Boys Dont Cry 1999 Transgenderism Movie Review

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Q1. Explain the impact of the social and cultural influences on sexual attitudes and behaviors as it relate to Brandon.

Boys Don’t Cry depicts the challenges faced by a young man in the 1990s attempting to transition from female to male. Transgenderism is the technical term used to describe someone who was born a particular anatomical sex, but identifies as the opposite gender. The film shows the difficulty of transitioning when the concept of gender is tied to anatomical sex. Even today, in more liberal cultural contexts and environments, there is often a great deal of tension when someone comes out as transgender. This tension is exacerbated in an area of the country where hyper-masculinity is embraced and the division of roles between the two genders are heavily policed.

Ironically, one of the reasons that Brandon Teena is so attractive to his love interest in the film, a woman named Lana, is his non-traditionally male sensitivity. Lana likes the fact that Brandon is able to show greater sensitivity and kindness than some of the other men Lana has encountered in Falls City, Nebraska. But Brandon is clearly one of the guys, and enjoys the typical pursuits of young men in the area. Brandon clearly feels a sense of release and the ability to be his true self in the environment.

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The film is also interesting because it shows that not all individuals who identify with non-traditional sexual personas will necessarily feel at home in large, East Coast cities where presumably transgenderism would have been more tolerated, even in the 1990s.

Brandon clearly wishes to seem to be a man, as his culture defines it, and despite his tenderness to his girlfriend, his manner of self-presentation is extremely masculine. This is one of the reasons he has convictions for violent activities that ultimately prove to be his undoing. It also may impede his ability to find people who are more understanding of who he is. Although Lana is very kind and accepts Brandon completely, the other individuals who he initially befriends turn on him violently when he is revealed to be transgender. It is clear that they view transgenderism as evil and deviant, and are unable to accept other ways of being in the world.

Q2. Describe the socio-sexual development of men and women and the developmental changes that occur over the life cycle.

The film….....

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