Azel Kahan 5/15/15
Middlesex Blog 4: Current Events:
A current event that many people
have highlighted and related to Callie’s story in Middlesex is Bruce Jenner’s
gender transition. Jenner stated in April during an interview that he was a
trans woman who dealt with gender dysphoria for a while. Gender dysphoria is
also known as gender identity disorder, in which case Bruce Jenner wasn’t
content with living his life as a male. The prevalence of this disorder in the
retired athlete made me think strongly of Calliope’s conundrum in Middlesex, and
how she is confused about her own gender identity in her awkward teenage years.
The drama surrounding Bruce Jenner’s transition is seen everywhere in pop
culture oriented tabloids and other articles in publications such as People
magazine and so on. The actual transition along with the drama itself can also
be tied back to the Middlesex chapter ‘Gun on the wall’ where Calliope boldly enters
new grounds when touching her female friend intimately. In previous chapters
Cal tells the reader that his former self had been fond of her for quite a
while, without being quite sure why. The confusion begins to fade when Callie
crosses this threshold and explores new territory. Such may be said as well for
the television personality Bruce Jenner, and how he might have found his gender
identity. Whatever influence or events lead up to Jenner’s decision can be
paralleled to Calliope finding herself during a time period of her life where
one’s gender carries an enormous weight on their life in society.
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