Sexuality

A little while ago I read in Time magazine that a person who was born female, journeyed to manhood, and then gave birth to a child.
The man wearing a beard is seen breastfeeding the newborn baby.
I have nothing against public breastfeeding, but I find this picture a little unsettling.
The beard might have something to do with it.

When I was a child, gender identity was simple. There were men and women. Period. Something easy to remember. And we were taught to be polite… bonjour madame, bonsoir monsieur, merci mademoiselle.

But now, the distinctions are more fluid or diluted. With age, it becomes a little more difficult to absorb new notions, particularly about sexual orientation.
Today you have asexuality, bisexuality, demisexuality, homosexuality, pansexuality, and God knows what…

And then you have the transgender phenomenon.
Transgenders are individuals who feel uncomfortable in their own skin.
They might have been born with the attributes of a male or a female, but they feel that they really belong to the other group and yearn to transition to the other side.
Many do.

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, and I understand their aspirations but I feel a little uncertain about the whole thing.

As I understand it, trans gendering is a complicated and lengthy physical and emotional process, and it takes a long time to reach the desired sense of well-being.
I sincerely tip my hat to those who dare to jump to the other side and I wish them all the happiness they are seeking.

But no matter what, trans gendering is still viewed with suspicion, even hostility.

Let’s say that this nice Jewish boy meets this charming, smart, good looking girl. He becomes besotted with her and he shares the good news with his parents. They are is thrilled and they want to meet her.
But at the last minute, he blurts out that his inamorata used to be a man.
Oy vey! goes the Greek chorus.

Life used to be a bowl of cherries, but now it seems that there are many pits among those cherries.

Alain