferences. I fully believe homosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, and heterosexuality is something we cannot control, much like we cannot control our preference for sweet or salty foods.
Many years ago I watched a documentary about transsexuals, whom we now call transgendered people. In it, it said that transsexuality is so widely accepted in south pacific islands, that any surgery necessary for transition from one gender to another is covered by insurance and sometimes the government. The Middle Sexes interviewed a few male-born people who now portray themselves as women in a Thailand club for performances. All of them answered differently as to which surgeries they have had performed, if any, to become or look like a woman. One man had not had any
A Reflection
Ashley Harper
EDF2085-400447
It is easier to believe that some things are black and white; that they can only be this or that, no other. In the case of sexual orientation, there lies a huge gray area. Not all men and women are attracted to the opposite sex. Some are attracted to the same sex, which is referred to as homosexuality, and some are attracted to both sexes, which could be either pansexual or bisexual. While homosexuality, and what lies in between, is becoming more tolerable in the world, it is not without a few hiccups along the way. In the documentary, The Middle Sexes, HBO highlights how homosexuality is shunned in some areas and yet widely accepted in others.
Being a non-heterosexual woman, I am drawn to documentaries like this one. I believe HBO was able to approach sexuality and sexual orientation in a tasteful way. Not only did they give light to how non-heterosexual people are treated as adults who have a more clear definition of who they are, but also children who have not yet discovered their sexuality, both here in the United States and other parts of the world. I am lucky to live in a place that will not imprison or kill me for my sexual preferences. I fully believe homosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, and heterosexuality is something we cannot control, much like we cannot control our preference for sweet or salty foods.
Many years ago I watched a documentary about transsexuals, whom we now call transgendered people. In it, it said that transsexuality is so widely accepted in south pacific islands, that any surgery necessary for transition from one gender to another is covered by insurance and sometimes the government. The Middle Sexes interviewed a few male-born people who now portray themselves as women in a Thailand club for performances. All of them answered differently as to which surgeries they have had performed, if any, to become or look like a woman. One man had not had any
Cited: Thomas, A. (Director). (2005). The Middle Sexes [Motion Picture].