Stanley-Eric-Captive-Genders-Trans-Embodiment-and-Prison-Industrial-Complex

Captive Gendersand expressions are so widespread that these are familiar and easy to use,or because being gay is seen as a gender violation so the language of andabout homophobia is easily applied, I’m not sure. Many people who donot accept gay or transgender people view both as unnatural, whetherbased on religious beliefs or learned prejudices. As long as homophobiais deeply entrenched in our society, transgender individuals will have adifficult time being accepted.I’ve Always Been a TomboyProbably the most commonly shared aspect of their lives was that, growingup, these individuals were tomboys. Tomboy was the specific word I heardused when people described their identities. For example, Kool identifiedas a masculine female. To her, that means being “kind of hard…. Alwaysvery aggressive, tomboy, basketball, baseball, all of that…. It’s always been,probably raised more of a tomboy than a girl because I never wore makeup,anything. Never tried to bring out my feminine ways.” Joy, an aggressive,“always got called tomboy. So, I always had the lifestyle of being rough, sothat’s aggressive in my eyes and other people’s eyes…. I never wore makeupor anything like that. But I’ve always had the rough edge about me.”Terri, another aggressive, echoes, “Like a little boy, they [prisoners] call us,because we’re aggressives because we don’t do what the girls do. We don’tput on makeup, we’re always wrestling around, playing sports. We’re morelike the little boys. That’s how they prefer to call us: hes.” These identitiescomplicated life, whether outside or inside prison. Buba, an aggressive,reports that people did not know whether she was a girl or a boy. Potatoeshad guys “plant themselves in front of me and chest butt me, and say, ‘Youwant to act like a man?’ I mean, totally unprovoked!”Insane identified as masculine and was comfortable with the pronounshe or she. While fine with a female body, Insane was “nowherenear a feminine female.” He said, “I like to play softball, well, here wehave softball, basketball, something like that. You don’t see me up therewith the aerobics people, or you know, jump rope or something.” Insanecompared himself to feminine females who “stand in the mirror combingtheir hair; me, I’m just like, getting some braids, wash my face, brush myteeth, and get moving. In other words, some of them stay there for hours,while I get ready on a drop of a dime. And that’s like my brothers or something,so that’s why I put myself in that category.” Growing up, Insanefought with his mother over wearing dresses and sitting properly. He seesthe masculine influence in how he dresses and the way he carries himself.194